Monica Holtsclaw

Christina O'Brien Photography DVD Packaging

2012-01-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

San Diego based photographer Christina O'Brien had a clear vision for her new packaging, and I liked what she saw! Clean & chic with tweed-like fabric and a touch of lace to round out the look.

Gray suiting fabric and a double layer of lace were just the right combination to make this come to life. I think it's especially sweet since these will be for Christina's wedding clients - masculine, feminine, and tied with a knot! The suiting fabric was lined with acid free tissue and the lace was stitched in two separate layers onto the cloth. The black satin ribbon was adhered between layers of board for a secure attachment.

To check out Christina O'Brien Photography, visit the website and blog here. Better yet, if you're a bride in the San Diego area, meet Christina in person at the Bridal Bazaar this weekend!

Hardbound Long Stitch

2012-01-14T20:50:00.000-05:00

When a friend stopped by the bindery and saw all of the different types of binding examples I have on hand, he decided on the spot that he'd like to have a book made. As his eyes danced across all of my examples I could see his thoughts start churning and wheels start turning! He was deconstructing and reconfiguring, and ultimately loved the idea of pairing the visible sewing structure of a long stitch with the sturdiness of a hard bound book.

Usually this type of long stitch is paired with a paper or vellum cover. While that is a lovely and historic solution, this binding would be getting every day use sliding in and out of a bag and a hard cover would help protect the pages a bit better.

Because of the interest and enthusiasm of this friend, I thought I'd offer to teach him how to make the book himself. And that's just what he did! The book in these photos is the example that I made while demonstrating the steps. I had my sister-in-law in mind while I made it, so this was waiting under the tree for her on Christmas morning. My friend's book was made with a nice piece of zebra wood for the spine and rich brown cloth on the cover, it was also over twice the size of mine with an extra set of woven sewing stations. Can you picture it? Quite a beaut!

Piper Photography DVD Packaging

2011-10-28T13:30:00.000-04:00

Another Piper Photography project! This is the packaging you'll receive if you order photos on DVD from your session at Piper Photography. I love the way Lauren's company colors go with that gray bookcloth.

A definite bonus to having a great photographer as a client is seeing awesome shots of your work! Would you like to see them, too? Check out Lauren's blog post, here!

Custom Keepsake Photo Box

2011-10-14T10:00:00.000-04:00

My friend Lauren of Piper Photography in Alabama always comes up with great projects! She has multiple package options for her clients and offers one that includes a keepsake box filled with photos from their session. There were a couple special features that she was looking for, and the box in these photos is what fit the bill!

The lid, which opens like a book, doubles as a photo frame. One side of the frame is open and allows photos to slide out for easy swapping. A ribbon pull, secure on the bottom of the box, makes it easy to pull photos out for viewing.

Hallmarket 2011

2011-10-02T12:30:00.000-04:00

Hallmarket was all day yesterday and it was a grand ol' time! About a hundred Hallmark artists presented their personal work for the public, and Josh and I got to be a part of it. He had some of his posters printed and designed a few patterns that we had printed on fabric to use on a variety of bindings.

It was fun meeting new people and being surrounded my such a great group of artists! We still have a few things left, so we're thinking Josh is going to open up shop and start selling online in a couple of weeks. For a closer look at the patterns, feel free to visit Josh's blog.

Introducing... Milk Mail!

2011-09-14T11:00:00.000-04:00

Milk caps are like a perfect little slice of vintage pie. Each one reminds me of an intricate poster and what better to do than find two that match and sandwich a special note in between! I've started turning my growing collection of vintage milk caps into a delightfully functional series called Milk Mail.

Once you have your note written just put it in it's milk mailer and send it on its way!

A small collection of these sweet accordion books is currently available for sale at mash handmade in Kansas City. Leave a note or drop me a line if you'd like to know when they're available in my Etsy shop.

Book Butterflies!

Each self sealing mailer comes with a length of bakers twine to secure the book, and a perfect compartment for safe mailing. Your recipient will pull the ribbon to release their book.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Pick your favorite milk cap book.
2. Write a special letter or draw some dandy pictures.
3. Secure the book with bakers twine.
4. Place your milk mail in the protective mailer.
5. Address the envelope and send it on its way!
Extra postage will be necessary for careful handling.

Fresh Materials

2011-09-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like getting a shipment of new bookbinding materials! This one had it all - paper, bookcloth, super, thin board, and leather. Opening it reminded me of Christmas morning! Just me?

BBB for mash handmade

2011-08-23T09:00:00.004-04:00

I am so excited to be selling some of my work in a real live shoppe! Especially this one. Lisa took me by mash handmade way back when Josh had his interview here in Kansas City. For me, it's one of those places that you walk into and try to move as slowly as possible because it just feels great to be there! It's a beautifully designed space filled (but not crowded) with delightful handmade creations. A mother and daughter duo own the shoppe and their kindness and enthusiasm for what they do make it an even more enjoyable experience (by the time I got to speak with them you can picture me in slow motion as I delay my inevitable exit!)

These photos are of the first boxes to make their way to mash. I have a set of folding boxes and some small books that will be joining them soon. If you live close by I definitely recommend heading over to Westport for a visit, otherwise enjoy their website! It has a similar effect on me. :)

I thought it might be nice to make something that could be in a gender neutral gift-giving category. My enthusiasm for milk caps is at an all time high, and I don't see any lows in the forecast. A Burlington County Farms cap is inset on the top, surrounded by silk-like Japanese bookcloth, and complemented with green rayon bookcloth.

Liberty London's Small Susanna comes together with Japanese and rayon bookcloths for a springtime look. A vintage transfer bumble bee eagerly approaches the sunflower (it must be blueberry flavored!). In person you'll be able to tell that it literally glitters with anticipation.

Here's the original box I shared with the ladies of mash, I've shared it here, too!

Covered with linen and rayon bookcloth, this one might be my favorite because the ribbon inset on the top is some that I found in a fabric shop in Paris. The red and white buttons were selected from my button jar - that red & white striped button makes me happy all by itself!

A trio of bright rayon bookcloths makes this a cheery box, but a whistling teapot puts it over the top! The teapot and cup illustration is from a sheet of vintage Royaledge shelf paper. A piece of plain paper would have been attached to the top of the design and what you see above would fold over your kitchen shelves. Darling idea, isn't it? This box would still be great for a kitchen, perfect for tea bags, I'd say!

Leafy Seafoam Green & Blue Patterns

2011-08-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

Find more pics of these in my Etsy shop.

These petite jolies are a nice contrast to the heavy book in my hands today! I'm working on a binding that's 14" x 14" and nearly 3" thick. Hope your day has a nice balance of thick & thin!

Bitty Binding

2011-07-21T13:00:00.002-04:00

When I'm working on a project, usually I'm up and down, cut this here, press this there, rounding, backing, stamping, and various other -ings! It's not necessarily strenuous, but sometimes it's a nice treat to sit down and be able to make something from start to finish with all of the tools and materials at your fingertips! That's just what I got to do yesterday with this little Sweetheart book charm.

Summery Treasury

2011-07-20T11:00:00.000-04:00

A summery treasury for a nice summery day! Hope it's a sunshine and lemonade kind of day in your neck of the woods :)

New in the Shop: Folding Box & a Few Words on Stamp Collecting

2011-07-19T17:00:00.003-04:00

Another Liberty London infused box! This new box in the shop is covered in burgundy cloth and Liberty London's Small Susanna.

Lately my work has been accompanied by colorful vintage stamps. A few weeks ago I came across a box of stamps and stamp collecting books at the Crown Center antique festival. The gal selling them really wanted to get rid of them so she gave me a deal on the condition that I take the whole box!

