joyeux noel 2014

...

next open day....

Phew! its been a whirlwind time!

I'm now hunkering down for winter and working on oodles and oodles of arty projects

The next BIG open day at the studio will be the long weekend in October 2012 which will have a distinct BOOK theme (with the possibility of a one day book arts workshop nestled in there too!) - I will be displaying handmade books and demonstrating book crafts with all the lovely bookbinding gear in the bookworks studio.

Of course the garden will be starting to emerge from its winter hibernation (like me!) and visitors can wander the grounds at will (hopefully I'll have a couple of new garden AND book projects completed by then....)

Lets make it a date eh?!


....

on the inside...

Now that I've opened the doors of the bookworks for the first time - 

would you like to meet some of my favourite bits of studio equipment?

here's 'Maria'...

... a huge French standing press

she gained the nickname 'Maria' because I picked her up in the nearby township of Moruya

isn't she a lovely looking girl?

but at 250kgs she is a substantial lass!

Phil welded her a special metal table/base so we can feel confident that she's fully supported

then there's 'Chappie'

weighing in at around one tonne

 'Chappie' - my late 19th century Chandler and Price clamshell printing press - does tend to dominate the space so I've tucked him into the back of the studio

nearby is my one chest of metal type (and letterpress bits and pieces)

(although 'Chappie' and mates do take up a lot of space in the studio, I'm not really a letterpress printer so I don't have mountains of gear & I certainly make no pretense at being a letterpress expert!)

My book journey started from the land of calligraphy

 and look - here's my tilted drafting table that's been my faithful calligraphy table 

since the early 1990s... 

its a homemade affair that has lovely a Vemco drafting machine - a beautiful drafting tool more commonly seen in an architects atelier than a calligrapher's studio...
My calligraphy table takes advantage of lovely easterly light
- and soon I'll be able to look out onto my beloved chooks in their own yard -
(right now they are living in a moveable chook tractor that you can spy through the window!)

also inside the studio is my smaller copy press ...

that I use as a nipping press

then there's 'tubbie'

my wooden finishing press and tub

my big wooden finishing press....

sewing frames....

and all my precious hand tools.....

Very soon I'll be announcing the next open day
(I'm hibernating for the winter!) 

when I'll be concentrating on just BOOOOOOOOKS -
so you can come and play with all these goodies
(and maybe even make some booky things)


stay tuned!


.....

sams creek bookworks - the journey has begun...

 

  

 

 

....

its a sign!

 

 

 

I've been repurposing my old sign

with a lick of vibrant (traffic stopping) paint

hand cut stencil lettering

(nearly there....)

 ....

spreading the news...

please feel free to shout it from the roof tops 

ps - the sams creek open day has been listed 

on the National Permaculture Day website

looksee

sams creek bookworks
is at Sams Creek - 10068 Princes Hwy (6kms north of) Cobargo NSW 2550

....

look at me now!

sooooo did you catch that piccie of me (in the usual place)
peeking out of the vibrant orange studio doors?

things are moving along 

here's a peek (or two or three) of how the garden is shaping up...

come to the open day May 5 and do the full tour!

....

painting...

Its Sunday morning 

and here's poor farmer phil up the ladder 

painting the hard to reach bits on the studio 

just WAIT until you see the final coat on the old building...... 

not long now until opening day!

..

grand opening plans

Soooooo....

 here we are a year behind schedule

but this time EVERYTHING is going swimmingly for a HUGE opening day

Saturday May 5 2012

 

Over Christmas Phil created a beautiful wheelchair accessible path
and undertook some urgent repairs to my funny little shed/studio

in the next couple of weeks I'm going to be painting the exterior

(ooooo just WAIT until you see how this baby is going to be transformed!)

Then I've got a huge studio garden to replant 

(its a MESS right now)

then there's the rest of the garden to get to work on

(we're ordering a semi-trailer load of mulch this week.... 

have you seen how much mulch that is? WOLF!)

and then there's the interior to get ready 

(painting, cleaning, shelves and curtains to make...)

and my planned 'kiddies art in the courtyard' thingy to get going 

and the 'under the eaves' art exhibition to get started

and the fences to be fixed

and the signs to make

and 

and 

and

and I KNOW I'm going to get there 

and its going to be FANTASTIC!

(hope you can come to the big day.....)




*** proceeds from the opening will go to Cobargo School P&C 
for the school's kitchen/garden/outdoor classroom project

...

national permaculture day...

