New arrivals, bookbinding plans, family letters, plus an upcoming Valentine’s event
First off, we’ve changed our business name from Bayside Transcriptions, a name we have operated under since 2017, to Manuscript Studio. We continue to offer the same services of handwritten document transcription and local records research, but since our stationery shop and bookbinding endeavors are becoming a significant part of the business it made sense to operate under a name that encompasses all things handwritten, better reflecting the full scope of what we do. So, welcome to Manuscript Studio…
All Things New
It may be cold and snowy outside, but we’re busy stocking the studio with cheery stationery supplies to keep you busy while you hibernate and bring the beauty of spring to you and your pen pals.
New to the studio are nature notecards from Earth Sky + Water in New Hampshire. These perfectly-sized folded notecards are beautifully illustrated with our favorite birds and garden florals. They are blank inside so they can be used for any occasion that comes along.
Where are my fellow letterpress fans? If you’re like me, you can’t resist the texture and simple beauty of a letterpress-made card. We’ve recently discovered Belle & Union from Texas and are head-over-heels for their selection of letterpress notecards with snail-mail, airmail, and old world travel themes. Come in and feel these for yourself!
If you like to go bold and fun with your letter-writing, you need some Pigeons (no, not the feathered kind that coo and congregate in the park). These origami-style letter sheets fold into their own envelope so you only need a stamp to close them and send them winging through the postal system to your friends. They are fun for kids, too, and are a great way to encourage them to write short notes to their family, friends, or teachers.
We’re receiving a bunch of new journals in an array of colors, bindings, and formats. Some are minimalist (just lines… or no lines, even!). Some are themed and structured (keep track of your reading year!). And others are designed to help you study the Bible or give you a place to take sermon notes.
Many of us are not only stationery nerds but bookworms too, right?! That’s why we at Manuscript Studio have decided to bring in bookmarks and bookplates from the Felix Doolittle company in Massachusetts. Their watercolor illustrations are nature-inspired with a bit of whimsy. Come browse our selection and personalize your reading time and your home library.
Bookbinding News
We continue to learn the craft of hand bookbinding and our focus this winter has been to learn a new binding style: the “sewn boards binding”. Sounds a bit odd, I know, but without going into technical details, the key feature of this binding is that it lays flat. We feel that the majority of our journal/sketchbook customers want their book to open flat so that they don’t have to fight with the pages or lose space on the page to a tight gutter.
Family Letters
Holding the handwritten letters of an ancestor can be like holding a time capsule or a treasure chest, but if the script is difficult to read it can feel as if the key that unlocks the chest has gone missing. I’m not a super-sleuth by any means but I’ve spent many hours learning to read various styles of handwriting, acquiring skills and experience that allow me to transcribe texts which may be a struggle or outright indecipherable to one who is untrained. Having a transcription of your family letters allows you and those with whom you share it to read the text straight through without pausing to wonder over a smudged letter or scrawled word. A transcription also aids in preserving the original letters since the text can be passed around, copied, or emailed to any number of people without risk of damage or loss to the old papers. Send me an email (manuscriptstudio.va@gmail.com) or use the contact form here if you have letters, diaries, genealogy records, or anything else handwritten for which you’d like a quote for transcriptions services.
Valentine’s Event
The monthly Wine Wednesday open studio night at the Historic Onancock School is going to be a special Valentine’s-themed event for February. Come join us on February 11th (the second Wednesday instead of our typical first Wednesday schedule) from 5pm to 7pm. A variety of chocolate treats and wines will be available in many of the artist studios. Manuscript Studio will be open, too, of course! Hope to see you there.
Quarterly Subscription
We’re thrilled that our Manuscript Quarterly stationery subscription is growing in popularity. Our Winter edition sold out! The Spring edition is coming soon, scheduled to be released the week of March 1st. Thank you for your support and enthusiasm. It has been such fun curating and sharing these boxes with people. Some are getting the subscription as a treat for themselves. Others are signing up and gifting the subscription to a friend or family member. Click here for details and information on how to subscribe.
Come visit Manuscript Studio in Room 101 at the Historic Onancock School, 6 College Ave., Onancock. Our regular hours are Wed-Fri 10am-4pm and Sat 10am-2pm. While you’re here take time to stroll the beautiful creekside Nature Trail and visit the other shops and artists’ studios in the building.
Until next time, we wish you happy writing!
Stephanie & Virginia
Connect with us:
manuscript-studio.com
Email: manuscriptstudio.va@gmail.com
Snail mail: PO Box 556, Onancock, VA 23417
“The grass withers, the flower fades but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8
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