Table of contents for Issue 12 in Project Calm

“The coast inspires my work in different ways, but I love drawing from the textures of the coastline, whether that be the beach pebbles or the scrubby little plants that make it their home.” You live in Brighton – what is it about the coast that you love and how does it influence your work? I can see the sea from the kitchen window. I love checking in on it in the morning to see what the waves are doing. My favourite thing is the light and the changing skies. Long summer nights are the best, but pastel-pink sunsets in winter are spectacular. Tell us about your favourite coastline. I love the stretch of coast from Birling Gap to Beachy Head. On a blue-sky day the chalk underneath the waters…

My great-aunt gave a wonderful gift to our family; a collection of memoirs she’d gathered from our ancestors. Two lines stand out from my great-grandfather’s account of life after the First World War: “I can no longer find work other than copying for modest firms, but I have always enjoyed the skilful use of a fine nib.” Then a few years later, he wrote, “Typewriters have replaced my fine script.” How poignant to read these glimpses of a time of great change in history, while I sit here, almost a century later, having witnessed the typewriter become obsolete, the rise of computers and now, the backlash against digital culture, all in my own lifetime. Typewriters had been widely used by businesses from the end of the 19th century, but it…

Books are not made for furniture, but there is nothing else that so beautifully furnishes a house.…

What do you love about working with books? Written pages add a new dimension to what you either cut or fold them into. Some words or phrases suddenly appear or pop up and are given a whole new meaning. [It can also be] a sort of soothing, therapeutic way to find answers to your questions – let the written pages ‘come to you’ and use their context in a personal way. What is amazing about working with books is that the paper already has a soul. Although it sometimes makes people react quite violently about ‘how on earth can you use precious books?’ – we love that you can actually transform and recycle books to make them valued objects once again. Your book, Paper Poetry, focuses on the mindful act…

Shetland is in the sea, up from Scotland. No, further up than that: beyond Orkney, which is only a hop, skip and a jump off Caithness. Keep going right a bit. There you are – that long scattering of over 100 different islands and islets, only 15 of which are inhabited by humans or their approximate relatives. You are in Shetland. On a map you’ll usually find us in the little box, near the oil. The main sea port is Lerwick – the Isles’ capital and only town. The historic centre is Scalloway, which is a village about five miles down the main road and which becomes more lovely with each passing year. Grey, cluttered, and at first glance very similar to many dreich towns in north-eastern Scotland. Here we…

“A map does not just chart, it unlocks and formulates meaning; it forms bridges between here and there.”…

TIME TO TRAVEL What far-off lands do you dream of exploring? Maybe you have travelled and want to pay homage to those experiences. Or highlight a meaningful connection to a particular place. Enjoy marking your journeys on our set of four exclusive postcards, illustrated by Matilda Smith. Send to a friend to inspire them. Put up your postcards to remind you of travels done, or yet to be made. Will you pin up your postcards as a visual record of much-loved holidays? To serve as a gentle reminder to gain perspective? Maybe they will act as an incentive to make trips on your bucket list. Or to show your connection to a land; to the world. Track your journeys with needle and thread, evoking memories and wishes with each stitch…

In an issue full of heart-warming recipes, what better way to kick off than with Martina Topley-Bird’s Soul Food and end with Wallis Bird’s sweet ode to her mother and the food she was raised on, Meal of Convenience. In between, we have classics from Paul Weller, Joni Mitchell and office favourite, Kate Bush. Sit back, cloud watch from the window and enjoy a good hearty offering of acoustic, pop, soul and chillout. 1. Soul Food – Martina Topley-Bird 2. Coastline – Hollow Coves 3. 20 Years – The Civil Wars 4. Wild Wood – Paul Weller 5. Look Up – Zero 7 feat. Yvonne John Lewis 6. Coastal Love – Honne 7. Book in the Cloud – Jae Jin 8. Cumulus – Imogen Heap 9. Both Sides Now –…

We can speak with out voice to the trees and the clouds and the waves of the sea.…

making books is my way of making sense of the world. I move between the stimulations of contrasting landscapes. The journey from Edinburgh to Iona is a creative catalyst. Two trains, two ferries and a bus! By the time I’ve got there, and shrugged on my yellow wellies, the transition from city to island, from East coast to West, is complete. I feel luckier than Virginia Woolf, having one “room of my own” in town and another, with a desk looking out to sea. Years ago, bound for an art residency on Shetland, a friend told me, “The thing about islands is, there’s less space between heaven and earth.” It turns out that the quote is a variation of something that the Iona Community founder said. And so, my island…

