Say oink to Year of the Pig

I love the first days of the new year, it's like I can feel the promise! 2007 looks like a good one so far; after all, I have no major projects looming or under way, so of course I feel the urge to start one.

The studio remains just dreamy. I love the natural light coming from so many directions and, when dark, I love the sconces, pendants, and cans.

All that hair-pulling and sleep deprivation over the lighting plan wasn't for naught. In fact, I remember the lighting designer who was helping me (thank you, Barbara!) saying that as we get older, we need more light. Sometimes already I can feel the need for just a few extra lumens, but usually it's solved by putting on my glasses.

And I love the wallbed table, so glad I splurged on it, even if it's already got gouges.

After making the double case for the 1940s French poetry, you'd think I'd move on to similarly erudite stuff. But no. I'm creating bookboard "drawers" that fit into the cubbyholes in our closet. It's a chance to try out some materials, for instance those rolls of Tyvek that I convinced the company rep to send me a long time ago.

In some ways it's an excellent bookbinding material: It should hold up nicely on boxes that will be pulled in and out endlessly. In other ways it's a nightmare: When wet, it gets all strangely gooey, and it doesn't really like to fold and paste down.

I'm covering the fronts with all the wild paste paper I made with the Grok God, and other novelty sheets collected at Kate's Paperie in New York. That way, I get to experiment with new materials, and I get to enjoy them every time I'm, like, brushing my teeth.