Hello friends, I hope all is well and that you’re having a lovely week thus far! It’s time for my weekly book review, and yes, I’m trying to go for one each week for the rest of the year because I have so many nice books to share and I also want to continue pushing the printed page because despite […]

Hello friends, I hope all is well and that you’re having a lovely week thus far! It’s time for my weekly book review, and yes, I’m trying to go for one each week for the rest of the year because I have so many nice books to share and I also want to continue pushing the printed page because despite the undeniable amazingness of the digital world, there is still nothing quite like a book in one hand, lemonade in the other, while laying on the beach or the patio in the warm sun. Oh yes please!

Today’s book, Maker Spaces, is actually from a student of mine who is now teaching her own classes in London and is teaching through the pages of her own beautiful first book. It all happened so fast that she went from blogger to author, which I think inspires a lot of people to just jump in and start showing your best work online because it just could become a beautiful career path for you, too. And what a joy to see people who go for their dreams!
Maker Spaces, written by Emily Quinton and photographed by Helen Cathcart, opens the doors to the creative homes of 13 families who are makers for a living as jewelry and letterpress designers to illustrators and interior designers (and more). To inspire you today, here are some of my favorite photos from the book that haven’t yet been seen online (so please feel free to pin them) and a little interview that I had with Emily about her book. What inspired you to write a book"

EQ: My life has been filled with books since I was a little girl and I always dreamed that one day mine would be up on the bookshelf too.
What is your background"

EQ: I have an eclectic background that includes working in academic libraries, time researching and writing a PhD on Plant Hunting (sadly not finished) and working as a wedding and portrait photographer.
What do you do for a career today"

EQ: I have designed my own career after realising that I wanted to stop photographing weddings. I wanted to build a career that I could fit around my large family (I have four children, all close in age) and one that I could grow over time. It is an ever evolving thing, which currently includes blogging, photography, teaching and making.

How did it happen that you got a book deal"

EQ: I went to a fair with my very young baby and on the way, one of my buggy tyres burst. We were lucky to get a lift home with my friend and her husband, who had just started working at Ryland Peters & Small. We were chatting about my blog and he said that it sounded like a title of a book. I laughed and said how I would love to write a book someday. He went off and looked at my work online...