valentine by rené joshi sims

If your true love's heart beats fast at the sight of red ric rac, candy hearts and shiny plaid, this may be the valentine for you. On the front is a 4x6" print of the photograph René took for her wedding invitations, and the red handmade paper on the inside of the card is also a gorgeous wedding invite leftover. (The paper also contains a little bit of Canadian art history in the form of Laura Vickerson's famous rose petals).

True to the spirit of those cryptic little messages on candy hearts, this card has a way of saying a lot of things with few words. Shiny toy letters spell the words YOU FIRST. Depending on how deep your relationship is, you may want to draw in a comma: YOU, FIRST. No envelope can properly contain a card as boisterous as this, so there isn't one. 

René's zig-zaggy art journey: a three year crash course in love, painting, and D.I.Y. at Rosebud, Alberta; Yale University's Summer School of Art in Norfolk; four hothouse years at Alberta College of Art and Design; a year-long mentorship with Canadian painter Eleanor Bond, and another year working on Chautauqua Stars for a Northern City, a public commission for the E. A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts.

The journey came to a juddering halt when René's son was diagnosed with autism. She recently returned to the studio after a six year absence, and is working on a show about healing, loss, and love that glows just hot enough to see by. She lives with her family in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan and blogs in happy obscurity at fruityfantastica.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Valentine by René Joshi Sims, 7x9" (origin: Saskatchewan, Canada)

Starting bid: $8.00

coptic stitch handbound jotter by paperina

This fun little jotter was bound using Coptic stitch with orange waxed thread, a Japanese Chiyogami cover in mustard and gold, exposed spine and green tapes. The inside pages are recycled card weight, and were perforated using a fabulous old perforating machine at Columbia College Center for Book and Paper Arts in Chicago. Keep this beauty in your bag for quick notes, lists, or handwritten calling cards to tear out and share.

36 sheets plus 6 green end papers  |  3.25 x 5 inches |  one of a kind

Erin Anderson is a Chicago-based writing instructor and self-professed paper junkie, and has cultivated her love of design and handmade goods into Paperina, her fledgling custom design studio. She specializes in custom invitations and personal stationery, but her hands are always busy—whether binding books, writing stories, making caramels, crocheting cozies, or posting silly snark on Twitter.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Coptic Stitch Handbound Jotter by Paperina (origin: Chicago, IL, USA)

Starting bid: $10.00

coptic stitch handbound journal by paperina

This handmade journal was bound using a Coptic stitch with exposed spine and intricate tapes that seem to weave up and down through the bookboard. The Coptic stitch allows for this journal to be opened flat, which makes it a lovely choice for sketching or writing. Cover and end papers are fine paper in a melon pink with coordinating Japanese Chiyogami cherry blossom print tapes.

60 sheets, unlined  |  4.75 x 7.25 inches  |  one of a kind

Erin Anderson is a Chicago-based writing instructor and self-professed paper junkie, and has cultivated her love of design and handmade goods into Paperina, her fledgling custom design studio. She specializes in custom invitations and personal stationery, but her hands are always busy—whether binding books, writing stories, making caramels, crocheting cozies, or posting silly snark on Twitter.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Coptic Stitch Handbound Journal by Paperina (origin: Chicago, IL, USA)

Starting bid: $15.00

hand printed rose muji notebook by paperina

I first came across these lovely little notebooks in London several years ago, and fell in love with them for their utility and clean design. As much as I adore the plain and simple blank book, I had an itch to sketch and Gocco print a short run; what fun it was to pretty them up a bit! Both back and front covers are printed. Constructed from 70% recycled materials

30 sheets, lightly lined paper  |  7 x 10 inches |  limited edition of 10

Erin Anderson is a Chicago-based writing instructor and self-professed paper junkie, and has cultivated her love of design and handmade goods into Paperina, her fledgling custom design studio. She specializes in custom invitations and personal stationery, but her hands are always busy—whether binding books, writing stories, making caramels, crocheting cozies, or posting silly snark on Twitter.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Hand Printed Rose MUJI Notebook by Paperina (origin: Chicago, IL, USA)

Starting bid: $8.00

hand printed black/white MUJI notebook by paperina

I first came across these lovely little notebooks in London several years ago, and fell in love with them for their utility and clean design. As much as I adore the plain and simple blank book, I had an itch to sketch and Gocco print a short run; what fun it was to pretty them up a bit! Both back and front covers are printed. Constructed from 70% recycled materials

30 sheets, lightly lined paper  |  7 x 10 inches |  limited edition of 10

Erin Anderson is a Chicago-based writing instructor and self-professed paper junkie, and has cultivated her love of design and handmade goods into Paperina, her fledgling custom design studio. She specializes in custom invitations and personal stationery, but her hands are always busy—whether binding books, writing stories, making caramels, crocheting cozies, or posting silly snark on Twitter.

All proceeds from items sold on the To Haiti with Love auction go directly to the St. Joseph's Family in Haiti. To make a bid, simply leave a comment with the amount of your bid and your email address. The auction will wrap up on February 8, 2010, and winners will be contacted right away to arrange payment and shipping. Good luck!

Hand Printed Black/White MUJI Notebook by Paperina (origin: Chicago, IL, USA)

Starting bid: $8.00