 Its May 1 - National Permaculture Day -
today WAS going to be the grand opening of sams creek bookworks.....

but.....

ahh well - we'll aim for an october opening,
and this time next year we'll ensure that we have a big open day 

in the studio and garden here at sams creek....

right now the garden is looking a bit neglected - 

but even in neglect, it still has delightful bits
which can be enjoyed in the autumn sunlight....

Hopefully we'll soon have all the 'work' done here
to open the doors of sams creek bookworks -

there's still so much to do - EVERYWHERE

(sigh)

 hopefully you're enjoying a beautiful May Day wherever you are...

...

grand plans.... moving to a new time slot

Due to forces outside our control - we have decided to postpone the opening of Sams Creek Bookworks for a few months..... (at this stage I am looking at dates in October - expect an announcement soon)

Major flooding on our region this week - the most serious since 1971 (the worst flood on record) - was the decider.... we were only marginally affected (not like other farms in the shire) but the big wet has thrown all our plans into chaos.... postponing the opening is the only sensible thing I can do at this point.

(Sams Creek - usually little more than a trickle - was a raging torrent earlier in the week
but the Brogo and Bega Rivers turned into positively nightmarish lakes in a matter of hours on early Tuesday morning)

In the mean time, I'll share some progress pics from the studio and garden
I hope to see some of you at the rescheduled opening (sorry about the change in plans)

change of date

I've just learned that National Permaculture Day
will be held on May 1 this year 

and so I'm moving the date for the grand opening to match...


(hmmmm I will need to clean off all the cobwebs on the studio leadlight before opening day!)

Sams Creek bookworks 

grand opening

Sunday - 1st of May 2011


*** new date for grand opening - October 2011 ***

(phew - that means I've got 6 days less than I did before to get everything ready!)

.....

sams creek bookworks facebook page...

 If you are a facebook user - maybe you'd like to 'like' sams creek bookworks on facebook

you'll find the page here

I'll be adding a neat little badge in the sidebar sometime soon to help

(and a quick thanks to all of my fb friends who have quickly jumped on board
- your support is very much appreciated!)

........

sooooooo what's this blog all about?

sams creek bookworks blog will be where I'll post stories and pics directly relating to things made and done in the studio (and sometimes the emerging permaculture garden) - things that are booky in nature and content.

I'll be giving details about open days at the studio and garden and letting you know about workshops/ exhibitions and other booky and permaculture events happening here at the creek - and afterwards I'll share some pics of all the (hopefully) good times.

I'll be showing off some of the bookworks projects and letting you know how and where you can find sams creek bookworks goodies.... and indeed - where/how to purchase some pieces (should you feel inclined!)


This space will primarily operate as a simple website for a specific part of what I get up to..... all the simple booky, and related garden bits - and I'll only be posting here sporadically. For the bigger picture (and much more of the gossip...) you'll still find me blogging away as usual at art and etc. 



....

welcome!

 hello there everyone!

sams creek bookworks is my new creative venture - it's a place where you can drop in (yep as in real life - not just via a blog post) and see my small book-based studio in operation...

In the studio I have a beautiful late-19th century Chandler and Price clamshell printing press (and all the letterpress trimmings), an array of heritage bookbinding hand tools - including a stunning French percussion standing press, small nipping press, handcrafted lying press, finishing press, sewing frames and more book goodies than I've got space to write about! Oh and as my earliest arty training was in calligraphy you will encounter a full array of calligraphic tools too!

On open days I'll be demonstrating all the book goodies in action

And all visitors can see/ feel/ play with/ purchase my book projects (oh and ask questions of course!)

As well as the bookworks studio, I have an emerging (large!) permaculture garden that everyone is invited to wander around (mmmmmm berries, stone fruits, vegies, citrus, ornamentals, herbs, herbs and more herbs)

the grand opening of sams creek bookworks is set for the first Saturday in May 2011 (national permaculture day..... May 7) so stay tuned for more details (it's gonna be HUUUUUGE!).

My rustic little shed studio and garden is situated on the Princes Hwy, 6kms north of the small town of Cobargo (far south coast of NSW, Australia). Although the bookworks will be open on special occasions (approx 6 times per year), if booky, calligraphic, permaculture, garden or arty enthusiasts are travelling in the area,  I hope you'll drop me a line or give me a call and make a time to drop on in!!




.....