So, now I have a bunch of great stamps, some of which I've set aside to incorporate into projects, and others that I've bundled together in nice color combos to pass on as little gift with purchase treats. Along with the stamps, I now have a bunch of books about stamp collecting, which were fun to look through, but ultimately I'm not a stamp collector*, so I'm giving ebay a whirl. Anybody into stamps?

* I am, however, a major stamp user! I like having a variety of stamps on hand so I can match them with their recipient. That's normal, right? Lately my favorites are the new Love collection and the Pioneers of American Industrial Design stamps. I haven't even used the latter yet, I'm debating about keeping the pane pristine and putting in a frame. Wait a minute...maybe I am stamp collector!

New in the Shop: Trinket Box featuring Liberty London Fabric

2011-07-13T14:45:00.003-04:00

I have a new box in the shop and it started out as most of my "for fun" projects do. I sat down with all of my favorite things and started playing. In this case, that button and those charms found their way to each other and I paired them with Liberty London's Fairford pattern for a happy little match.

Here's what happened next! Click on the photo to see a larger version in a new window.

Paper Weaving

2011-07-10T05:00:00.000-04:00

Toward the end of last year I commissioned Rhonda, a bookbinder and paper marbler, to hand marble a slew of paper for one of my custom projects. I needed the paper to make endsheets for a series of guest books. Her work was beautiful and I couldn't have been happier with the result.

In order to turn the marbled paper into endsheets, I mounted it onto a thicker paper that is sure to be durable for the repeated opening and constant use the books will receive. Each set of endsheets was made oversized and then trimmed to match height and width of the pages of the book block.

Above are the neatly trimmed marbled endsheets in action! I just loved the look of all of the trimmed strips neatly lining my recycling bin, and I couldn't toss them. I also couldn't just let them sit in a drawer for too long without playing with them!

Soon, my paper fiddling turned into paper weaving!

And more paper weaving.

And more! Once I stopped with the marbled paper trimmings, I had a knack for it and didn't feel much like stopping. I picked up some Japanese paper scraps and got cooking!

I plan to mount these little checkered pieces on tissue and then see what happens from there! I'm leaning toward incorporating them into the tops of boxes. Whatever I do, I'm sure the result will be posted here eventually.

So Long, Seattle

2011-06-28T13:15:00.020-04:00

View of Mount Rainier from the sky

I just returned from a great week in Seattle. My parents are moving to Portland, so I was there to help get the ol' homestead ready to sell. (Can I say ol' if they only lived there nine years? I think so!) I imagined that the week would just be full of cleaning, sorting and packing things up, which would be great q.t. with my parents, but we ended up doing so much more. We saw so many people and shared lots of great meals!


View of Downtown Seattle from Alki Beach

There was sunshine, rain, and coffee, so it was definitely summertime in Seattle! I got to see cousins, aunts, an uncle, favorite family friends, and my bookbinding instructor just happened to be in town! I even got to meet some new friends, this was my mom's last year of teaching Kindergarten, and I got to see some folks who helped make her time at the school especially special! (Brother John, I'm thinking of you!) It was great to be in the Northwest, and the trip ended too soon, but any melancholy brought on by saying goodbye was wiped away when I met my husband at the airport and came home to a happy kitty in a clean house, a bouquet of flowers, and fun things planned for the rest of the weekend in my new favorite city!

Metal Type

2011-06-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

Whenever you see an image or title embossed on one of my projects, I've either used a custom made magnesium die, or lead or brass type from my collection. The photo above is a close up of my type drawers. I've stamped a sampling from each drawer onto labels, so I know what's inside.

Many of the tools and pieces of equipment that I use weren't necessarily invented for the craft of bookbinding. Much has been re-purposed from other trades, and more often than not, my tools have already had a long history before they land in my hands. This is definitely true for all of my type.

In Dillard, GA at Good K-9 Antiques, I found a plastic grocery bag full of lead type, and then in Mount Dora, FL at Renningers, I found a beautiful wooden box full of little paperboard boxes that organized something very neatly once upon a time, and would be perfect to organize that newly acquired type. Put them together, and what have you got? Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo!

This box of type, one of my favorites, was originally intended for a Kingsley stamping machine but it works like a dream in my Kwikprint from the 1930s. I found this set in an antique shop in Astoria, OR when Josh and I ventured there with my parents on a pilgrimage to the land of The Goonies.

This is the side of my box of type drawers, with evidence of the luggage shop it came from. I found my Kwikprint via Craigslist and had it shipped from Wisconson along with the box of type and some stamping foils.

At least once a week I click around online to see what might be out there. Just last week, Josh and I found a honey-hole of bookbinding and screen printing supplies, and lately I've been asking antiques dealers if they have the type that goes in all of those empty type cases that are lying about. I think I got a bite yesterday - wish me luck!

Hatch Show Print

2011-06-07T12:00:00.003-04:00

I had been hearing about Hatch Show Print for a long-long time, because it's an awesome shop and it's been around for a long-long time! Back in April, Josh and I drove through Nashville on our way to Kansas City, and we made sure to stop by and pick out a couple posters.

Just great, huh?

Something about all of those shelves on the left wall seemed magical. Maybe because of the striking resemblance to the wand shop in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter?

The colors in this "TYPE" monoprint called to me. I was tempted to blow our new carpet budget on it but managed to refrain.

I highly recommend stopping by to take in all of the posters on their walls! If you won't be in the area any time soon, here's a link for their website where they have some work for sale, or you can even order a custom poster.

Emily & Kevin's Wedding Album

2011-05-21T09:00:00.032-04:00

Congrats to Emily & Kevin, this is their day! I had the pleasure of meeting a great friend of theirs last year, and he got in touch with me about making something special for their wedding gift.

They are having a Victorian themed wedding and had custom silhouettes made to match their motif.

We decided on this swirling damask patterned paper for the endsheets which added a nice elegant touch.

Pretty soon all of these pages will be full of photos from their happy day! Best Wishes!

Racing Rivals, Illustrated by Josh Holtsclaw

2011-05-17T13:52:00.000-04:00

Image courtesy of Amazon and my talented husband

My husband illustrated a children's book and it's on shelves today! Hooray! We called ahead just to be sure, and we're headed to Barnes and Noble tonight to pick up a few copies. I'm excited to take one apart and fancy it up into a hardcover version.

I'm writing from a new city! We moved to Kansas City, MO about a month ago and have been settling in quite nicely. The bindery is almost in tip-top shape and I have a few projects under my belt in the new space. I've had my camera out and have been snapping away, so I'll have plenty of photos to share in the weeks to come.

Japan Relief Bracelet by MiniCyn

2011-03-17T13:22:00.000-04:00

Photo used with permission from MiniCyn

The beautiful bracelet above was made by MiniCyn on Etsy. She's one of the great gals I met during my time in Paris. When you purchase this bracelet, she will double your purchase and give it to the Red Cross to help with relief in Japan.

Pickle Dish Progress

2011-03-14T08:00:00.009-04:00

I'm working on a pickle dish quilt for Sarah's baby Emmalyn. It's my first time trying paper piecing and I love it!

I'm following the pattern from Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance book, but we picked out a different color scheme that will match Emma's nursery. Almost all of these pieces are finished now, so I'll have Sarah and baby come over soon to help me arrange all of the pieces!

Paper Souvenirs from India

2011-03-10T08:00:00.088-05:00

My friend Caroline recently returned from a trip to India where she spent time traveling with two of her friends from college. I couldn't wait to hear her stories when she got back, so I eagerly went over to her place as soon as I could. I felt like a little kid at story time as I sat cross-legged on her couch listening to her adventures!

They did so many amazing things. They had daily cups of chai and dined on delicious food everyday, rode elephants, explored the jungle by foot, rented a house boat, went to antique markets, saw amazing sights, visited paper stores, and came back home with lovely henna hands.

