Bookbinding with Cass

Leaning into my love of envelopes for this piece I've made for the upcoming exhibition @thelinegallery_official Soon to be a fleet of accordion books ✉️📖 If you are a fellow envelope / letter lover and want to know when they're available to purchase, comment below and I'll let you know when ready. #envelope #artistsbook #snailmail

🌿 ✏️ Create in Nature - Community Sessions 🖌🌻 Location: The Heart of Newhaven Community Garden, Edinburgh Date/time: 3-5pm | Friday 5 June, 3 July, 7 August, 18 September (monthly) Join Cass Barron, Bookbinder & Artist in residence, and Hayley Chandler, Community Gardener & Wellbeing Practitioner, for a series of creative workshops in the Heart of Newhaven Community Garden. Connecting with nature and being creative are two great ways to boost your wellbeing - this workshop series aims to combine the two in a welcoming and supportive group setting. Each month we will experiment with a range of creative techniques, taking inspiration and working with materials from the community garden. The monthly meet-ups will be peppered with mindful moments, offering an opportunity to slow down, connect with the shifting seasons and learn more about what is growing on our doorstep. You don't need to have any prior experience to take part in these workshops, just an openness to try new things. If you have an inner voice that tells you 'I am not creative', please don't let this put you off - the creative techniques that we will explore together are experimental and much more about enjoying the process of 'doing' rather than working towards a final piece.  Generous funding from @thebridgeawards means we can offer a total of 12 free places on this workshop series, which would ordinarily cost £200+ to participate in. 🌿 We would like to offer this opportunity to people who would benefit from taking part but may be experiencing barriers to participating in creative and/or nature based activities. A barrier could be limited funds to take part in a paid-for workshop, lack of confidence or accessibility needs. ➡️ If this is something you'd be interested in and you can make all the dates, please get in touch. Or if you know someone who would benefit from taking part, please spread the word. #inspiredbynature #creativewellbeing #communitygarden

Work from home they said...you'll be more productive they said! Steve had other ideas as I attempted to tackle my inbox today 🤦‍♀️ #workingfromhome #catlife #cat

The secrets out... A small but perfectly formed group workshop @theheartofnewhaven yesterday getting to grips with Secret Belgian Binding. The last time I taught this nifty book structure was in the midst of covid lockdowns! Fancy giving it a go? See my 'Online workshops & kits' link in bio.

I ran a workshop for a group of children and their adults on Sunday @scottishcraftschool as part of #ecoweekdunblane. I decided to try something a bit different as a way of encouraging the participants to work together and get into the creative flow... Everyone started with a piece of A5 card and a pick & mix envelope of remnant papers. I invited the participants to cut, stick and add a piece of paper from their kit onto the card in response to a prompt, before passing it on. The prompts included - cut a circle, rip a shape, add a word, something blue...we also made foam stamps and added inky marks to fill in the gaps. These collaborative collages then became front covers for a collection of Japanese stab twig books, aren't they brilliant! I loved seeing how people approached each prompt and really got into it ✂️ Cutting and sticking for the win! Thanks to @creative_space_cumbernauld for some of these photos (the good ones) - always great to meet a fellow workshop leader/creator! Totally going to do this pass it on style collage in future workshops! #collage #bookbinding #twigbook

Nature Journal Club is go! We began with a guided meditation led by @bloomin_hayley , an invitation to be present, to breathe and tune into the garden. Then we each selected a blossom flower and leaf to study, paying attention to all the little details. Using a range of printing and mark making techniques we worked into our journals and made cyanotype prints to capture the fleeting blossom. We also created some experimental wet cyanotypes that will be left out in the garden until we meet again next month - I can't wait to see how they turn out! Throw in some botanical bakes, fresh mint & lemon balm tea, wholesome chat about nature, creativity and the shifting seasons...and boom, the Nature Journal Club I have long dreamed of starting @theheartofnewhaven has begun 🌿📖 Thanks to those of you who came along and made it such a joy, see you in the garden again soon! #naturejournal #inspiredbynature #botanicalprinting #sketchbook #cyanotype

