Just added this book about fonts by Simon Garfield to my wishlist. If I had a bookcase that didn’t travel so much, I’d be tempted to order both the UK and US versions for the lovely cover designs.

Back to Basics, a collection from Zim and Zou, is where paper sculptures meet bright colors and retro meets traditional. The design duo has put nearly a year’s work into crafting these paper electronics using sustainable paper—including all the scraps.

See more of the handmade process here, along with more of their work on Behance.

via Colossal

Last week, J.K. Rowling had big news for Harry Potter fans—and the publishing world—with the launch of Pottermore. My favorite part of the announcement was this lovely paper animation put together by adam&eve and Andersen M Studios.

Harry Potter, paper cuts, and owls? Magic.

Do you ever find yourself wondering where the time has gone? Whether you’re engrossed in something and lose track of the hours, or you look up and realize it’s no longer spring, the moments have a way of slipping by. I find that the older I get, the faster time seems to move. Perhaps that’s why I’m so drawn to this knitted calendar by Patrick Frey.

Watching the weeks separate from the year…I am captivated. I imagine it would be oddly reassuring to feel the time pass through your fingers into a pile that can be gathered and made something of.

On mornings like this, when I struggle to shake off sleep, it helps to take a moment to just sit, slowly sip that first cup of hot coffee, and look at something beautiful. These lovely stop-motion videos by Ching-Wen Wu are a perfect start to the day.

Every cup of coffee contains its own soul, extracted from your feeling today. Every cup of coffee is like a magic show containing different journey and bringing the unending imagination and surprises. With a sip of coffee, you not only taste your own story, but also change your perspective of the world.

h/t @swissmiss

Readers know that getting lost in someone else’s world is part of what makes books so magical. LOVE Agency has taken that concept and turned it into a brilliant bilingual ad campaign for Mint Vinetu bookstore, using Frankenstein, Invisible Man, Hamlet, and Don Quixote.

When one reads books, he/she starts living it and identifies (or not) with main hero. These print ads for the Mint Vinetu bookstore, which sells lots of classics, focuses on the idea of becoming someone else. And provokes people to try on different personas.

Check out the other three print ads on the agency’s site.

Further inspiration: Corpus Libris, a blog + photo essay by Emily Pullen that explores covers and bodies

Behold the power of paper when combined with the talents of designer Kelli Anderson.

In the booklet-style invitation, a bit of paper-folding amplifies the sound of a sewing needle moving along the grooves of a flexidisc record. The hand-spun record yields a garbled, but scrutable listening of an original song by the couple.

Read all about the inspiration behind the project on Kelli’s blog. I also recommend checking out her portfolio, which is a clever and creative use of Google Maps.

Has it really already been almost a year since I first read Moby-Dick? It seems like just a short time ago I was wrapped up in Melville’s language and subsequently discovering Matt Kish’s illustration project, One Drawing for Every Page of Moby-Dick. Matt finished his whale of a project in January, and his artwork is being published this fall to coincide with the 160th anniversary of the novel’s publication.

Completely self-taught and refusing to set any boundaries for the kinds of images he would make, Kish used a wide variety of materials, including found paper, ballpoint pens, markers, paint, crayons, ink, and watercolors to create art inspired by lines from every single page of the 552-page Signet Classics paperback edition of Moby-Dick. A hallmark of the project has been his use of pages torn from old, discarded books. Layering images on top of existing words and images, Kish has crafted a work that aptly echoes the layers of meaning in Melville’s narrative. His approach is deliberately low-tech, a sort of counter-response to the increasing popularity of born-digital art and literature. Kish started the project in August 2009 and spent nearly every day for eighteen months toiling away in a small closet converted into an art studio.

Simply amazing. Wishlisted.

If I could bear to part with any of my Scrabble editions, I would try my hand at one of these creative and crafty projects. Until then, I’ll stick to creative ways to play Q and J.

Scrabble bulletin board via ReadyMade

Wooden Scrabble display racks via presentcorrect

This typographic pop-up book by Victoria Macey is swoon worthy.

An alphabet pop-up book, which displays the font Bodoni while telling a charming tale about a quest for the “Dees” that have been captured by the evil Dee Catcher. Written, illustrated and constructed by Victoria Macey.

See Bodoni Bedlam in action and be sure to check out Victoria’s portfolio for more stunning work.