.tomate d'épingles. blog: indie find of the moment : Donovan’s Handmade Papergoods

I fell in love with Donovan’s Handmade Papergoods a while back... i saw this amazing Envelope Book and immediatly imagined how many ways i could fill it up with all my little bits and bobs i seem to have so many of...

Here is an interview i made with Donovan...

In a nutshell: My products all come from my love of vintage paper, old office supplies, antique books and the postal service.

Tell me a little about yourself ...

I am in my twenties and I live in Chicago. I graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a BA in Illustration. I have two cats and I would really like to get a guinea pig, but my boyfriend says no.

What are your favourite materials?

Vintage paper, postage stamps, wooden handled rubber stamps, book tape

What do you transform them into:

envelopes, stationery, books, folders, journals, and lots of other things too

How do you do it?

Carefully, with a very sharp craft knife and lots of glue. I make many different things, but that is generally all that’s involved; a lot of cutting and pasting and a sprinkling of sewing.

What inspired you to do this?

When I moved to Chicago, I was roommates with Kathy Zadrozny, owner and mastermind of 16 Sparrows. She was participating in Renegade Craft Fair that year and I asked if I could have some booth space to see if I could sell some things. As it turns out, I can sell things, and I also now work for 16 Sparrows as the Production and Shipping manager.

Do you remember the first thing you made? What was it?

My goodness, I think it was a “jewelry box” made of Popsicle sticks painted purple and decorated with glitter. I think I made it in preschool and I think my mom still has it.

What's new and exciting in your store?

I’ve begun to make a lot more books out of vintage papers and I think I’m going to really start to focus on making more books out of envelopes.

What is your favourite item? And why?

There are far too many to choose just one from. I basically like any sort of decorative, blank label. That gets me every time. And paper. Boy howdy, I love paper.

Can you give us a sneak peak of what's to come?

I’m planning a letter writing kit and a letter writing tutorial zine.

Why should people buy handmade?

Handmade goods are a bargain! Every product is a work of art and often items are one-of-a-kind. When you remember that, the price on that handmade journal looks a lot more appealing than the 3 dollar one at Walgreens. Also, buying handmade items is like buying your groceries at the Farmer’s Market; you can talk to the makers, you can know the origins of your item, you reduce your carbon footprint, but most of all, you can know your conscience is clean from things like sweat shop labor.