Get To Know The Maker - Belinda Love Lee

Our artisans are the heart of our unique selection at Rhoi. Each item is carefully crafted with intention. We had the pleasure of speaking with Belinda Love Lee, the creator of the Photobook of Important Memories to learn more about her journey.

So prior to becoming a letterpress stationery designer, I actually started my journey as a graphic designer. I loved the work that I did, but I was starting to feel like designing for screens was getting repetitive and started longing for something to design in the physical! I wanted a break away from the screen and the beautiful thing about antique letterpress printing is how hands on the whole machine is. It requires you to ink the machine, feed the paper by hand, and use your foot on the treadle to get the whole press operating. 

What do you hope people feel or experience when they receive one of your creations?

Now that we’ve moved and it’s been 2 1/2 years almost, I feel like we’re finally settling in! Moving countries isn’t for the faint of heart, but now having done it a couple of times, I can definitely say, even on the hard days, it’s worth the adventure! 

It’s been a hard move but an incredible one and we knew we were called back home to Wales, so we followed what felt right and here we are! 

What do you like most about Wales? 

I love the landscape, architecture and the people of Wales! You’re never more than 20 minutes away from incredible beauty, even when we lived in Cardiff, you could easily sneak away to a gorgeous beach or mountain to just really soak in all that beautiful green beauty! I love the architecture in the UK as well, especially coming from Canada where architecture feels very flat, every door and nook and cranny feels so intentional, ornate and beautifully crafted. If you’re looking for inspiration, you don’t have to look far! As for the people, they’re brutally honest which I love, hard working, and incredibly inviting! It took me a while to get use to the accent especially when I moved here the first time around, but I feel like I’m getting the hang of the sing songy accent now!  It’s beautiful! 

Best gift you've ever received

The first gift that comes to mind was this book of an artist called Akiane Kramarik, she was a child prodigy who started drawing from the age of 4! The book from an acquaintance at church, who didn’t know me very well, but felt the urge to give me the book. In it he wrote the most beautiful letter explaining, how he saw my creative talents likened to Akiane (even though I’m not nearly as talented as her!) but it felt very significant to me, and I still hold the gift very closely to my heart.

Quick Fire Q's

Follow Belinda Love Lee over at @belindalovelee_paperie

Image 1 Credit - Christine W Photography

Image 2 Credit - @belindalovelee_paperie