You know I love a collaboration! Well, this one was a real treat... My pal Amy, aka @blackwoodstudioblanefield , who I went to artschool with, joined the uni canoe club with and have had many an adventure/pint with over the years, invited me to teach a sketchbook making workshop for her art class in Strathblane. It was great to see folk working papers they had hand marbled in the previous class into their books, which they'll finish off next week. Amy has created such a great space for people to come together and explore their creativity, its clear to see that this class is a highlight of their week! Thanks to everyone for making me feel so welcome! And the best bit, the sketchbooks are going to be put to use straight away - over the next 6 weeks Amy will share a range of prompts, techniques and inspiration, encouraging folk to work into their books and fill those blank pages! I cant wait to see the books take on a life of their own! Before the class, Freya, Amys daughter (last 2 pics), was desperate to make a mini book. She did amazingly and without hesitation drew in it straight away, I think I'm the one on the right :) ➡️ If you run a group or class and are keen to include some bookbinding in your offering, do get in touch, I'd love to chat 📖

•Coming up• . (SOLD OUT) Cyanotype & bookbinding Monday 18th May 10-4.30pm . Intro to Cyanotype Tuesday 16th June 6-9pm . Sun printing outdoor in The Heart Garden or indoors in the IoM Studio, either way the process is accessible for everyone, its loads of fun, it’s pretty addictive and the results are amazing. @theheartofnewhaven . I cover lots of tips on setting up at home to continue your practice, you’ll learn all about timings and multiple exposures, you’ll experiment with botanicals, photographic/drawn images, text and found & everyday objects. You’ll make prints on paper & cloth. . When you sign up for the day you’ll make prints AM then Cass leads the afternoon session, here you’ll make a stunning concertina book structure filled with cyanotype print detailing and you’ll choose from your printed fabric for the hard cover too. @bookbindingwithcass . If you’re a complete beginner or have some prior experience we welcome you to sign up for time to yourself, time with other likeminded people and time to be playful and experimental in a positive, supportive space. . Click through to the classes page of the IoM website for more details, cost and booking by following the link in bio. #inkonmeshedinburgh #learncyanotypescotland #learncyanotypeprocess #cyanotypeworkshop

Half an hour in the @theheartofnewhaven community garden well spent, savouring the sunshine and capturing some of the glorious blossom 🌸

A joy to see these refillable beauties take shape @scottishcraftschool today. I always introduce this book structure as a great example of what I mean by Upcycled Bookbinding - it's not only made from remnant leather & fabric, recycled card & paper, but it's refillable too, meaning that it can be used and reused for many years. Plus it's got pockets, which make everything better! If you're a fan of analog, enjoy putting pen to paper, need to sketch ideas down to get them out of your head and/or love a handwritten to do list, this is the book for you! ➡️ See my online workshops, link in bio, and select The Art of Journalling, for my video workshop and resources that show you how to make your own refillable journal of dreams!

Papermaking + bookbinding = this collection of handbound beauties! Great to guide a small but perfectly formed group of four through the process of making their own upcycled papers and set of Japanese stab notebooks, incorporating said papers, this past few weeks! A great way to creatively use paper offcuts collected from my workshops, share skills in sustainable making and produce some wonderfully tactile books 👌🏻 ➡️ My next Upcycled Bookbinding workshop @theheartofnewhaven in Edinburgh takes place on 11 May and will share Secret Belgian Binding 🤫 See 'In-person workshops' link in my bio, just a few places left! #papermaking #bookbinding #upcycled

If there was ever a uniform required for coating cyanotype papers, this is it! A rather tedius time spent in the @inkonmesh dark room coating papers for some cyanotype magic in the garden now the scottish sun has made an appearance 🌞 Great to have the dark room space to work in, and this gorgeous dress I bought from @saltrock that is getting its first airing of the year! I'd love to make some cyanotype clothing of my own this summer...watch this space 💙 Also thought it was a good time to show my face and say hello 👋 to all the new followers I've had lately. Thank you for joining me on my creative journey! If you have any questions for me, do post them in the comments and I'll do my best to answer ⬇️ #cyanotype