I visited the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair on friday night and my favourite stand of the whole show was The Book Tree Press which is ran by Lucy Roscoe. I could have brought everything, if it wasnt for the fiance tightening the purse strings (boo!) but I still managed to get a lovely coptic stitch notebook and a few cards. Lucy graduated from Edinburgh College of Art this year and had already taken part in many exhibtions showcasing her gorgeous handbound, hand cut book arts. Not only does Lucy produce amazing books but her illustrations and designs work makes me incredibly jealous of her talent. She is definitely one to watch.

Alice was born in 1982 and grew up in the seaside town of Saltburn in the north east of England. Alice now lives in Edinburgh, Scotland where she works with a range of clients including British Library, Tate, and Centre for Fine Print Research at University West of England Bristol. Alice’s work is inspired by her love of paper and the the process of screen printing images by hand. This still remains an integral part of her work which is an element that I also feel very passionate about. Animals, birds, pattern and text occur frequently in her work along with the interactive aspect thus making her work perfect for children’s books. Having just completed by book binding course I am deeply inspired by the books that Alice has made and find each one beautiful and unique for both children and adults. You can see more of Alice’s work here.

Smock is based in Syracuse, New York, where their print shop has 20 antique presses, 50 tons of equipment, and 17 employees. Smockpaper describe themselves as, “faithful lovers of historic craft. We have letterpress ink in our veins. We are idealists. This means we believe in things. We are trying to make the world better right now. This affects everything we do. We read Walt Whitman (he was a letterpress printer too, by the way). We fall head over heels for heavy cast iron presses. We believe in the creation of beautiful things. And we want, like you, to feel good about where our beautiful things come from”

You can see the beautiful letter-pressed stationary, invitations and gift wrap on http://smockpaper.com/.

“I’ve always liked books. The way the paper feels in my hands, the rustle or snap as the pages turn. I like the way a book can sit innocently on the shelf and yet open to reveal any number of surprises. The endless possibilities of books.”

Sarah Mitchell works at the Leeds College of Art and Design as a print room technician but she is also a very talented book artist. Her books and portfolio style boxes are beautifully made and can frequently be seen at the Annual artists book fair  at the University of Leeds. I love the way she describes her process of creating this bespoke product.

“I’ve always enjoyed making things; cutting up bits of paper, drawing, sticking, folding and sewing things together. And so my books are hand made, hand cut, hand folded, hand stitched and hand finished. This is important to me. I like to keep that contact with the object I’m making, it has to feel right. Tactile. I enjoy the process of folding the paper, sewing the signatures, and the fact that from this repetition, surprising new things can emerge”.