TheAyBeeCees - With Books Under Our Arms

There is something very sensuous about paper. Actually, there is a lot very sensuous about paper - the way it feels against fingertips, the sound of pages turning and sheet rustling, and of course, the smell. Having spent a large portion of my childhood afternoons in the neighborhood library, waiting for my mom to finish playing her ballet classes and come pick me up - I associate books and paper with comfort and peace, as well as liberation.

There is nothing quite like a blank page in a book. It is like a question waiting to be answered. And the difference between confiding that answer in the pages of a handmade journals and jotting it down in your PDA is the difference between whispering a secret to a good friend and writing an email to your cell phone company.

Ok, well maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but I think you get the point. I am a fan of handmade book, and TheAyBeeCees, whose work will be featured at Howard Street Handmade this coming Saturday is deserving of my adoration, and yours as well.

Jean Potter creates her work in a "tree house of a studio," and gets bonus points because she like NPR and cacti. Her work includes handmade journals, calendars, planners and more.

I especially love her Narcissus journal, which features a beautiful print of one of my favorite myths. I can just imagine filling it up with sketches and watercolor doodles to accompany my daily musings a la Frida.

The colors Jean combines in her creations remind me quite a bit of Kahlo actually - they are so vibrant!

Jean's shop on Etsy is full of handmade books that beg to be seen in person, so take a peek (or even a gander at her shop online) and then treat yourself - come visit her in person at Howard Street!

TheAyBeeCees so inspired me, I had to dig out a quote from Virginia Woolf to share:
"I have sometimes dreamt that when the Day of Judgement dawns - the ALmighty will turn to Peter and will say when he sees us coming with out books under our arms, "Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them here. They have loved reading."