A pair of quirky little characters embark on their adventures in a series of stories by bbandppinc. The minds behind these fun handmade storybooks are Robbie Guertin and Dasha Shishkin of Brooklyn, New York.

Made in small editions, their handmade books combine a well-crafted quality with affordability, and the stories of Baby Bear, Pezya, and their other critter-friends are a way for the two of them to make whatever artwork they want.

I absolutely love the earthen quality of the handprinted linocut images that fill the pages of each hand-stitched book.

Besides handmade books, bbandppinc. also churns out cards, prints, and t-shirts featuring some of their favorite line drawings. I absolutely adore the matching t-shirts of Baby Bear, Pezya and the trail of little cupcakes!

To find out a little more about bbandppinc, take a look at their work featured in the new publication By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art.

My collection of art and design books is growing, and the latest addition is a new publication by Princeton Architectural Press called By Hand: The Use of Craft in Contemporary Art.

Filled with images and writings by 32 artists, the book is about those who “replace the paintbrush with a needle and thread and, instead of standing in front of a canvas all day, spend time hunched over sewing machines and embroidery hoops.” (7)

Images of knitted sweaters to keep signposts warm, embroidered Tokyo cityscapes, lifesize vinyl appliances and limited edition artists’ books are accompanied by statements written by the artists who share the purpose of their work and the meticulous process by which they create. My favorites include electricwig of Northern Ireland, New York-based Andrew Kuo, Karen Reimer from Chicago, Illinois, and Rob Wynne from New York.

I really like what Robyn Love, the maker of knitted cozies, says about the place of handmade items in the modern world of machines and mass production: “I am fascinated by the craft and do-it-yourself booms, as evidenced by entire cable networks devoted to them and things like the scrapbooking craze. I think they are a result of people having no place in ordinary life to work with their hands anymore.  

We used to have to make our own clothes, build our own houses and furniture, preserve food, bake bread, and in general, keep busy with our hands. Now, those tasks have all but been eliminated, but there is still the human need to create.” (102)

By Hand is definitely worth picking up if you’re interested in the resurgence of craft in the contemporary art scene, and especially if you like looking at the work of textile artists!

Amy Shaw and Jae Kim, the proud owners of greenjeans, my favorite store in Brooklyn, have put together a holiday card sale to benefit charity. All proceeds from the cards will go to Millenium Villages, a program that invests in health, food production, education, clean water, and infrastructure for impoverished villages to help escape extreme poverty.

I was delighted when my husband and I were asked to participate by making a series of handmade cards. He painted a bunch of quirky gnome illustrations. As for me, here’s a glimpse of some of the cards I made — all from leftover pieces of paper that I’ve been using for my current handmade journal collection. I had way too much fun gluing on the little paper dots of snow!

In the spirit of the holidays, we’re adding one of two types of goodie packages to every order of two or more handmade journals! Here’s a peek at what’s inside:

“The husband” has generously contributed a large number of original photographic prints which are resized into sets of flat notecards. These classy little black and white (silver gelatin) images are perfect for writing messages to the special people in your life, and look great when framed and put on your shelf! The note cards are packaged in a set of 3, measuring 3 1/2 by 5 1/2 inches.

For those of you who like to make collages and artist trading cards, the recollected paper bundles are filled with an array of handmade, textured, patterned, and colored papers and cards for you to assemble into little pieces of art. The bundle measures 5 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches and filled with bits and pieces of different sizes.

Goodie packages available only while supplies last!

I was so excited to see design*sponge’s post on Alyson Fox. While she has created quite a stir in the fashion industry for her stunning line of clothing and accessories, it’s Alyson’s illustration portfolio that I just can’t stop looking at!

From the kraft paper to the linework and the colors, Alyson’s illustrations are a true combination of drawing and design. I am so impressed by how she uses old book covers and clipboards where her images run from one surface to another, creating a unity across the terrain of the paper.

Most of you artsey folk are probably already familiar with the beautiful prints and images by Swedish artist Camilla Engman. My husband and I are eagerly anticipating the debut of her 2007 calendar so we wrote her and asked when it’ll be ready — soon soon, she told us, it’s in progress right now! Oooh, I’m so excited!

In addition to constantly adding new material to her portfolio and her shop, Camilla also posts her work, photographs, and musings on her blog. I am simply floored by how she can put together such amazing images — while she works in a variety of media, my favorites are her collaged pieces and those made with prints on used papers. There’s something so special about her images — they’re quirky and fun while at the same time absolutely soothing and serene.

Being someone who is absolutely clueless as to how to operate a sewing machine, cut fabric swatches, or even collage anything properly, I am in awe at how artists can use those techniques to produce beautiful pieces for us to use and collect.

I’m a big fan of Lisa Congdon’s work — from her patchwork cushions to accessories, each time I see her new stuff, I think, I WANT! Her new website is up, and her online shop will be opening on September 11!

One of my favorite reads is fototiller, a website that covers all things photographic, with a particular focus on the intersection of photography and design. So I was delighted to find a new posting this morning about twotwelve on etsy — that’s the little store and experimental line I’ve been tinkering with in my spare time!

The journals are made with the smaller pieces of paper that I have leftover from making Five and a Half journals, and they are covered with original matte prints taken by my husband during a road trip. The idea came from wanting to expand my current line, and from the boxes of old prints that my husband said I could do whatever I wanted with. So I chopped a few prints up and stuck everything together as little notepads and pocket journals. I’ll be working on these some more, and eventually incorporate them into the Five and a Half store.

Husband-and-wife team Clay and Kara West run their own little bookbinding business, Broken Press Studio, from their home in San Diego, churning out a collection of handmade books with a salvaged bookpress from Hawaii.

They incorporate found objects, paper, and ephemera into one-of-a-kind sketchbooks and journals, with the pages of each text block torn rather than cut, to highlight the handcrafted style of each book. I’m in awe at how versatile their gallery of books is!

A big thank you to Priya for featuring Five and a Half on her design blog, Love Made Visible. I feel so honored!

The pictures above are photos of the first generation of Five and a Half journals, the “earthen collection”, which were the ones that initially found their way into boutique stores in Brooklyn and Manhattan. Through feedback and advice, a new line with brighter colors was created. Now, the journals are in their third edition and they’re even sturdier than before — hardcovers, made with recollected chipboard of course!