Recuerdo
We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
It was bare and bright, and smelled like a stable—
But we looked into a fire, we leaned across a table,
We lay on a hill-top underneath the moon;
And the whistles kept blowing, and the dawn came soon.We were very tired, we were very merry—
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry;
And you ate an apple, and I ate a pear,
From a dozen of each we had bought somewhere;
And the sky went wan, and the wind came cold,
And the sun rose dripping, a bucketful of gold.We were very tired, we were very merry,
–Edna St. Vincent Millay
We had gone back and forth all night on the ferry.
We hailed, “Good morrow, mother!” to a shawl-covered head,
And bought a morning paper, which neither of us read;
And she wept, “God bless you!” for the apples and pears,
And we gave her all our money but our subway fares.
Custom wedding album & slipcase
It’s one thing to be busy and go on and on about it (see: almost all previous posts). It’s quite another thing to actually show off what it is that has kept me so busy. There are a number of custom wedding albums, binding of family letters, wedding invitations, etc. in the works around here, but I thought, rather than tackle the whole stack at once, I’d bring them to you one at a time since they’re all pretty involved and elegant.
Elizabeth Carey Smith, she of The Letter Office, is a dynamite designer who came to me for a custom wedding album for some good friends of hers. We met up on one of the sweatiest days of last summer in Bryant Park, and bonded over design, materials, and our adorable, similarly happy and vibrant little girls. E dropped off the photos for the album mid-holiday season, and last week we got together for the hand off of the finished album. (It doesn’t generally take me for-e-ver to make a book, but this was a casualty of one seriously crazy holiday season…so here we are, mid-March.)
Hard workin’ hands, custom album & slipcase, interior
Elizabeth wanted something clean and elegant, but fun and with some bright colors that played a role in the wedding. I set to work making a casebound (traditional hardcover) album covered with a linen/cotton blend cloth. The cloth is that brilliant combination of stylish and durable, and a letterpress printed panel with the couple’s name and wedding date is inset into the front cover. Elizabeth designed the emblem, which also appears on the first page of the album. Inside the front covers, we used bright-as-bright-can-be fuchsia endpapers; a Nepalese Lokta that is fibrous and thick and just lovely. On the slipcase, covered in the same linen/cotton, we chose a wide, leaf-green grosgrain ribbon to complement the pink interior. The whole thing is understated and bold, celebratory, and timeless.
Letterpress cover panel, Endpaper & slipcase ribbon, Cover page, Slipcase, Album & slipcase
This album was such fun to put together, and it’s always a total treat when you meet–and get to work with!–a kindred spirit on a project. And! This album is just one little piece of what I’ve been up to…with plenty more to come! In the meantime, go check out the rest of Elizabeth‘s work. She’s a powerhouse.
P.S. Chandra Greer interviewed me for Felt & Wire’s blog in February, and I talked a little bit about just why I love making books like this album.
P.P.S. Are you interested in a custom album of your very own? Please send me a note and we’ll make it happen!
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