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere, without moving anything but your heart.…

ALICE GABB Lettering artist, modern calligrapher and stationery designer Alice Gabb has one slogan; ‘It’s polite to write’. A self-taught calligrapher since 2014, she runs classes in London for beginners as well as the ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ calligraphy club, a monthly guided practice session for intermediates. She has previously held workshops for corporate clients such as Facebook, but you can also book a private lesson with her or buy one for somebody else as a gift. She sells a beautifully designed Calligraphy Starter Kit with all you need to begin. alicegabb.com MAYBELLE IMASA-STUKULS Maybelle’s book The Gift of Calligraphy encompasses the idea that ‘learning is a gift to yourself.’ The book is a work of art in itself, with 25 projects to give and keep, including templates and all the…

1 DREAM POTS IN PRINT As fans of both ceramics and graphic art, we are in love with French illustrator and designer Audrey Jeanne’s new collection of prints, which combine the two. Audrey designed these prints after struggling to mould her dream pots from clay, so she instead decided to draw them; her illustrations are influenced by the contemporary ceramicists and antique pottery that she adores. Audrey has worked with many brands since graduating in fine arts nearly ten years ago, creating designs mainly for textiles, but it’s her cute online store we love to browse, with its cat, plant and now ceramics-inspired stationery, prints and tote bags. Ships worldwide. audreyjeanneshop.tictail.com. 2 ARCHIVE FABRICS REWORKED If you fancy making a statement with your sofa while championing British design, look no…

If you ever seek out and wander round old bookshops or flea markets, you’ll no doubt have encountered a bookplate or two on your travels. These little slips of paper are often found stuck inside the front cover, giving us a rare glimpse into the past and its previous owners. Ex Libris, from the Latin ‘from the books of’ or essentially ‘from the library of’, bookplates were originally used as a means of recording ownership. Designs might include family crests, badges, something that reflects the owner’s interests or favourite quotes. The earliest bookplates are said to date back to the Middle Ages, but over the years artists have used them as a platform to showcase their work – creating detailed etchings and engravings to form collectable, mini prints. Some were…

RECLAIM YOUR APPETITE Close your eyes. Imagine a vast dining table, laid with beautiful china and polished cutlery. There are flowers. Cut-glass goblets. Crisp linen napkins. The food appears in front of you – a lavish banquet that seems to stretch as far as the eye can see. All your favourite foods are here. There’s lobster and oysters. A roast dinner, steaming gravy in a jug nearby. Hot buttered toast. Pizza with melting mozzarella. Strawberries and cream. Lasagne and buttery garlic bread. Wobbly pink blancmange. Fish and chips. Ice cream in cones with chocolate flakes and sprinkles. How does it make you feel? For most of us, a childlike excitement bubbles up. It’s like a dream, like Christmas, your birthday – all three at once. But for anyone who’s ever…

When I was a little girl I loved inventing magical spells. Typically they’d include flower petals and shells mixed in bowls in the garden with secret wishes scribbled on pieces of paper. I was already setting heart-felt intentions before I even knew what that meant. As a teenager I wrote poems that sounded like prayers, pouring my heart into my journal every night while burning candles and listening to Kate Bush. As an art student I bought crystals and fashioned little altars around my room, pulling a daily oracle card and placing it beside my bed each morning. And now here I am aged 45, sitting at my desk surrounded by journals, a candle, a stick of charred palo santo and a chunk of smoky quartz. So not much has…

1 SCENTED WINTER FLAMES Is there anything more relaxing on a cold winter’s night than kicking back with a few candles? We love the ethos behind eco-candle company Beefayre based in Leicestershire, England. Artist and nature lover Sharon Jervis started making beeswax candles when she visited Romania and learnt about organic beekeeping, and now donates 3% of her profits to bee conservation and research. Made with pure essential oils and sustainable beeswax, we’ve fallen in love with the Winter Berries candle – a festive aroma blended with berries, orange blossom, nutmeg and cinnamon. From £8.95 for a votive or three tea lights, at beefayre.com. 2 WILD AND FREE FESTIVE TREES Cut back on Christmas spending and help wildlife conservation at the same time at one of the Royal Society for…

