journal give-away

In honor of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), La Paperie & Cozy will be participating in a give-away starting today. Get thee to Haute Whimsy to enter to win one of my leather journals. :)

The prize journal is made with deep copper leather. It has 320 pages of white unlined 28 lb./105 gsm writing paper with handtorn edges. The book opens flat so you can write or draw all the way into the margins. The binding is stitched with Irish linen bookbinding thread, visible on the spine.

*Winner can choose to omit the opening quote page, which features an Abigail Adams quote, if they so choose.

It's easy to enter with options for multiple entries. Contest is open to USA and Canada. Contest ends November 13 at 11:59 p.m.

Autumn is here!

Colourful crunchy leaves are underfoot. A faint whiff of chimney smoke drifts by in the crisp, cool air. Rosy apple-cheeked children snuggle into their coats to keep warm as they watch geese flying south overhead. It's a time for spiced apple cider and warm pumpkin pie. Warm woolen pea coats, cozy scarves and toasty mittens find their way out of storage boxes.

Yes indeed... Autumn is definitely here! Admittedly, this is my favourite time of year and I look forward to it with much anticipation. As the days grow shorter, my internal "idea bank" grow larger. This is my busiest time of year, and my brain seems to come alive with many a new concept for my shop.

This month saw La Paperie & Cozy's collaboration with  talented potter/ceramist, Sandra Rosa, who hails from Setúbal, Portugal. (Be sure to check out Sandra's shop, Azulado, on Etsy... her work is beautiful and unique.) This special line of journals I am introducing to my shop will be on-going and will incorporate Sandra's lovely ceramic cylinders and buttons. They add a stunning facet to the rugged, rustic vibe of my leather journals; though beautiful, they are also very durable and strong. 

I've also been adding end papers to a lot of my journals lately, in addition to quote pages. I've always felt that they add a special something to a book. I think you will agree...

Enjoy your autumn everyone! :)

important shipping info

As of June 15, Canada Post has locked out its workers after unresolved talks and rotating strikes. Mail delivery has come to a  completely halt, nation-wide. Therefore, no mail can be delivered or received. Unfortunately items already in transit will most likely be delayed.

Feel free to continue shopping and I will hold onto your order until the postal strike has been resolved.

If you need your journal shipped immediately, I can give you a quote via FedEx shipping. The shipping costs with FedEx will be higher, unfortunately, however its services will remain unaffected by the CanadaPost strike.

new quote journals & features

Here we are in the middle of June already - summer will soon 'officially' be upon us! The month is flying by VERY quickly. So far it's remained chilly and rainy for the most part, but one cannot lose hope of a nice hot, sunny summer. While things have been busy at the bindery, it's difficult not to be distracted by singing birds, thoughts of camping trips, BBQ's with friends and family, and long days at the beach. :) 

To ring in the quickly-approaching summer, I've introduced two new quote journals to my inspiring assemblage...one from Pablo Picasso and the other, Emily Brontë. In the Picasso quote journal, I used one of my favourite photos of the artist, and in the Brontë journal, I featured one of my own photographs taken at beautiful Brier Island, here in Nova Scotia. (NOTE: Remember that any journal in my shop is available as a non-quote journal, should you prefer the title page to be blank. Simply request this at check-out.)

Also, I am now offering a new customization for journals - for an additional charge of $8, you can have a pocket added to the inside back cover of any journal in my shop or custom-made journal. These pockets are handy for holding small paper ephemera such as ticket stubs, clippings, small photos, business cards, etc.

The pocket will be securely stitched (saddle stitch) to the inside back cover of your journal. If possible, the pocket's leather will coordinate with the leather used in your journal's cover. If not available in a coordinating colour, a similar or complementary colour will be chosen. The size of the pocket will depend on the size of the journal. For instance if you are purchasing a 5½" x 4¼" journal, the pocket will be sized to fit the back cover; if a larger journal is purchased the pocket will be re-sized accordingly.

See the "Add Pocket" listing in my shop for more details.

update on the postal strike...

The postal strike here in Canada is a rotating strike, targeting mostly larger cities, and therefore only affects one area at a time, for 24-48 hours at the most, at this time.

So for the time being, I will carry on shipment as usual via Canada Post's service, not FedEx. If there are any delays they will only be a day or two. I may still have to reapply the FedEx shipping rates, it if the strike comes to our area. We will see. But for now, it's shipping as usual. :)

Thanks for your patience, folks!

You can keep updated on the areas the strike is affecting here at: http://www.infopost.ca/en/

Postal Strikes! Yikes...

The Canadian Postal Worker’s Union is threatening to go on strike tonight at 11:59 pm EST. The reality of it actually happening is setting in now. There is a chance the strike is imminent, and there is a chance it’s not. We’ll see what pans out. Either way, I’ve put Plan “Alternative Shipping” into motion. My alternative shipping mode will be FedEx, as it is not affiliated with CanadaPost.

How does this affect you, dear customer?

If you’ve recently made an order and your package has already been sent out...
I am very sorry to say that there is a good chance that it could be delayed.

If you place an order, as of today...
Your item has a FedEx shipping rate included with it. Unfortunately it will be more expensive than previous modes of shipping.