And look! She brought treasures to share! The Hindi-English newspaper bag held all of these lovely goodies.

Hand printed and quilled cards, envelopes, a wooden stamp, and a folding paper star. Absolutely my kind of treasure!

Thanks so much for sharing your tales and souvenirs, Caroline!

Little Leather Library: Rebound

2011-03-07T08:30:00.005-05:00

I was eying a stack of Little Leather Library books as I was browsing a vintage shop with my mother-in-law around the holidays, but decided that they could find a home with someone else, because I was looking for a little text block that I could put a new cover on and it wouldn't feel right to take the books apart when they were functioning just fine, otherwise! We ventured toward the back of the shop, at the promise of a sale section, and low and behold there were a few of these books that were falling apart with their covers detached! My mother-in-law scooped them up, and away she sped to the register. On Christmas morning I had three little broken books to unwrap, and they are such treasures!

I've started working on the book in the photo in between projects. I took the sewing apart and reinforced and re-hinged some of the pages with Japanese tissue. The paper on the left will be made into endsheets, and the leather on the right is for the new cover. The poems inside are so sweet, it'll be exciting to finish the binding so I can sit down and read all of them!

Recent BBB News

2011-03-03T08:00:00.056-05:00

I have a blog post up over on the Guild of Book Workers blog. I've shared a few photos of my trip to Relma, the fabulous bookbinding store in Paris.

George from Tedorigawa Bookmakers kindly interviewed me for his podcast a few months ago. I've been shy to share it, there's always something funny about hearing your own recorded voice, especially since it seems I'm prone to giggling. It was a pleasure to speak with him and fun to connect with another book lover all the way in Japan!

Annette from CraftStew.com wrote to let me know that she included my Star Book Tutorial in their "How to Bind a Book" post. The post is full of all sorts of links to great tutorials.

I just read a great article about Mark Andersson, my instructor for most of my time at NBSS, and it is a fantastic read. The article, from the Explorer Newspaper, is actually an old one, so I either missed it the first time around, or it's so well written that it feels new every time you read it! Josh made the above illustration for us to put on a poster that we could sign when Mark was leaving NBSS and headed for the land of rattlesnakes. He always told us tall tales of bookbinding in the trenches, or whilst riding on a motorcycle, or who remembers what? Sometimes when you don't have an awl handy the next best thing is gonna be bullets.

Paper Quilt Cards

2011-02-28T08:00:00.087-05:00

Around Christmastime I started arranging some of my many itty bitty scraps of paper into tiny 2.5" x 2.5" paper quilt squares. I didn't do this with any specific purpose in mind, but just as a little break from some of my more tasking projects.

I decided to adhere them to some heavy paper and turn them into blank notecards. I've given them all little names for fun!

Quilted Northern.

Moulin Orange.

Lily Pads.

Terminator meets Tron.

Triclops.

Would you like one? I just have these five, so leave a request in the comments with your email address & I'll get in touch and send one to you! You can send it on to a friend or I can write a little note inside.

Vintage Paper Lace

2011-02-24T08:00:00.141-05:00

Over a year ago I was browsing Etsy for some vintage ephemera, and fun papery delights that I might use in the bindery. I stumbled upon this spool of vintage paper lace and immediately called my friend Lisa (fellow papery delights lover, you know, it's a technical term) to see if she wanted to split the spool. And, of course she did! Wouldn't you?!

Since the spool arrived, packaged in a sweet box, it has been my bench-top staple. I haven't used it in a binding, but I've been using it on just about everything that's in need of wrapping! And as it turns out, paper lace is a bit like the old Lay's slogan. I can't get by with just one color.

Several months ago I added these gems to my collection.

They have a way of making simple packages feel so special!

All of the paper ribbon I've purchased has come from an Etsy shop called A Bohemian Market. The proprietor, Carole, is friendly and helpful. We've only ever communicated online, but her kind personality can't help but shine through in her words. I was excited to see that she had listed some new white lace ribbon in her shop and wrote to her last week to check on availability of some other colors... it was my lucky day! The white and peach above, as well as the orange below are all recent acquisitions.

Aren't all of the eyelets lovely? Most of the little shapes are punched out, but not all, so if I ever need a little bit of quick confetti I can just run my fingers across some length of the ribbon to loosen the remaining pieces.

By itself, or dressed up, Carole's paper lace would make a nice addition to any supply box! As I write this, her shop is full, so feel free to take a peek!

The nitty gritty, as written on the large spools: Maxi Paper Lace, Ideal for Bows, Packages, Floral Arrangements, & Trimmings, 3" Wide 12 yds Maxwell Wellington Greensboro, GA, Made in the U.S.A.

Cecil's Magic Yellow Pants: A Custom Project

2011-02-21T07:30:00.001-05:00

Recently, I had the opportunity to be a part of a family's special project. A grandmother had carefully illustrated a series of flat watercolor pages to create a delightful story for her granddaughter. It was my task to take the flat sheets and hinge them together so I could bind them into a book.

The book is about a real cat named Cecil who has a patch of yellow fur that makes it look like he's wearing pants! These pants make anything possible for this fun-loving cat, however, it is revealed that the pants aren't magic, nor are they even real! The moral of the story is that being special and doing special things comes from within. Don't these illustrations make you smile? I just love Cecil on his magic carpet!

It almost looks like a duplicate, but this smaller version of the book was made so grandmother could have her story on hand when the grandchildren visit! This version was made using scans of the original illustrations.

Thanks to Cecil's family for including me in your special project! It was a pleasure!

Monogrammed Pocket Notebook

2011-02-17T07:45:00.038-05:00

The book above is the gift I gave to my Valentine on Monday night. The card underneath is an oldie from a Current catalog, it was fun to put my colored pencils to use! By the way, it's true. He really is tops!

My Valentine is great at filling up little sketchbooks, and really enjoys those made by Moleskine. I must admit, I do too. I especially like their city notebooks and went through two of them in Boston, and one in Paris. I thought I'd try my hand at making this nice little size, complete with the elastic closure.

2011-02-14T15:30:00.006-05:00

Hope you're having a special day!

First Etsy Treasury

2011-02-11T07:30:00.001-05:00

Back in December I thought I'd try my hand at making an Etsy Treasury. I added a few items and then got busy with something else, but I picked it up on Monday and finished my first treasury. I enjoy looking through other people's collections, and my Favorite Items list just keeps growing and growing, so I thought it would be fun to start grouping my favorites together!

I wrote to those I included with a note and a link, and then my favorite part happened, their comments rolled in all day long! They sent private messages and left comments under the photos and it just made it fun and exciting! This might have to turn into a habit! All of these people have great shops, here's a link to check them out.

Custom Folding Trinket Boxes

2011-02-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Upon our return from France, my bags were a tad heavier with the weight of souvenirs and trinkets. Among my favorite were beautiful silky cotton prints by Liberty of London. My friend Camille introduced me to the fabric and the Liberty craze that seemed to have taken over all of the shops in Paris.

I didn't have a specific plan for these treasures, but they just had to come home with me! I spread all of the fabric out for my family this summer and one of my aunts had the idea to have me use some of it to make something for her and my cousins for Christmas. These photos are of the boxes that were under their tree on Christmas morning. The box above uses Liberty's Small Susanna print.

I sent thumbnails of all of my fabric to my aunt and she asked my cousins to pick their favorites, without giving them a reason why. This was a top-secret project! This Liberty print, Mauvey, is the first that caught my eye. I bought a metre of it at the most fabulous store, Merci, also introduced to me by Camille and her friend Cynthia.

This sweet floral print was a JoAnn's find.

For the guy in the brood, Liberty's Pelagia print gave a bit of a masculine touch.

