Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Interview with Bexx

I recently joined Boston Handmade, and I’m thrilled to be part of such a great group of artisans! I can’t wait to meet everyone in person, but until then, I thought I’d introduce myself on the blog.

My name is Bexx, and my etsy shop is called BooksByBexx. I make handmade journals, photo albums, boxes, and miniature books. I also do book repair and custom rebinding. My etsy shop only shows a small sample of the kind of work I do, so please check out my flickr account to see more!
I’ve always been a (moderately) crafty person, but I only started making books about 3 years ago. While attending graduate school for Library and Information Science, I learned some basic book repair techniques, and became really interested in the structure of the book. I started taking bookbinding workshops at the North Bennet Street School , and knew that I had finally found my true passion. After finishing my Master’s degree, I applied to the full time program at North Bennet Street School, and I’m now halfway through my second year. School keeps me tremendously busy, but I devote as much as my free time as possible to making books for my etsy shop or to sell at craft fairs.
As I vegan, I don’t eat, wear, or use anything that contains animal products. This isn’t always easy when it comes to bookbinding, since traditional materials include hide glue, leather, silk, beeswax, and bone. I enjoy the challenge of finding cruelty-free alternatives, and none of the books for sale in my etsy shop contain any animal products! I also strive to use eco-friendly and archival materials whenever possible.

I started selling on Etsy about a year and a half ago, and it’s been really great to discover that there’s a market for the kind of work I want to do. Etsy has helped me find the confidence to take my craft to the next level, and helped me to meet a ton of amazing people (i.e. all you BHers!). In addition to my etsy shop, I just started a new business with a friend from school called White Sparrow Bindery. Next month we’ll be selling at Bazaar Bizarre, which will be my first ever craft fair. Please stop by and say hello! I’ve love any advice or feedback anyone has to offer, and I’d love to meet you!

If I don't see you at Bazaar Bizarre, I'll be staffing the Boston Handmade Downtown store this month, so hopefully I see you there!

2 comments :

  1. We are so glad to have you on board! You should have heard the oohs and ahs. Everyone wants you to give us lessons: your work is lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Bexx, I love your little books. I was going to buy one for my son's girlfriend, who is a vegan, but then they broke up! We'll see who he brings home next :-)

    Looking forward to meeting you soon!

    ReplyDelete

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