Printing & the Hand-Made Ethic #MoveOurIgloo

I have a new tradition. On Sunday mornings instead of giving to a church plate, I give to a Kickstarter project. Not every Sunday, and not always Kickstarter, but over the last few years I've shifted from charitable giving to funding small businesses. Why this is would be an interesting post in itself, but I don't have time for those mental gymnastics today. I want to tell you about who I'm backing this Sunday.

Igloo Letterpress is a small print shop in downtown Worthington. I first met the owner Allison when she taught a workshop at Wild Goose Creative about book making. I have made hundreds of her simple folded paper books for Lil over the years. When I need a special card or want to feel connected to a different time, I head to Igloo.

The presses in Allison's shop are historical pieces that allow her and a small staff to continue the letterpress tradition of setting type by hand. Their products, cards, posters, and books, all elevate the act of letter writing, record-keeping, and promotion.

In this digital world, I find myself drawn to giving and receiving hand-written notes. All the better if the paper used has already passed through hands that carefully cut, fold, and imprint.

Igloo Letterpress has always been an open and welcoming place to learn and experiment with letterpress. Lil and I have attended walk-in printing activities and on Thursday Allison, Beth, and other staff allowed a group of bloggers including myself to print a set of notecards and make hand-bound books. They're great teachers and clearly passionate about the hand-made ethic of printing, even in tight quarters as it was with so many people and machines at the event I attended this week.

Today I pledged to Igloo's Kickstarter campaign to outfit a teaching space in their new location. This will be where groups can comfortably learn to carry on the tradition of letterpress. It's where Beth can say yes to Scout troops and friend groups who want to gather and share in a hand-made experience. The new studio will include a new (to Igloo) press dedicated to educational and community work. If you can, contribute to the #MoveOurIgloo - there are great rewards!

How to Fold a Booklet

Two years ago at the Wild Goose Creative New Years celebration, Allison from Igloo Letterpress taught me an imminently useful skill: how to fold a four page booklet from a single piece of paper. Since then, I have transformed paper into books for Lil to make into dinner menus, sticker stories, and hand drawn comics. At one point she even labeled the bindings with letters like at the library to organize her homemade books.

Now I pass on the method to you. Create books for your kids to decorate, for a clever multi-page valentine card, or to display your next dinner party menu.

How to Fold a Book from Paper

First, make a hill fold in the center of the longest side of the paper. Fold the two short edges to meet the top of the hill, making two valley folds.

Unfold and bisect the short side with a fold. Now your paper should have eight even sections.

Re-fold the initial hill fold and cut the bisecting fold from the center through to the next valley fold.

Stand the paper up with the cut on top. Pinch together the ends to form three of the 'pages'.

Wrap the last page around the others and crease the binding well. Now you have four pages.

Decorate your book as you wish!

Pro Tips:

• At age five, Lil can fold a book like this if I help her but her edges and folds are not even enough to make a perfect book. Your child may be more adept and/or less of a perfectionist than mine.
• Lil figured out pretty quickly that if you make two books and glue the back of one to the front of the other, you have a bigger book.
• An 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper makes a 2 3/4" x 4 1/4" inch book.
• Paper thicker than card stock gets difficult to fold and manage. Plain copy paper works very well.
• When you are sufficiently addicted to book making, head over to Igloo Letterpress in Worthington Ohio to learn how to make different kinds of books. Or maybe you'll want one to purchase one of their BIY (bind it yourself) or no sew refillable books from the Etsy store?

Added to Simple Lives Thursday.

Handmade Holidays: Adorning Gifts in Jars

This post concludes my series on handmade holiday gifts.  Previous weeks included instructions for making hand-rolled beeswax candles, hot cocoa mix, and spice rub.  A list of other possible gifts in jars is at the bottom of the post.

I believe that giving a homemade or home canned gift in a mason jar is a true expression of love.  A homemade jam contains peak of the season flavors and the gift of time spent preserving.  Custom spice, cocoa, or baking mixes show genuine consideration for the individual.

To elevate the gift beyond everyday pantry fare, proper wrapping is in order.

First, label the lid to ensure the recipient knows what they are getting.  I like to use my Brother Personal Labeler Machine to denote the contents and date/instructions as applicable. Writing neatly with a permanent marker works fine too.

Because the tops aren't all that pretty, cover them with something beautiful. Old maps and books make a cute topping, especially when you can match the paper to something unique about giftee. I used a discarded Tennessee map to create the top and gift tag cover for the spice rub I'm giving to a certain brother in law who now lives in Murfreesboro.

Fabric covers can be made from scraps or fat quarters bought at the craft store. Use pinking shears to cut the edges of a square or circle just a bit larger than the lid. Slip the metal ring over the top and you have a cute cover.

Tie a piece of raffia, ribbon, or twine around the ring. Attach a paper or cardboard gift tag to identify the recipient and giver. I adore the country chic letterpress gift tags from Igloo Letterpress pictured at left.

A big bow on top would be another lovely adornment. Condo Blues and How About Orange have step by step instructions for making your own from newsprint or magazine pages.

How do you adorn homemade gifts?

Other handmade food gift ideas: Liqueur Fruit Jam (apple pie, peach, or strawberry) Applesauce a loaf of bread (no-knead or cranberry) Sugared cranberries