I found this print of the Tuileries Gardens at Hearbeat Quilts in Barnstable, MA. You can just see a few details in this shot, but I have a couple of yards of it, so I imagine it'll make its way into a quilt (and more photos) this year.

These boxes were based on a trinket box that I made for my dad to give to my mom a while back, and now that I've gotten back into the groove of making them, I'm thinking I'll have to make a lot more!

Perfect Holiday Wrapping

2010-12-29T09:10:00.000-05:00

Look how crafty my sister-in-law and brother are! We got to open their presents after our long drive back from snowy North Georgia and it was a major treat! Of course, who doesn't love a brown paper package tied up with string, but look at those other sweet touches ♫ buttons and pom poms, and stamping of stars... these are a few of my (other) favorite things ♫

They used rubber alphabet stamps to stamp our names, traditional brown paper, and a few other special techniques. There were pom poms on multiple gifts that made me want to turn into a little pom pom making factory! Stacy saw the tutorial on the Purlbee blog, and picked up one of the contraptions at Joanns. The third present's wrapping job comes from Alton DuLaney's presentation on Rachael Ray's Show. After delaying the unwrapping so I could take some photos, the gifts were just as fab as the wrapping. :)

I love when we get to stretch the holiday out! Tonight we're off to Tampa to see more relatives. I have twelve large books to round and back today, so the drive down and back will give me some time to relax my arms before I sew 24 endbands tomorrow! Is it possible? We'll see!

2010-12-25T07:00:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays from Boombox Bindery and the Holtsclaws!

*Ollie gives in to the temptation of nibbling on headbands if the top shelf is arranged like the rest. That's our solution until his acrobatics subside... but it doesn't stop him from reaching his paw down and trying to pluck the ukulele strings!

Black and White and Read all over! Treasury

2010-11-22T07:30:00.001-05:00

This fun treasury brought to you by Laura of the PrairiePeasant blog and Etsy shop! She kindly included my little ring box that I listed in my sale section over the weekend!

A Week of Celebrations!

2010-11-21T08:00:00.004-05:00

This beauty is named Emmalyn and Josh and I got to meet her at the hospital before she was even a day old! Our friend Sarah had her baby in the wee hours of Monday morning. I had never seen a baby so new to the world and I felt so lucky to be there. I spent a couple of great hours with Sarah, her mom, and the baby on Friday - just amazing! Congrats Sarah & Jason, let me know and I'll come over any time your arms are tired!

On Friday night, Josh and I headed over to Winter Park to have dinner at Dexter's before stopping by the Rifle Paper Co. grand opening party open house. We were there right at the beginning, which I think was perfect, because we really got to take everything in, and to talk to Anna for a little while. I didn't think to have Josh take an iphone photo, but Becka & Nate of Studio 222 were snapping away before we got there, so I'm sure there will be plenty of lovely photos to see. Above is a photo of Anna & Lisa mid-transaction at the old Rifle location last year. Anna's twitpic gives an idea of how wonderful the space looks. It's just perfect, and I'm looking forward to going back during regular hours to make a purchase or two! Congrats Anna & Nathan!

My mom's birthday is today! Happy Birthday Mom! She thoughtfully called my brother and me to let us know that she didn't need any presents, and a card would be perfectly lovely. Little did she remember that I had taken her little falling-apart address book when we were together last, with the promise of repairing it for her b-day. Something small like that needed some fun packaging, so I put it into the Longaberger basket that I found at Goodwill for a whopping quarter!

'Tis the season! It's almost time for stocking stuffers, so I pulled out a bunch of books that had gotten really cozy on their shelves and I put them in the Sale section of the shop.

And the celebrations just continue! Spice cake is in order as soon as our schedule aligns with our friend Wyatt, whose birthday wasn't too long ago. And we're off to Ohio for Thanksgiving this week. Can't wait!

And here's to you! Hope you have a celebratory kind of day!

Pasteurized: A Blank Book About Milk

2010-11-07T13:30:00.003-05:00

As the granddaughter of a dairy farmer, I feel like I have an "in" with milk. Sure, I've never milked a cow, but I did sit next to my grandpa on a milking stool while he taught me how to plant flowers in his garden, so there's a connection there! Plus, I love milk!

More specifically, I love pasteurized* skim milk. I've heard tell of the delicious stuff straight from the cow, and I do love cream over blackberry cobbler, but as far as drinking goes, skim is just right for me!

God bless Grandpa, Louis Pasteur, and cows!

Oh! & the reason for this post is that I just put this book in my shop! Click here for more pictures.

Now, off to the kitchen to drink a tall white cold one!

* While in France we drank milk that was "ultra heated" when it was pasteurized and then stored in sterile containers that were unrefrigerated. I discovered that I much preferred the taste of our sans ultra milk from the states, and ended up not drinking milk for over two months! Not to worry, I had more than enough cheese to make up for it!

Autumn Quilt for Baby Mira

2010-10-29T04:30:00.010-04:00

My friends Wendy and Matt had a beautiful baby girl in June. Her name is Mira and the photos and videos I've seen of her are just precious! I can't wait to meet her in person some day.

These are photos of Mira's quilt that I finished in time for Fall! I followed a pattern for the front and thought I'd try to improvise and add some strips of color on the back to break up all of that white.

Wendy shared her color palette with me and I picked out the fabric. Of course, Ollie always has to approve my materials before I get to work.

Cheers to the happy family! May there be plenty of snuggling, cuddling, and cozying up as the weather gets colder!

Sunshine & Raindrops: Treasury Features

2010-10-04T08:00:00.004-04:00

This little address book that I made recently was kindly featured in two Etsy Treasuries.

The collection above was curated by a gal named Cassie who makes clever baby and bridal gifts.

This collection was curated by an Etsy seller named Katrina who sells really fabulous accessories.

What a pleasant surprise it is, to find out that people are stumbling upon my shop! I am in the midst of so many projects right now that it is easy to forget that there is life beyond the bindery walls! Some really neat projects have found their way to my work bench and I'll get to share some of them later this month.

It's a beautiful day in Orlando, I hope you're all enjoying this first week of October wherever you are! Perhaps your days are full of orange and blue?

New in the Shop

2010-08-19T09:00:00.000-04:00

Vibrant Marbled Coptic Book

Iridescent Miniature Book Earrings with Button Closure

Celtic Green Miniature Book Pendant

Red and Gold Miniature Book Earrings

Color Wave Notebook in Red and Blue

Anniversary Book

2010-08-13T03:45:00.001-04:00

This morning I spent about ten minutes watching a heart warming and tear jerking video of soldiers reuniting with their children. It made me want to put Return to Me in the dvd player, turn the air conditioning up, cuddle under a warm blanket and let the tears flow! However, it's only 9am and these books don't bind themselves, so instead I'm reminiscing about a book bound for a sweet and thoughtful wife to give to her husband on their 10th anniversary earlier this year.

My client wanted a small 5" x 5" blank book full of deckled edge watercolor pages. She provided the beautiful piece of fabric for the cover as well as some of the silk from her wedding dress for the doublures.

The blank pages were filled with a letter from wife to husband. It's an honor to make books like these that will end up being keepsakes for years to come.

Here's to a day full of sweet things and happy tears!

Manolo Valdés at Chambord

2010-08-08T11:00:00.019-04:00

While at Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley, I had the opportunity to take in some sculpture work of Spanish artist, Manolo Valdés.

A variety of his work was in and around the chateau, but I was especially drawn to his wooden sculptures.

At first I thought we stumbled upon a room full of real books, but it turned out that Valdés' eye for the color and texture of wood made it possible for him to create the illusion of a furnished room. I suppose that works of art can be considered furniture, but I've described it as an illusion because none of the pieces are functional in the traditional sense of the objects that they visually describe.

