We believe in creating art people will love
Working Together
We are two artists working together to create authentic handmade products and digital art. We are partners both in business and in life, and being able to work together, using our skills to complement each other is a dream come true. Our goal is to have a business doing something we love while also being creative. Combining our passion for nature, art and gardening we strive to be as sustainable and environmentally friendly as possible, while creating products that are both beautiful and useful.
Gilles the Bookbinder
I have always been a book lover. As I child I ran though everything that was of interest to me in the children’s section of the library and quickly moved on to the adult section. In my high school days when English class came before lunch I would often be lost in a book, miss my lunch, and still be sitting in the classroom when the next class arrived. Later, after living in Calgary for 6 months I was taking a bus back to the Maritimes and had a hockey bag that was mostly full of books. The bag was so heavy that I could not lift it and had to drag it across the floor of the bus stations when it was time to change busses.
Over many years of book sales, yard sales, gifts, and merging with Patricia I have accumulated a collection of approximately 3000 books, so when I found a book about bookbinding at a book sale it was like a lightbulb going off. I have always wanted a craft to work on and have dipped my toe into many things, making chainmail, knitting, woodcarving, but nothing ever stuck. The first book I found was an in depth textbook on bookbinding, very technical and very intimidating. However a few month later I found a second book at another sale that was just a few simple techniques. I tried my hand at making a simple saddle stitch notebook, and after finishing it I immediately knew that this was what I wanted to do.
That year everyone I knew received handmade books for Christmas and I began making some books so that I could test out a few craft markets in the Springtime. That was the Spring that COVID hit. I found myself out of work, and on PEI we were in full lockdown for almost four months. My days were split between homeschooling our children and using the extra free time immersing myself in bookbinding. Over the next few years I practiced, improved my skills, and accumulated quite a few notebooks. During this time Patricia began designing art for me to put on the covers of the notebooks, and in the Spring of 2022 we decided to open The Cozy Bookshelf together.
Patricia the Artist
This is Patricia (aka Tree Huggin’ Girl) and here’s a quick bit about myself.
My favourite hobbies include reading (physical books are my preference), listening to music (pretty much every genre except a few), gardening, animals, and learning. But, ultimately creating is one of the things I love to do most. Well, other than being silly and making people smile and laugh that is.
Being creative is something that’s always just happened for me, without even really thinking about it. And being in nature is where I thrive and where most of my inspiration comes from. Enjoying nature as much as I do makes me an avid encourager of all things earth friendly and earth conscious. We repurpose a lot of things in our creations, save all our scraps, and attempt to fix things before purchasing new.
So far in life I’ve worked in so many different industries it’s sometimes embarrassing. After not being able to make it in yet another job I became quite physically and mentally ill, and my self-worth and self-confidence was at an all time low. I mean what human being isn’t able to manage the basics of life (eating, sleeping, hygiene, exercise and so on), or stay healthy enough to keep a job?! As it turns out, A LOT! This past year I was unofficially diagnosed with ADHD, getting an official diagnosis is going to take up to three years (insert hard eye roll here). The information that this has brought is life changing, cliche or not it’s true. Realizing that I needed a change in perspective and approach “work” differently, becoming an entrepreneur seemed the most logical thing to do, but who would want to pay for my creation?!
It took Gilles quite a lot to convince me that my art was good enough to share with others, let alone sell. The imposter syndrome and fear of failure were very intense, and are still there today, only less debilitating. Finally, I took the leap and became Gilles’s business partner. I now have the confidence to share my work with others. In no way do feel that I’ll someday be on the same level as VanGogh, Pollock, or Iris Scott but if my art can make one person smile, laugh, or stop for a moment to appreciate the little things in life then I feel I’ve fulfilled my purpose as an artist.
That’s me in a jumbled nutshell… Hi!
P.S. Being an entrepreneur is challenging beyond words, but is more fulfilling than any other job I’ve worked thus far. If I can do it, anyone can. It is very important to point out that in no way would I be successful without Gilles. He is a supportive, understanding and patient person. My success is my success, but in no way would I have reached success at this point in my life without him.