The best time to practise your cloud reading is following a spell of good weather. This is because it’s much easier to forecast when the weather is turning bad. Keep an eye on the direction clouds are moving or pointing, as this is a good indicator of the direction the weather is coming from and moving in. Writing and sketching your observations and conclusions in a weather journal is a lovely way to practise the art of weather forecasting. Turn the page to see the different cloud formations so you can plan your day… CIRRUS High cloud White and wispy clouds that stretch across the sky. Indicate fair weather now, possibility of change coming. CIRROSTRATUS High cloud Transparent, sheet-like clouds that cover the whole sky. Indicate damp weather is coming…

YOU WILL NEED: 1 x sheet of A4 copy paper for practice, 1 x sheet of A3 cartridge or watercolour paper (160–200 gsm), bone folder, scissors, watercolour ink, brush 1 Start with the A4 paper, to try out the fold before using larger, thicker paper. Fold the sheet in half widthways and then open it out flat. Line up the edges as closely as possible. 2 Fold the sheet in half lengthways and open it out again. We recommend opening the sheet out flat after each step to ensure that the folds are in the right place because bookbinders like to be neat. 3 Now fold the short ends in to the middle crease and open them out flat. Your page has been divided into eight with no measuring. 4…

1 LOVELY LETTERPRESS We don’t need to wait for International Women’s Day to celebrate fierce females, it’s something we make a point of doing all year round. Which is why we are in love with this kick-ass letterpress print by US-based company, The Bee & The Fox. At $25, not only is it affordable, but it’s good quality too. A must have gift for yourself, fellow gal pals or even a new arrival. Hang on your wall with pride! thebeeandthefox.com. 2 BIODEGRADABLE YOGA MATS If, like us, you’re trying to reduce your plastic usage, take at look at ecoYoga’s mat range. They are environmentally neutral yoga mats, made up of natural rubber and jute, resulting in a comfy, grippy and slip-free practice. What’s more, since they’re made from plantbased materials,…

You will need: Scissors (or a craft knife), an old book 1 Depending on the size of the book, decide whether you want to make three or four cake layers. You can also choose whether to remove the cover, in which case you can make a completely round cake (you need a thicker book for this), or to leave it on so that it forms a backdrop for the cake. 2 Create your own template on the first page of the book. For a cake with three layers, make two cuts into the page, to create three strips. Then fold in the page to see how much you will need to cut off the top two strips so that the book will fold into three distinct layers. Each strip should…

A warm bannock served with melting butter is a sure way to make friends. RECIPE 1: The Bannock Bannocks are a Shetlandic staple, claimed in name by many Scots cultures, but owned today by just one. The bannock is a mixture of flour and liquid. A chemical leavening agent is mainstream and the fluffy texture provided is expected. It has been a staple for generations throughout Scotland, and many hypotheses exist about why the bannock has largely died out but for in Shetland. Certainly, as commercial yeast became widespread across Scotland, sweetened, mass-produced loaves contributed to their demise. But in Shetland, yeasted breads never took off. Perhaps this was due to the lack of a decent artisan (a problem that continues to this day), or perhaps it was due to the…

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH IMPERFECT BEAUTY KEEP IT SIMPLE Sometimes nature needs only the gentlest of adjustments to transform it into something functional like tree trunk tables. Calming interious MADE OF WOOD Houses full of wood have an embracing warmth about them. And even though the trees that created these interiors are no longer growing in the ground, that life and vitality is instilled in every knot, ring and grain. There is something very safe and comforting about being that close to nature. STYLING TIPS & TRICKS 1 LAYER UP Untreated timber has an affinity with other natural materials, from sheepskin to knitted cushions. 2 BUILD A COLLECTION A single wooden spoon doesn't have great presence, yet a jar or a bowl of them always looks appealing on a shelf. 3…

The first thing I notice is that this place doesn’t smell like home. I breathe deeply into the unfamiliarity. The air filling my lungs is warm and spiced, and this conscious in-and-out breath brings my attention to the pack on my back. It feels closer to me since arriving. I note that we’re in this together now, and I feel an upwelling of fondness for the weight of things that are reassuringly mine. Now, I will find an ATM, I will wish I could eat (but feel too queasy with uncertainty), and I will find a bus. The first test of any solo adventure is whether I can make my way on public transport. If I can make my way as if I fitted in. This is the beginning of…