I don't know if faux-furniture was the exact goal, but I found it fitting and poetic in this exorbitantly sized castle that was built more as a status symbol than a place to live and work.

These sculptural bookshelves probably get more handling than a shelf of real books would have gotten when kings passed through Chambord!

Here is a shot of one side of the chateau. It was truly massive.

Black and White and Red all over!

2010-07-27T11:00:00.003-04:00

I'm not talkin' newspapers! Nice thick business cards - white on one side, black on the other, with red printing and red edges. Pretty sharp. Printed by Mama's Sauce and edge colored by me, 500 down and a mere 1,250 to go!

Cleaning off all of the dark gray dust from the white sides, after sanding the edges smooth, really made me appreciate the last edges I colored (red on pure white cards).

It's official, I've been back home for two weeks, and I'm back in the swing of things. Josh and I are still updating our other blog because there are plenty of adventures that we still have to share. Last week I posted a summary of the people and places we got to see.

Congratulations Erin & Frank!

2010-05-29T13:00:00.002-04:00

My friends, Erin and Frank, are getting married today! I really wish that Josh and I could fly over from France for the weekend to celebrate with them. They came all the way from Florida to our Seattle wedding and we loved having them there. I know theirs will be a perfect and festive wedding! The couple and many of their good friends are avid swing dancers so there's sure to be lots of dancing. Also, the Scrabble theme as seen in the guest book will be present in other ways today, for example the place cards are letter trays with each of the guests' names spelled out! I can't wait to see all of the pictures. Speaking of pictures, here is a link to their lovely engagement photo session taken by Photonotions Photography.

It was a fun book to make. At first I tried to saw through the Scrabble pieces to make them thinner, but I soon realized that wasn't my most brilliant idea! To save my fingers I decided to work around the full thickness of the pieces. Above you can see my solution - the covers are made using two layers of laminated .98 board. The Kutrimmer couldn't quite handle that thickness, so I cut them by hand. Phew! It was a great workout!

Wounded Dove Pendant by Roxanna Bikadoroff

2010-05-24T17:15:00.020-04:00

photo courtesy of ABC

Josh and I have been big LOST fans since the beginning and we just finished the finale. Phew! It was hard to wait a whole day for it to become available to us in France, but somehow we made it through! I'm still reflecting on the series, so I'm not planning on discussing the show here... About halfway through the finale, as we somewhat patiently waited for the remaining minutes to buffer, I checked my email and got a fun surprise.

The surprise was an email from talented illustrator, Roxanna Bikadoroff. I first made contact with Roxanna after I was approached about creating some custom miniature book earrings using her cover illustration for Flannery O'Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge. She kindly gave me permission to reproduce her covers for that purpose.

I can't speak to my client's interest, but much of the recent popularity of the book is due to the sight of it in Jacob's hands during the season five finale of LOST. Some fan I am, I missed it first time around but the Loophole LOST Forum called my attention to the matter after they somehow found an image of the earrings I made and posted about them.

So, back to that email...Last year, Roxanna had mentioned that she was working on getting silver pendants made based on the wounded dove of her cover design. Her work payed off and now there is a limited number of her lovely silver pendants available! So, whether you're a fan of LOST, Flannery O'Connor, Roxanna Bikadoroff, or all three, it's definitely worth a look! To learn more about the wounded dove or purchase your own pendant, visit her blog or Etsy shop. To see more great work, follow this link to visit Roxanna's website.

Book sightings in paintings at the Louvre

2010-05-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Couldn't resist taking a few shots of books as we walked through the Louvre. Can't wait to go back and really look for them! My favorite was the single-flexible, second photo down. Click for a look at the other things we saw!

Inspired by Ironwork

2010-04-18T15:00:00.001-04:00

This is a collection of ironwork balconies I couldn't resist photographing as our Les Cars Rouges open top tour of Paris sped by (hence all the funky angles!). According to my scholarly Wikipedia research, wrought ironwork was popular in France from the 1600s. I'm not sure, but since these were on buildings with many repeats of the same style of balcony, I'd guess that they are cast ironwork, which would have been popular around the 18th century.

I think I'll return to these images when it's time to get my gouges out and do some gold tooling. I saved the image at a rather large size, so you can click on it to see the details up close!

Bonjour Paris!

2010-04-16T07:40:00.000-04:00

This long-stitch book is what I've brought along with me as my journal-sketchbook. I've just been carrying it around in my jacket pocket today! For a look at what is inside, feel free to visit Josh and my new blog: adventuringholtsclaws.blogspot.com.

The cover is quilted, using my go-to sturdy pink fabric (remainders from extremely long Ikea curtains that I hemmed), leftover batting, and binding with a print that I couldn't resist when I was last at the quilt shop.

I've already started using it and I'm crossing my fingers that I keep it up! I love the color combo, so I'm betting I'll keep it nice and close!

Bon Voyage Sale!

2010-04-02T12:10:00.003-04:00

12 days left until I leave the country! On Monday the 12th I'll be closing up shop until I return to the bindery in July. In honor of our upcoming adventures I'm having a 30% off Sale in my Etsy Shop.

If you'd like to make a purchase, add an item to your cart and click the check out button. In the "notes to seller" portion, be sure to let me know your email address. Click to complete your order, but refrain from going to Paypal to pay. and I'll email you a revised invoice that will include a link to complete your payment.

Back to the bindery for now! I'm sewing a HUGE book today! I'm a busy bee with the sunshine streaming in. I'm taking pictures of everything I'm finishing up, so I'll be able to share everything with you when I have the time. :) Cheers!

New in the Shop

2010-03-22T10:30:00.003-04:00

In preparation to leave the country, I've been catching up on emails, making my to-do lists, and crossing things off bit by bit! Meanwhile, these photos are of two books that are new in the shop this week. The photo above is of a single needle coptic stitch cover with paper from Chena River Marblers, with a closure using twine and buttons from my vintage button jar.

This coptic uses the four needle stitch and is covered with some of Claire Maziarczyk's beautiful paste paper and a vintage transfer of three happy radishes! Aren't those little veggies darling?

The marbled coptic would be good for drawing or journaling, and the radish coptic would be good for writing in metallic pen or using photo corners to make it a miniature photo album.

Mission Accomplished: Guest Books & Exciting News

2010-03-14T16:00:00.001-04:00

Voila! Three earth friendly looking guest books! I've obscured the logos on the front covers, but otherwise, that's just what they look like. I finished them on Friday morning, so I had plenty of time to turn them in before their afternoon deadline.

Ollie kept me company, and thankfully a squirrel kept him entertained, so he wasn't chasing paper around the bindery!

Here is a shot of what I use for my job backer (the contraption that holds the text block in place while the shoulders are formed). Gilding boards with binders board support strips are set securely into a lying press. I use a jewelers hammer and a fender hammer for rounding.

It had been a while since I'd sewn an endband, and it was fun to get to do six of them!

Now for the biggest news of all! On Wednesday Josh and I found out that we'll be relocating to Paris for 3 months! He leaves on Friday and I'll join him the first week of April after I finish up projects in the bindery. It's just now sinking in that this is really happening. I didn't have time to think about it while I was working on the guest books, so it's been a great weekend just daydreaming about all of the things we'll get to see and do in the next couple of months. Me-oh-my!

Calm before the Quiet Storm

2010-03-10T09:00:00.003-05:00

I have a big day ahead of me! Within the hour, printed pages for three textblocks will be delivered to my door and I'll spring into action so they can be bound and sent to California on Friday. Mind you, springing into action means doing various quiet activities like folding, sewing, gluing, and only a bit louder - cutting.

So before my flurry of binderly activity begins, here's a tranquil photo of a tiny, fully resolved book that is happily resting in the sun in the bindery. And with that, I can start my day with an accomplishment! Blog post: check!

