Presenting
The best dressed gifts will be wearing something special this holiday season! It's a great pleasure to introduce PARVUM OPUS CARTA, my new library of patterned papers. Our fine-craft studio is known for works made with fantastically patterned papers, and I'm thrilled to contribute my own designs to that array.
Above, handmade six-inch square valet trays clad in the new papers, a useful and colorful accent for any desk or nightstand. All of these patterns are available as options for most any made-to-order project on our website, and since they'd make lovely gifts, we'll also make a collection of trays for this year's holiday Artist's Cabinet collection.
My enthusiasm for beautiful papers goes back as long as I can remember, and in fact, my very first collection of handmade desk furnishings was inspired by vintage Italian desk accessories clad in elaborately printed Florentine papers. I've long entertained the idea of developing a library of my own patterns, and I'm delighted that the stars aligned perfectly to set the project in motion this year. The timing has worked out to introduce these patterns in advance of the festive holiday season, but I've conceived of these as timeless patterns and think they'll be wonderful for use in craft projects and special occasion gift-wrapping all year long.
Above, detail views of the fist nine additions to the PARVUM OPUS CARTA pattern library.
Inspiration struck one sunny afternoon...
The first nine patterns I created are a celebration of Grand Tour intaglios and antique wax seal impressions, and exclusively feature pieces from my own personal collections. The inspiration for this series happened quite naturally: I was enjoying one of my regular 'close-looking' sessions with my small treasures, laying them out and studying their beautiful designs with a magnifying glass. When I stepped back and saw the neatly arranged grid on my table, inspiration struck. I envisioned trays, boxes, folios and other handmade Parvum Opus works clad in patterns studded with intaglios and seals, patterns that would coordinate beautifully with the hand-marbled and other papers that we have the privilege to use everyday. Immediately, work began to document the hundreds of individual antique pieces I've amassed over two decades-- quite an undertaking, but a labor of love, truly. My collection includes rare 18th century intaglios by Tassie and Lippert, 19th century intaglios by Paoletti, as well as a myriad of delicate wax seal impressions, many still carrying bits of paper from the letters they sealed when they were created over the last two or three centuries.
Once the initial photo archive was completed (it will continue to grow as I continue to actively collect), I began the intricate work of constructing the patterns. I've created nine unique designs for this initial collection, each one featuring a different background color and composition of individual intaglios or seals.
Gift wrap design details
As you might imagine, I'm quite picky about paper quality, and it took quite some time to find exactly the right weight and texture for use in our Parvum Opus studio projects, but after months of sampling and trials, we've landed on the perfect substrate. Our papers are printed in the United States on a heavy 70# paper with a lovely matte finish, perfect for bookbinding, crafts or gift wrapping, and are available in elegantly packaged rolls of five sheets.
Developing this collection of patterned papers has been a joy, and additional designs are already in the works! As the PARVUM OPUS CARTA library grows, I'll be expanding the products available in these patterns. If all goes well, I hope to have one more fun surprise to share very soon- stay tuned!
Over the last couple of weeks, I've shared some preview photos of the papers on our Instagram account, and several lovely people have commented that these are the sorts of gift wrapping papers that you take care not to tear when opening the gift- what a kind thing to say. Over the years, I've saved scraps of exceptional wrapping paper myself, using it to make small projects like bookmarks and matchbox covers... With the help of our earlier blog tutorials, perhaps you'll do the same? I can't wait to see what you create.
rap worthy of re-using...
Souvenir is the blog for Parvum Opus, an artist-run studio specializing in artistic decorative objects and home furnishings. We welcome your thoughts! Comment below to join the conversation, and if you enjoyed this, don't forget to subscribe to receive an email when we publish new posts.
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