I had the most wonderful time in London, looking for materials and inspiration. My suitcase weighed 14 kg more coming back, so I obviously found what I was looking for. While the weather in London was much warmer than it had been back home, it was still not ideal for slowly strolling around enjoying the utterly unaffordable neighbourhoods. Instead I spent my time at (antique) markets, bookshops, book art bookshops, bookbinding shops, museums, and also mudlarking on the Thames foreshore. Today I'm going to share some of the more book-related things.
Be warned, this post is a very photo heavy one... but full of treats!
First off, I can't recommend the bookartbookshop highly enough! I was blown away by the sheer number of books they have, but what really won me over was the customer service. I had a wonderful time chatting with Chiara, who was super sweet showing me gorgeous books when I couldn't decide where to begin my exploration, and who also happened to have surprising connections to my home town. If money weren't an issue, my suitcase would've gone over all weight limits just from stopping by the bookartbookshop. Alas, I do not swim in money, so my finds of the day are as follow:
Some cards based on the illustrations of Franciszka Themerson. As a poet, as a poets wife, and as a friend to several more poets, I'm sure to find a proper use for these.
Days and Nights in W12 by Jack Robinson (actually Charles Boyle) was a must have, especially since I was staying in Shepherd's Bush this time, but also because I like how fiction weaves into reality. Kurt Johannessen's Exercises was also an easy pick - I know just the girl to send it to...
Shepherds bookbinding retail shop got my head spinning so hard I forgot to take any photos of their beautiful shop, but trust me: it's worth a visit, or two. From Shepherds I got some book cloth for my bullet journals as well as some gorgeous papers:
The tiny flowers would be perfect for some mini books... The beautiful waxed lokta (below) is something I'll most likely save for some artists' book project.
Finally I stopped by Paperchase and picked out some wrapping paper. I haven't the slightest idea where I'm going to use these (maybe for wrapping gifts... *gasp*), but they were calling my name nonetheless.
Now I need to dash off to finish doing the dot dot dot on my fine binding: