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Hi Reader,
There’s a funny thing that can happen when creativity becomes your job: the thing that once helped you recharge can start requiring energy of its own.
Coming up with ideas, making things, teaching, sharing, planning what comes next... it’s wonderful work, but creative energy isn’t exactly an unlimited resource. Sometimes the best thing you can do for it is give it a little room to breathe.
Ali returns from her six-week sabbatical this week, and it has us thinking about the importance of stepping away now and then. Sometimes even a little breathing room is enough to rest, wander, notice things, do something simply because you feel like it... or even do absolutely nothing creative at all.
Because rest doesn’t mean the ideas have stopped. Sometimes they’re just quietly composting in the background.
And often, when we finally give ourselves permission to stop producing for a bit, we come back curious again. Ready to play. Ready to make something simply because we want to.
So whether you’ve been happily creating all summer or haven’t touched your supplies in weeks, consider this your permission slip: there’s room for both the making and the resting.
We’re looking forward to having Ali back — and seeing what a little time away has stirred up! 🤗
New on the Blog
Decorative stitching can turn a book’s spine into part of the artwork. In our latest blog post, we’re sharing a few beautiful ways to make the stitching itself part of the design.
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Tip of the Week
Use clips carefully
Clips can be helpful for holding pages or covers in place, but they can also dent paper. Place scrap paper between the clip and your project to protect delicate surfaces.
Book of the Week
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This week's featured book was created by Deborah McClenahan.
Deborah’s take on the Pamphlet Palooza is packed with layers, texture, and all those little details that make you want to lean in for a closer look. We love the combination of vintage text, botanical imagery, stitching, and the wonderfully tactile collection of fibers and beads along the spine.
The Pamphlet Palooza project is available in our online store!
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If you’re ready to move beyond the basics and keep exploring what handmade books can become, we’d love to have you join us inside the Handmade Book Club.
Team VPD's IG Shares
Warmly,
The VPD Team
