More handmade books

I have recently got back into the joys of handmade books, and what a delight it has been!

For me, pinterest is always a good starting point for fresh ideas.

This week I made two books,
with another two recently as part of a #mindfulnessandcreativity workshop.

And here are the books - 

This first one has a quote from a lovely hymn that I only recently heard "now the green blade rises" a lovely hymn to spring.

It's a tiny book one inch square when closed with a wax seal on the front, ribbon ties and printed leaves and wording inside.

This second book I made during a book-making workshop, demonstrating the beauty and simplicity of concertina books. The cover, which wraps around the book, is handmade paper-cloth, with some machine embroidery detail. It has a simple closure sliding into a slot.

Here is the book open, revealing its concertina length.

This is the 3rd book, and I had lots of fun playing with the front cover. The book is pages grouped together into signatures and hand-stitched at the spine. The removable cover is made from handmade felt (mostly from Oliver Twists, not me!) and machine embroidered on the leaves and background. With a handy pen or pencil holder at the side.

And the 4th book is my personal favourite!

This small book has a clever closure with the key sliding through the ribbon slot.
The paper cover is from Namaste.
Half of the pages have a lace-like cut-out edging.
It's only little but it's beautiful!

Hope you enjoy the books! :)

What does a Mindfulness based Creativity course involve?

This is the short answer! It involves being open,
recognising fear that can arise related to creativity and going with curiosity instead!

What do we mean by creativity?

Creativity can take many different forms, including how we build a home, cook a meal, or create an atmosphere where people feel relaxed. For the purposes of the course these are specifically writing and drawing as we consider these to be the solid foundations upon which to build creativity into all areas of our lives.  

 How many of us experienced a time, often at school, when we were told we couldn’t draw, or write creatively? What impact did this then have? How does this belief possibly impact our lives more subtly now? 

NB I have included snippets from my own journal during the course as examples, but we really encourage people to explore their individual creativity.

Through this course we encourage you to unlearn the habits of judging and saying to yourself,
‘I can’t do this’ or ‘it’s no good’ and to have a go. Fear can be very constricting and so we encourage a playful sense of fun and curiosity in each session.

If you already have a creative pursuit and would like to bring more mindfulness into your practice then this course is for you. If the ‘C’ word (creativity) terrifies you this is exactly the course for you!

MBCr provides an exploration of how mindfulness and creativity can mutually support and nourish each other. 

This course is suitable for beginners (to both mindfulness and/or creativity), as well as those wishing to refresh or deepen their mindfulness practice, or explore their creativity in a new way. We invite everyone to put aside their previous knowledge and experience (or lack of it!) and engage a Beginner’s Mind.

This course will be taught over eight classes from 1st May to 26th June (excluding a break on 29th May). Each class will be 2.5 hours long and will take place on Tuesdays from 10.30 to 13.00 in the beautiful setting of Helmsley Walled Garden. 

The ethos of the course can be summed up in this beautiful quote from poet Mary Oliver,

Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

For more details and booking information, please follow this link

#mindfulnessandcreativity #beginnersmind #justplaying #ncmc