Boxed Book Set To Be Auctioned

2010-03-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

This boxed book set will soon find a new home with the highest bidder! It will be up for auction this Saturday at Our Lady of the Lake in Seattle. OLL is where my mom teaches Kindergarten. The pictured set will be bundled with a set of my handmade cards as well as a little pair of miniature book earrings. The fine Seattle Stationer, Silberman / Brown, donated an elegant boxed pen that fits into the side pen compartment.

The box is covered with green and blue Asahi bookcloth while the inside trays are lined with the decorative Japanese paper that also accents the covers of both the box and the coptic book.

www.ollauction.org is the very thorough website dedicated to the auction. Last night I spent quite a bit of time drooling over the many items and packages that will be there this weekend! If you're in the Seattle area, head on over to the Yellow Section to bid on item 1091!

Oreo Button Book

2010-03-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

This was my Sunday morning project. I had my jar of buttons open, along with all of my tiny supplies for making book earrings, and my fingers just went to work making this tiny coptic with button covers.

The pages are a thick cotton paper. After tracing the button size onto the paper I cut them out with my olfa blade, stacked them together, and then sanded the edges.

The covers are about 28 mm in diameter, so they're a bit bigger than a quarter.

I used one piece of thread and two needles for the binding. Aside from being used as the closure, the brown thread is also used to cinch the threads together where the covers meet the spine, otherwise they were sort of free-floating.

Now what do I do with it? Maybe I'll use it as a button sketchbook. I'll pull my favorites out of the jar and capture them in graphite!

Spring Colors

2010-02-27T09:00:00.000-05:00

Nothing like the colors of Spring to get me thinking about my favorite season! Sometimes it feels like it's already here in Florida. While I wait for the official start, I'll be playing with these sweet colors in the bindery.

Carnival of Love: Stationery Box

2010-02-26T10:30:00.002-05:00

On Wednesday I joined Sarah of Orange Blossom Ink at the Carnival of Love at planIT! boutique. I got to see some great friends, like Grace Edmands, and also meet a lot of neat new people. It was a themed bridal event for local brides and grooms so they could get an idea of what area vendors have to offer. I didn't get a chance to visit with everyone, but one of my favorite vendors was Big City Catering, because they had carnival themed food stations set up all over the lovely boutique. A popcorn station, where guests had their choice of toppings from garlic to chocolate powder, a hot dog station, again with a wide array of toppings, and my favorite, the snow cone station! I lingered for a while with the snow cones because I had a great time talking to the Big City Intern who was manning the station. She is actually preparing for her own wedding!

The box in these photos was my contribution for a joint take-home prize! Lisa and Sarah designed and printed some cute cards that matched the decorative paper on the box. I didn't stay for the whole evening so I'm not sure who ended up with it, but I might request some of the cards myself, because they were so cute!

Here is a list of all of the great vendors who were present:

Lori Barbely Photography, Big City Catering, planIT! boutique, Peddles Florist, Kismet’s Arrow, Funfactory Entertainment, Orange Blossom Ink, Harpist Christine MacPhail, Grace Edmands Calligraphy, Cut the Cake, and Anavi Ink

Book o' Buttons!

2010-02-17T14:00:00.001-05:00

Couldn't get enough of my button jar the other day when I was demonstrating this type of coptic binding! More views of the book can be seen in my Etsy shop.

Sixth and Final Handmade Winner: Yarn Box

2010-02-10T07:00:00.058-05:00

Here is my final giveaway project! I made this yarn box for a friend I met at North Bennet Street. We were there for the same two years, she was down the hall from me studying Piano Technology while I was in the Bookbinding department.

From time to time I noticed Emily working on lovely knitting projects and discovered that she is an avid knitter. I found a little bit of inspiration while browsing Etsy one day and immediately thought of making something for my knitting piano tech friend! I found a shop called Darrielles Clay Art filled with beautiful stoneware pottery. Something that caught my eye was this yarn holder. It intrigued me and I ended up searching the web and finding other yarn holders here and there.

I thought it would be fun to transform this idea into my own craft. So I wrote to Emily to find out about what size a yarn ball would be at it's largest and got to work.

The ball of yarn fits into the box with the end of the yarn threaded through the opening slot. The lid fits snugly into the top of the box if you want the yarn to stay put, or it can pop off if you'd like to take the yarn out!

By the way, if you live in Texas and are looking for an excellent piano technician, Townsend Piano Service is the place to go!

Fifth Handmade Winner: Trinket Box

2010-02-08T07:00:00.002-05:00

This little trinket box was made for my friend Hannah, who was the 5th winner of my handmade giveaway. She loves pink, so when I saw this bookcloth at Sam Flax a couple months ago, I bought it knowing I'd use it to make something for her!

I decided on a little box because we've always shared a love for little containers, and I was reminded of that when she visited last year and purchased some little dishes to use for her jewelry. I thought I could make something that would be a nice addition to her current collection.

These book earrings weren't included, but they give a good idea of how big the box is.

It took me nearly a year, but all of my winners have received their goodies! I'll share the final winner later this week!

Secret Quilting Part Three

2010-02-04T15:00:00.001-05:00

Now here we have fitting scenery for a quilt! I took photos of this quilt the day after Christmas at my in-laws' house. I finished the binding during our car ride up there, so that's why this one didn't get the volleyball court and pool glamor shots!

This quilt had a pretty different look from the other two since I used a darker background fabric. The alternating border strips stood out quite a bit more than the others, since the flowers were such contrasting fabrics.

I was so pleased with the binding fabric I found at Quilter's Cove. My favorite part about this blue was how it was a bit more bold and framed the quilt so nicely.

Above is a close up of my stitching in the ditch. This is something I first learned a couple years ago from my Aunt Joyce. When I started the quilts I put my aunt in the position of secret keeper! She's an amazing quilter and I thought it would be helpful to have such a guru in the know, in case I needed help! It was especially fun, because I got a sneak peek of the lovely quilted table toppers she made for her sisters (my mom included) for the holiday!

How great is that porch? It wraps around almost three sides of the house!

Secret Quilting Part Two

2010-02-03T09:00:00.004-05:00

Here is the quilt that I made for my brother and soon to be sister-in-law! I wanted it to have color in it, but be neutral enough that it could find a place in any room of their new house.

The example quilt used bold colors in floral prints, which is part of what attracted me to it. Even though I love that type of color combination, I settled on a fairly monochromatic scheme for each of mine.

Each of the quilts has a paisley theme. On the quilt I posted yesterday, every other rosy square was a paisley print and the tan backing fabric was also a faint paisley. On this quilt the centers and cornerstones of each square are a bold and more modern paisley, while the backing fabric has a faint traditional print in green. Paisley, paisley, paisley! That gets a little bit tricky when you say it three times fast!

While I was taking these photos, one of our apartment complex maintenance workers let me know that I'm not allowed to dry blankets on the volleyball court. Good to know!

Secret Quilting

2010-02-02T10:30:00.001-05:00

On this too gray and rainy day in Florida, I thought it would be good to look back at these photos I took in December, yes sunny December!

Back in September, as I was thinking about what I might like to make for our families for Christmas, I thought of the sewing machine that my husband gave me for our first Christmas. I had been using it here and there throughout the year for small projects, but I thought it deserved a good work out!

My mom has shown me the ropes on her sewing machine, and I also took a sewing class in middle school home economics. (A project I remember was making a pair of long elastic waisted shorts out of a blue plaid flannel material) As far as quilting? When I was in 5th grade or so, I took a quilting course, where I learned some basic quilting skills. I am a saver, so I still have some of the worksheets from the classes. Armed with all of that and thoughts of snuggling in a winter wonderland I went on a Jo-Anns date with Lisa! We found a quilting book full of lovely photos (Material Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots), I chose a pattern from it, and we got busy picking materials for the fronts of three quilts! I wanted to make one for both of our parents and for my brother and his soon to be wife. We magically chose a day when the quilting department was boasting a 40% off sale!

