Some time ago I fell in love with the work of Abbots Hollow Studios. They make (amongst other things) beautiful journals with the most expressive faces. I really wanted one but couldn’t justify the cost of treating myself to one. I make notebooks for crying out loud, how could I possibly buy one?
Still, my thoughts kept returning to their books, and when I saw this guy I finally had to act.
I got in touch with the seller and proposed a trade. Thankfully he and his wife did actually like the things I make (we wouldn’t have got very far if they’d hated everything in my shop!) and after going back and forth for a bit we agreed on a trade and last week we both sent our packages out into the great beyond and wished them the best of luck.
This afternoon Clem arrived.
He’s absolutely bloody FABULOUS. Just as well made as he appeared in their shop listing, and (what you can never convey online) he feels so sumptuously soft. The leather he’s made with is lovely, and stroking him it feels as though I’m stroking a real creature.
Clem is officially my New Favourite Thing Ever and I’m looking forward to having him in my studio with me. I’m not sure if I’ll ever bring myself to write in him, but I will certainly enjoy chatting to him – and who knows, perhaps he’ll start to talk back…
You might be wondering what I sent as my half of the trade. Well it turns out that most of the things they liked were Hogwarts related, and in the end they chose a couple of books from this one of a kind set. I’ll never make another set quite like that one, but I had a few of the books (which I’d originally kept for myself) hidden in a drawer, so they chose two and I included a third as a little extra. I haven’t heard from them yet, but hopefully their package will be arriving with them within the next couple of days.
Please do visit Abbots Hollow Studios and see the other wonderful work they do, and if you can afford to then treat yourself: you won’t be disappointed.
If you make handcrafted items and would like to propose a trade with me then please feel free to contact me. I can’t guarantee I’ll say yes (it depends what you have to offer, and how tempting it is), but (as I’ve found) it never hurts to ask!
