Entries tagged with 'ephemera'


my growing paper collection

Posted by Aprile on 2009.08.09:

Argh, I miss blogging! I thought the summer would be a great time to get caught up with things, but I've been working like crazy (at Anthro, which is awesome!) but also time consuming... Someone tell me to stop whining, haha.

I have been obsessed with collecting things lately, which is bringing me too all sorts of wonderful places. I went to Ten Editions (bookstore on Spadina) again yesterday, and I was looking for something a bit special. I am getting ready for my thesis project, which is a secret for now, and I am looking for old stained/written on/interesting envelopes. I won't tell you why yet, I don't want to give a key element of my these project away! I am hugely inspired by the envelope collection of Andrew Bush, right here. So if anyone has any envelopes lying around... hint hint! Send me an email : )





So here is what I found! I spent $40 this time, for ALL this! I spent an extra $10 at the Reference Library too for the dated poetry books I tore the library pockets out of ($1 each).



Some lovely luggage tags…



A calligraphy pen practice book, with some practice already in it : )



Some weird (and kind of perverted?) Chart-pak rub on letters, so excited about these as always. But read the card that it came with, so strange! "I've been rubbing for some time…" Okay Chart-pak.

Lately all I've been buying is paper. So prepare to see more from me on this topic, haha.

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another book stack

Posted by Aprile on 2009.06.24:

So I went to my favourite (often overpriced) bookstore today, and actually spent a reasonable amount of money! 23 dollars for 3 books, and a nice little stack of ephemera. Let me tell you a bit about each one!

From left to right: Echoing and Re-Echoing, by Faye Huntington The Dogberry Bunch, by Mary Hartwell Catherwood Left with a Trust, by Nellie Hellis

This book I am seriously amazed by. It's called the Dogberry bunch, and it was published in 1880! I didn't even realize this at first, when I got home I got a closer look at the inscription in the back (Christmas 1890). This was labelled $5, as is, but I think it looks pretty good for being almost 130 years old! The older and more ruined a book is, the better. Then my guilty conscience will leave me alone and let me get back to my artwork.



It's Victorian style is beautiful! The pages are extremely thick and the whole book has rounded corners.



Ohh the title of this book is the best. Echoing and Re-echoing. Does that even make sense? All of the books I find are super religious, which makes sense based on the time they were published. I love that it is "the pansy series" so there are pansies painted on the cover. Why don't they make covers like this anymore?



Various little tickets and vintage ephemera, dating back to as easly as 1929. She has this bin full of bits and pieces she finds in the books, and sells them for 50 cents each. I'll bite!

And of course, my taking pictures is an invitation for the cat to parade on through.



And the reverse! I am so happy with this $23 well spent... I'll let you know what collages I turn these into!

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my new hobby

Posted by Aprile on 2009.02.08:

This is what I spent several hours doing today, and I swear I was in heaven. I went to this used bookstore—I can't remember what it's called—the one near U of T campus, on Spadina. I went with exactly $50, and plenty of time to spend looking through all the books for great illustration or other little treasures. There were so many books I wanted to buy, but this store is a lot pricier than I expected it to be. Each book is like $6 to $20, which is fine, but I could get brand new books for that price at BMV (one of the best used book stores in Toronto).

But BMV doesn't have this kind of charm.

1. vintage book pile, 2. paper sample book, 3. paper sample book, 4. type specimen, 5. type specimen booklet, 6. type specimen book, 7. type specimen book, 8. univers!, 9. close up, 10. butterflies, gray + colour, 11. bird pullout, 12. love love love love, 13. colour pullouts, 14. naturescope, 15. map, 16. map of england and wales, 17. letraset canada, 18. letraset catalogue, 19. letraset catalogue, 20. anatomy & art, 21. art & anatomy, 22. DSC07607, 23. astronomical geography, 24. geography study books, 25. atlas

The one little critique I have of this store, was the owner was clearly a "book collector" who didn't care if she sold the books or not. The store is literally overflowing with books, and it's no surprise why. I had my 50 dollars, and I came to her with a stack of books that came to 53 dollars. "Well, this one here is $4.50." So I had to give that one up. I'm sad now, realizing what it was I was giving up.

It was a botany school book, probably from the 40s, with little slips of paper tucked in every few pages. Little drawings, notes, just loads of vintage ephemera. Whyyyy!

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