Giddy as a school girl in new high socks and braids, I have the complete pleasure to introduce you to one of Scribbles’ new loves: Moe’s Journals and Envelopes!

A clever, crafty Vermonter (pit patter right there), Moe O’ Hara came into Scribbles early this summer and said “hey jenn, I make journals out of completely found materials, are you interested?”  Was I ever!  These journals, like snowy little flakes as no two are exactly alike, are made from old library books and paper that would otherwise be sent through the shredder.  Moe collects the materials and creates these ridiculously awesome books in her spare time, a process she calls Upcycle - the practice of taking something disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value.  Who isn’t head over heels with that idea?

No false shop talk here folks, these babies are selling like hotcakes!  We’ve already set Moe to work on a gazillion reorders since first bringing her journals into Scribbles.  Okay, I exaggerate, but only slightly . . .

Moe also hand folds the most exquisite envelopes out of scrap paper.  From National Geographic spreads to sheet music, Moe’s unique envelopes come complete with adhesive and address labels, is there nothing she hasn’t thought of?

I had the good fortune of snagging this talented, busy bee and asking her about Upcycle and her projects.  Here’s what Moe had to say:

Scribbles:  How did you first come up with the idea to turn old books into journals? Did you know it would an instant hit?
Moe O’ Hara:   I love the look of old book covers. The linen, the words, the smell, the age. There are such great titles (Pickles and Prunes by Barbara Moe comes to mind, I mean, come on! for real???), and great illustrations. Something has to be done with them, something to showcase this lost art. (Many modern books don’t have the cover art, it’s just on the jacket.) Taking something disposable and creating something of greater use: upcycling. That being said, I would like to add that I don’t destroy perfectly good books. Most of them are discarded from libraries or aren’t in the greatest condition.
As for the success of the journals, I could have only hoped. It’s a lot of fun making them, and I NEEDED to start selling them. My bookshelves could only take so many.

SC:  Tell us about your material hunting.
M:  The best part about using recycled materials is trying to find the materials. It’s not a thing that you can just buy at a box store, you need to search for it. I visit the usual suspects: Recycle North, Junktiques and Sally’s (Salvation Army). Sometimes I have to hold myself back because there is no more room to put it all. There are also a lot of people looking out for me. I’ve got fellow crafters bringing me books and librarians calling me up. Once you get into the recycling/upcycling business, there is never a shortage of supplies.

SC:  How do you assemble your hand/homemade journals and envelopes?
M:  First, I take apart the book, a de-binding of sorts. I keep the covers and any cool illustrations to use in later projects. The rest of the book goes into the recycling bin.
I own a binding machine (I say machine, but there is no motor, it’s all done with my natural, awesome strength). It is typically used for scrap booking , but I use it to make books. It cuts through most of the covers I use. I measure and cut the pages (I have a paper cutter that can cut 250 sheets at once!!!) and then I assemble.

As for the envelopes: I fold, glue and stick. It’s just a matter of finding the interesting pages. The sheet music looks great, and the National Geographics are just awesome. The pictures in that magazine are incredible. I just found some old comics (not anything of real value), and I can’t wait to make some envelopes out of those.

SC:  What other fabulous new craftinesses are you working up?
M:  I was given a sail today. Yeah, one from a boat. I’m not sure what I am going to do with it, but it’s a strong material, and it can’t be used on a boat anymore. The sail is huge, and it’s potential is even bigger. Ideas are racing through my head, and eventually I’ll settle on one.
Other than the books and envelopes, I make baby bibs out of plastic grocery bags. I fuse them together, with an iron, and it makes a waterproof, tyvec-like material. I am constantly looking for grocery bags. Unfortunately, that is one material that we can never run out of, although, it would be nice if we could. It would be a great day when I can’t make bibs because no one uses plastic bags anymore. (Note: Bring your own bags to the store, and use less plastic.)
I also make Kid’s Capes, out of old, soft and clean bedsheets and some scrap fabric. I’m saving the world, one cape at a time. They are so much fun to make, and wearing them is even better.
Remember the insides of the books (the cool illustrations or quotes)? I have a button maker, and make buttons out of the illustrations. Nothing goes to waste.
As the cold weather approaches, I started to make monster hats. They are made from old sweaters, I add some teeth and button eyes, and voila!, a monster hat. They are recycled and soft, and really cute.
I am also working on developing a cassette tape wallet. I see a lot of tapes in my travels to second-hand stores and garage sales, so I am attempting to do something with them. Maybe by next season I’ll have something.

(manager) jenny specific: what other amazing/sustainable hobbies do you have?
M:  My main hobby is creating. I love to think of new ways of using old things. Sometimes I want to scream: “don’t throw it away, give it to me”, but then I would need a warehouse to keep it all in. I don’t have a television, which is why I am able to come up with new ideas: I’m forced to create my entertainment, and it just so happens to be my brain.

Scribbles weekend manager Ari is in love too!

If you’re interested in one of Moe’s incredible journals or her spectac envelopes, just contact us for more information, we’ll gladly pass the love along!

For weeks I have been waiting not so patiently for goodies from Little Otsu to arrive - hands down one of the best companies Scribbles carries.  Every day giddy me waited for the UPS truck to pull up, the excitement almost paralleling the level it reached when I saw Woody Allen play in Montreal.  Woody Allen - you know this product must be the bees knees!

Finally . . . it came!

Little Otsu is small outfit of environmentally inclined, animal loving designers who have created an entirely vegan line of journals, day planners, greeting cards, postcard sets, calendars and more!  In addition to using recycled paper and veggie based inks, Little Otsu prints all of their products down the street from their San Francisco store at a family owned print shop - three cheers for original design and small, local businesses sticking together!

I had super pleasure of interviewing Little Otsu founders Yvonne and Jeremy.  Here’s what they had to say:

SCRIBBLES: We’d love to know how Little Otsu got it’s start - from seedling to pretty paper flower!

LITTLE OTSU:  In 2002, Jeremy had been laid off from a dot com and we decided we wanted to go into business for ourselves. While figuring out what we wanted to do, he had the idea to make a planner, having been inspired by the fun randomness of Slingshot and the practicality of Franklin Covey. While he made some progress with his friend drawing a template, plans to open our store Otsu in San Francisco’s Mission District took precedence. With the store opening in October, the planner got pushed aside and never got finished (also because he’s procrastination king). In 2004, we finally got serious and asked an artist to draw one and help get it done and after that Little Otsu was born (the name “Little Otsu” came from a nickname our intern Kate had for us). We also met Lart [Berliner] (our most frequent collaborator) right at that time and it all kind of snowballed from there. Now we work on the publishing business full-time after moving to Portland last November and still have our store in SF as retail headquarters for all things LO.