The quilt in these pictures is the one I made for my parents. The pattern is called "Smuggling Letters" and it's by Kathy Doughty. It's a pretty big one! The book calls it a large twin and it completely covered our full bed. When it came time for the batting, backing, and binding fabrics I went to Quilter's Cove here in Orlando, again with Lisa! The ladies who work there are so sweet and helpful. I'm looking forward to my next trip to the Cove.

The binding fabric ended up being one of my favorites. Possibly because I saw the least of it! I shouldn't say that, because I never got tired of any of it! I loved my nights of quilting during those last months of the year. Although it was hard to talk to my mom on the phone without letting the cat out of the bag! I'll share the other two quilts with you soon, and then I can share the quilt I'm working on right now. I've been using scraps from my Christmas projects with a few bits and pieces that I've saved throughout the years.

Custom Recipe Book

2010-01-25T06:00:00.013-05:00

This custom recipe book was made for a chef named Seth, as a gift from his sister and her husband.
Aside from having a spot for ingredients and lines for directions, her only stipulation was that it look manly and measure around 8.5" x5.5". I used a mossy green bookcloth, rich brown endsheets and cinnamon colored endbands. I sought Josh's help for the "manly" type treatment! The recipe pages are printed on a thick smooth paper, and the title was printed on a cream Fabriano Tiziano.

Paper Swap!

2010-01-22T06:00:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday, Jen of A Red Pumpkin Studio posted about her love for paper. She posed a question to the bookbinding team curious if anyone would be interested in a paper swap. I sure piped up! And here it is the end of the week and it's already in the works! Thanks for organizing it, Jen :) Above are my 9"x12" papers that I'll be sending for swappage! I've included some favorites & am crossing my fingers for good swap karma.

Postcard Box

2010-01-19T16:00:00.001-05:00

Here's another project that hatched in the bindery during the holidays. The box was a gift from a wife to her husband for a collection of postcards that will continue to grow throughout their marriage. This cute couple picks up postcards when they visit new places and jots down the details of their days on the backs, so they can have simple & meaningful keepsakes from their adventures.

This sweet wife is a designer, and she'll be making a label for the front of the box. I'm guessing the label will look something like a postcard, and have a vintage-traveled feel. Maybe I can post a picture of that in the future (hint, hint)!

Boombox Bindery Interview on Bookbinding Team Blog

2010-01-08T09:10:00.001-05:00

This morning, Hilke, one of my bookbinding friends across the world has posted an interview with me on the Bookbinding Team blog! It was such an honor to be asked, and I had a really nice time corresponding with her this week. She's such a neat person, I felt like I should be interviewing her! Here are a few things I know about her:

Hilke also goes by buechertiger, which translates to book tiger. She lives in Germany and has an awesome blog called Verzwirnt Und Zugeleimt: Into the Realm of Book Arts by Trial and Error. I love her blog because she does such a good job of sharing her recent work, and she manages to give a snapshot into her daily life, which is so fun! Also, her recent paste paper tutorial is excellent and very thorough, so if you've been wanting to give paste paper a try - check it out! The photo to the left is one of her papers. She has a wonderful gallery of work, and she also has an Etsy shop full of lovely books.

Many thanks, Hilke!

Itty Bittys: Santa's (tiny) Bookshop Part Two

2010-01-05T09:00:00.001-05:00

There were a couple of tiny books in production during the holiday. Aside from the center quote page, all of the pages in the book above were made of various black & white decorative papers.

A set of familiar rag doll earrings for a gal who volunteers with children.

Happy New Year! & Santa's Bookshop Part One

2010-01-01T20:00:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year One & All!

It was a busy December in Santa's Bookshop (as Boombox Bindery came to be known during the holidays!), so I have lots of things to share! The wrapping above was for the books below, that were ordered by a friend for some of her special coworkers.

Each book is a long stitch with a wrapper cover. The pages are perforated for easy note taking, and each cover was made to match the personality or interests of the recipient. The top left cover is a Snow & Graham paper enhanced with some decorative stitching. Centers of several cranes on the Japanese paper on the top right were cut out to reveal kanji underneath. I had enough material left to recreate the polka dot/flower combo that was originally used for one of my handmade giveaway books. And finally, on the bottom right, some gorgeous Claire Maziarczyk paste papers. Lori of Elvie, does that hand look familiar? My friend and I were inspired by your heart in hand!

Some Embroidery & One Year Down!

2009-12-18T11:30:00.001-05:00

I started this blog a year ago yesterday, and I'm pleased as punch to say that I stuck with my 2009 resolution of posting at least once a month! Almost fifty posts later, dare I resolve to post at least twice month next year? Seems to be a safe plan... we'll see! I have a couple weeks to decide!

It has been a very busy month. I'm working hard to finish up projects for clients, as well as my own holiday projects. The photo above shows two embroidery projects that I finished a couple months ago. One was a gift for my mom's birthday, and the other was a "congrats on your engagement" present for my brother and his fabulous fiance. It was my first try with embroidery and it was so much fun! My friend Lisa and I had seen the lovely embroidery by Jessica of MiniatureRhino on Etsy, and thought we'd like to give it a try. Lisa has embroidering in her blood, and takes part in her family tradition of embroidering quilt squares for the family quilt each year. She kindly taught me a couple stitches, after which I had a hard time putting my needle down! I even embroidered a book cover for the BEST Halloween Challenge!

The BEST Holiday Book Event, Ending Soon

2009-12-04T08:30:00.004-05:00

It's just a giving couple of weeks here in Blogland! There is one whole day left to enter the BEST Holiday Book Event. Chances are earned with every ten dollars spent in participating shops. If you do make a purchase, add "BEST Holiday" in the note to seller box, for one extra entry. The prizes are incredible! There are three separate gift baskets full of books and related goods, as well as two gift certificates to spend in any participating shop. A person could have all of their holiday "shopping" done in one fell swoop!

I've updated some of my listings this week and plan to add some stocking stuffers to my shop today, little books that would be great for stockings as well as last minute entries!

And the winner is...

2009-11-26T17:00:00.000-05:00

A big thanks to those participated in our giveaway! We sure got a nice warm fuzzy feeling hearing about all of the things you're thankful for! (Especially if you're thankful for Ginger Ale - fuzzy & fizzy)

The winners have been chosen! The random number generator came up with a number 3 to determine that the winner of this handmade stationery set is Matthew Reidsma!

Congratulations and Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a Thanksgive-away!

2009-11-17T08:00:00.003-05:00

Boombox Bindery is teaming up with Orange Blossom Ink to give a big thanks to all of our friendly readers. It sure means a whole lot to us when you stop by!

As our way of thanking you for your bloggy friendship and support, we’d like to give you the chance to enter to win one of our collaborative projects. You may remember the stationery boxes we made a number of months ago in preparation for a craft market. We happen to have two of those left and would just love to send them out to a pair of you! Each handmade box features a set of eight cards with four sweet patterns that compliment the boxes.

To embrace the spirit of the season, all you have to do is leave a comment on one of our Thanksgive-away posts and tell us about something you’re thankful for! Feel free to comment on both blogs to double your chances. While you're at it, click on over to follow Boombox Bindery on Twitter, Facebook, or Blogger!

