Bazaar Bizarre Preview: Paper Breakfast

The Boston edition of Bazaar Bizarre is coming up this Sunday, December 7, from noon to 7pm at The Castle at Park Plaza (Arlington and Columbus). It's an opportunity to peruse handmade crafts from local (and far-flung) artists. Learn a new crafting technique, get a little something for yourself, or stock up on those obligatory holiday gifts this weekend.

To help you prepare for the fair (see how we rhymed?), we'll be running profiles of crafters (courtesy of the wonderful Bazaar Bizarre Boston Blog) all week. These will introduce you to different crafters and aid you in deciding which booths to visit (you probably don't have time for all seven bajillion, but you can try). Today, we start the day (week) off right with printer/binder Paper Breakfast.

Who are you and where are you from?

Hello. My name is Hannah, and my business name is Paper Breakfast. I adore Breakfast. I am from.... the sea? I grew up all over the place but love the west coast ocean most. I am currently located in Boston, Massachusetts.

How did you get your start crafting?

I went to art school and interned/worked for a letterpress printer. That was a really good combination to learn good careful craft and technique for printmaking and bookbinding, which is mostly what I do, as well as learning first-hand about small business with Rob Charlton of The Goosefish Press in South Boston. Absorbing some of his knowledge of letterpress printing and the logistics of running a business where very helpful. Of course, I have a lot more to learn! In the end, the most important things to me are to keep creating imaginative, high-quality books, prints, and cards; to maintain a commitment to traditional technologies (hand-pulled prints, letterpress, hand-binding); and to have a good time doing it all.

More on Paper Breakfast after the jump! Content used with permission from the Boston Bazaar Bizarre Blog. Images from Paper Breakfast Etsy shop.

What are your favorite materials to work with? Do you have a favorite color palette?

My preferred color palette is pretty boring! I like subdued colors... black and white, creams, neutrals, muted down greens, pinks, and blues. My favorite material is cotton paper (brands such as Crane's have limited environmental impact because they are made from cotton remnants from garment factories and are produced with sustainable energy... hooray!). I also love canvas, linen, cheesecloth, wire, wax, birch wood, ink, gouache, vellum, and twine!

Who are some of your favorite indie artist/crafters and why do you love them?

There are so many! Here are a few from Etsy... Nightjar Books from Ontario, Canada, for her delicate sensibility and use of vellum, wool, and ink drawings on her books, Paperiaarre from Finland for her hand-printed book covers, and NuitBlanche of Hamburg, Germany, for her fantastical imagination!

Any exciting future plans or developments in the works for your business?

A Chandler and Price platen press... well, eventually!

What are some other things you like to do when you are not busy making awesome stuff?

I like to hang out at the library, pet my cat Nico, attempt to brave the super-chlorinated local pool, try to peek at prints at The Museum of Fine Arts department of prints and drawings, or the Fogg Art Museum (now under 5 year renovation), and also make breakfast, of course!

What are the top three reasons someone shopping at the Bazaar Bizarre Boston should stop by your table?

1. I'll have awesome calendars... always useful and so fun to look at.
2. I will smile at you, unless you glare at the calendars!
3. Cute, creepy things will be there.

What is your favorite music to listen to while working?

I kinda like jangly, rough stuff when I'm in work mode... The Hives, The Monks, some old Nirvana, or surf guitar.

Your favorite celebrity or historical figure (dead or alive) shops at your table and makes a purchase. Who are they, what did they buy, and why did it catch their eye?

Edward Gorey pops by and picks up "Friends Again" book (a coptic-bound small journal) to keep his innermost thoughts and dreams in. He likes the illustration, how it fits well in his hand and that it opens nice and flat. Amazing.