If you live outside of the USA or Canada and wish to order a journal...
Shipping with FedEx will be ridiculously expensive, and the best thing to do would be to wait until the strike is over to place an order, or place your order and I will hold it until the strike is over and ship it to you at that time.

Also, for the time being, I am temporarily un-listing my cameos and greeting cards in my shop, since they are small items and the cost to ship them via FedEx is just too ridiculous.

Custom journals will still be accepted. I can either wait to ship them out as soon as the coast is clear, or ship them via FedEx. The choice is yours.

Thank you all so very much for your patience! Hopefully this will all blow over soon!

Busy bee

Spring is finally here, after a long winter. It’s a joy to see the flowers blooming, hear the birds singing and the bees buzzing.

Things have been very busy at La Paperie & Cozy, and not only binding has been going on. I have recently listed a few other things in my shop, including necklace pendants and wallets. A little odd for a bookbinding shop, you may say, but let’s just say these little ditties put the “cozy” in La Paperie & Cozy. ;)

Here are the cameo pendants currently listed in my shop. After making some for myself, and giving some as gifts, I was left with a few more. So they are in my shop until they’re all gone.

I’m also offering hand-stitched leather wallets in my shop. An on-going quandary for me has been what to do with all my leather remnants…because I have plenty! There are some pieces that are just too large to throw away, and too small to make into books. So my first bi-fold wallet was born yesterday, quickly followed by its brother! The two of them actually took me a full day to make. So they are labour intensive, as each one is completely hand-stitched and the holes hand-punched, but I love being able to use up my leather pieces! Waste not, want not. I'll probably be listing a couple on my shop soon. I will only be using my really good sturdy leather remnants. I probably won't offer wallets often, or make them customizable (what-I-list-is-what-you-get kind of thing) since they aren't my shop's main feature, but I can offer free monogramming with every wallet.

You can see more photos of the wallets, here.

And yes, there has been a lot of binding going on too! :) I’ve added a few new styles and quotes to my journals. Be sure to check them out in my shop.

Martha Stewart Weddings

My copy of the spring Martha Stewart Weddings magazine arrived the other day from the editorial department. Excitement! :)

My guestbook is on page 276 (bottom left corner), on the first of the page photos below. The book is open on a small table with flowers and a quill pen - what a gorgeous set up they had!

It was so neat to be a part of this lovely wedding. I love how rustic 'country lodge' it was. I've included some other photos in the magazine article on the wedding. I wish the happy couple all the best! :)

Click the photos for a larger view...

  

Fabulous Finds Give-Away - Win a Red Guestbook!

My dear friend Melody over at Aria Images Photography is hosting a "Fabulous Finds Give-Away" on her blog, featuring one of my handmade guestbooks. See her blog for details and enter to win this pretty red blank book. It would make a great little wedding guestbook, sketchbook or journal! The give-away is open to everyone within Canada and the USA.

Small Red Guestbook ($55 value)
This lovely little red guestbook is made with a beautiful cherry top-grain cowhide leather. A pretty red satin ribbon, strung through two slits in the back of the book, keeps the book securely closed. The book measures approximately 5.5″ wide x 4.25″ high and is over 1″ thick. It opens flat so you can write or draw all the way into the margins. The binding has been hand-stitched with durable natural beeswaxed Irish linen thread. The book boasts 320 pages (counting front & back) of high quality white unlined 28 lb./105 gsm writing paper with handtorn edges – it’s acid free, archival, and 3rd party certified to the standards of the Forest Stewardship Council. The end papers are made with beautiful pale green patterned paper, handmade in India.

CLICK HERE TO READ DETAILS AND ENTER THE DRAW!

While you're at the Aria Images Photography blog, please check out Mel's amazing photography - she is an amazingly talented photographer and wonderful person to work with!

important note for my customers

I will not be accepting any custom orders until Feb. 14th, as I will be recovering from major surgery. However, engraving will still be available for any journal purchased from my shop. Also, any books that are purchased between Jan. 21-30, 2011 will ship on Monday, Jan. 31.  Thank you for your patience and understanding! :)

Hello 2011!

After an enjoyable little winter respite (Dec. 11-Jan.2), La Paperie & Cozy re-opened for business on Monday, Jan. 3, 2011. Where has the time gone? We are already well into January already! Things have been busy. Needless to say, my little 'helpers' -- the cats -- have been far from helpful. Instead they were insanely cute and very distracting (on purpose).

While I attempted to relax during the respite, bookbinding factored into a lot of that relaxation. :)  Actually those of you who know me well, know that I have a difficult time relaxing without anything to do with books, in general. What can I say? I really love what I do! Many have said that this comes across in my handmade books. That makes me very happy, considering a lot of TLC goes into each and every journal, sketchbook or guestbook that I create. Each book is an expression of my love of journaling, literature, and books in general - and I cherish the idea that a journal I create will soon become home for someone's thoughts and musings. It's a wonderful thing!

During the break I had some time to create a few new books. I also introduced two beautiful quotes to my quoted journal line, which just both happen to be from author, Anaïs Nin. I have always loved these quotes and wanted to share them in my journals...

Also another lovely big Book of Memories - the largest book I make at 9"x12". This would make a perfect wedding guestbook/album, sketchbook, baby book, family tree book, or a place to store those special recipes. This style of book will be featured in Martha Stewart Weddings magazine which will hit stands on Feb. 28th.