We’ll use a random number generator to select a winning comment from each of our blogs and those winners will be announced on Thanksgiving Day! The winners will receive the stationery set pictured on the blog of their winning entries.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Flag Book Button Closure

2009-11-15T17:00:00.001-05:00

When this flag book was posted on the Bookbinding Team blog, Olive Art commented with a question of how I attached the button and thread. I gave a short description; I attached the button and string by punching a hole through the cover board and the valley of my first accordion fold. I used one length of string, with the ends knotted underneath the button.
But after writing that, I thought it might be nice to offer a visual description.

Click on the diagram above for a larger view. If you start with the red arrow, you should be able to follow the path my thread took.

Fishy Flag Book

2009-11-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of the flag book I made for the Bookbinding Team Swap in September. Here's a link for the entry about it over on the team blog, and here's a link for all of the books involved.

I've been working on a diagram to illustrate how I attached my button and closure thread, and will post it later this week.

I loved setting this little book in the sunlight and observing all of the shadows that danced around it.

San Francisco Treats: GBW Standards Underway

2009-10-30T06:00:00.003-04:00

Josh and I are in San Francisco for the GBW meeting, and it is glorious! We arrived on Wednesday and hit the ground running. Checked in at our hotel, figured out the public transport & found Ike's Place for lunch. Ever since seeing Ike's on Man vs. Food, we knew we had to try those delicious sammies, and goodness gracious! they were as good as they looked on tv! After lunch we walked and walked and.... eventually wound up at the Tonga Room another planned destination where we got our tiki fix!

Thursday was another wonderful and full day complete with a bookbinding tour of San Fran, and the opening reception where we got to browse through the Marking Time Exhibit at the SFPL. I'll post more details about my trip in the coming weeks, but now I'm off to an NBSS reunion breakfast where I'm excited to do some more catching up with classmates and meet other fellow grads.

Rosewood Folder & Walnut Box

2009-10-26T22:00:00.002-04:00

Today was an exceptional start to the week! I'm having fun getting prepared for our trip to San Francisco for the Guild of Book Workers Seminar. It was a productive day in the bindery. My friend Glenn brought some pumpkin bread over, which made for a wonderful fall feeling that is otherwise amiss here in warm Orlando. And now I get to watch the top 20 on So You Think You Can Dance!

All of the above are so wonderful, but the very best thing was something special that came in the mail. On Friday I got a notice that I had a package to pick up at the office which wouldn't be open again until Monday. I had all weekend to wonder what sort of mail was in store for me.

Last month, when I called Randy Arnold for his interview, I got more than than I requested and made a new friend! In these photos you can see the beautiful folder that I received from my friend. It was a delight to see that the package was from him, and a thrill to see what was inside. First of all, look at that great packaging! The earth tones compliment his work perfectly. Pictures don't quite capture how nice it is to hold this rosewood folder, and how perfectly it fits into its handsome walnut box. You can see more photos of this folder on Randy's blog, and visit his shop to add some tools to your wish list!

Thanks a million, Randy, for my new prized possession! If any of you happen to be headed to the Guild meeting this week, I'll plan to bring my new folder along. Let me know if you'd like to get your hands on it, and I will have a show & tell!

Fourth Handmade Winner: Custom Wedding Card Box

2009-10-23T14:00:00.002-04:00

Number 4 on the list was a certain Kate Jones, who is now officially Kate Lynch! Kate is a friend of mine from college who got married in Maryland this past Saturday. I knew she was getting married, so I decided her winnings would be part wedding gift & part giveaway gift!

I thought about what I could make that would have added a little extra to my own wedding and quickly found inspiration in a shoe box full of cards. I won't be able to part with our wedding cards anytime in the foreseeable future, so it sure would be nice to have a pretty box in which to store them! (Happily, I will have my own version of this box soon, because I cut out two sets of boards while I was working on Kate's!)

The dimensions are based on the measurements of our stack of cards. It's a little wider than the tallest card and a little taller than the widest card! I decided on a landscape box rather than a portrait, simply because I thought it would be the most elegant.

The Lynchs had a color scheme of truffle brown and cornflower blue, so I tried to stay in that color ballpark while picking my materials. The white decorative paper that is inset on the cover of the box is a strip of vintage Royledge shelf paper.

Congrats & Best Wishes, Mr. & Mrs. Lynch!

Third Handmade Winner: Holiday Book

2009-10-19T11:00:00.001-04:00

The third winner of my handmade giveaway was Christina, who has a blog called Hall Family Happenings, and a wonderful Etsy shop called Nina Bo Bina. Josh & I purchased a sweet burp cloth set from her earlier in the year when we found out that our cousins would be having a little girl! Check out the shop for all sorts of fun handcrafted fabric items.

This holiday book should arrive in Christina's mailbox today! It is a softback book, measuring 5.25 x 6 inches, full of 24 perforated pages. I thought the Hall family could use this to make a few holiday lists for the upcoming season!

Hope you enjoy it Christina! Thanks for entering my giveaway!

Ben & Caitlin's Wedding

2009-10-12T11:00:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Ben & Caitlin who were married on the 3rd! They had a lovely fall wedding complete with autumn colors and homemade pies. The ceremony was held at Bull Street Baptist in Savannah, and the reception was out at Old Fort Jackson. It was neat to be back at Bull Street, and it was fun to see the fort. Josh and I were excited to see it after driving by for years without taking a peek.

The photo above is a detail of the guest book I made for the newlyweds. I used a preprinted text block which included columns for date, name, address, and comments. There are plenty of pages left so they can use the book in their guest room and at any future celebrations.

There were so many great details throughout the wedding - both the preexisting rustic gems at the fort and the special touches prepared just for the day. I even found a hidden Mickey (almost)!

A shot of the guest book in action!

And finally, click above for some pretty scenes from the day.

Special thanks to Lisa of Orange Blossom Ink for letting me use her fonts and borrow her printer for the cover AND for driving us to and from the airport rental car place after our car troubles!

Recent Photo Boxes

2009-10-02T08:00:00.003-04:00

Edge Colored Business Cards

2009-09-28T08:00:00.001-04:00

In July, I joined a group of Orlando area creative professionals for a meet-up hosted by Anna Bond of Rifle Design. Please visit Trisha Hay's blog for a great summary of the day. She's the one who brought us all together.

Anna arranged for a tour of Mama's Sauce Print Shoppe, where we got a good feel of what they do and how the shoppe runs. One of the gals, Fiona of Anavi Ink, who is thinking about having the edges of her business cards colored, was curious about my gilding capabilities, and later let Nick of Mama's Sauce know that edge decoration is in my bookbinding arsenal.

Nick got in touch a few weeks later, and voilà, about 600 business cards with colored edges! These cards belong to Chris Heavener, the editor of Annalemma, a very cool literary and arts magazine. Head over to Chris's blog for a post about the original printing of these cards, and a post featuring some process photos of the edge coloring.

Broadside on the Spirit of Paper

2009-09-25T10:00:00.003-04:00

I recently received the broadside pictured in these photos from my friend, and fellow NBSS alumna, Amanda Nelsen. She printed it at Firefly press where I once attended a fantastic open studio night. Below is an excerpt from the note included with this fine specimen of letterpress printing.

Alegria [another alumna] located this quote from Timothy Barrett, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at the College Book Arts Association in Iowa this past January, and asked me to print it. I thought that while I had it set up I would print one for you all as well - fellow admirers of well crafted paper.

Do click on the photo above for a closer look at Barrett's elegant words. Reading the quote with each letter impressed in the paper, you will start to imagine that you've been transported to the entrance of paper heaven!

Learn more about Amanda and the wonderful work that she does, by visiting her website, amandanelsen.com. She was recently featured on Cambridge television with a video interview about her recent work using found paper. It's definitely worth a peek because of her beautiful work, and her little bindery helper, her son!

L to R Tim, Alegria, Walter, Me, Miguel, Wendy, Amanda, Dave

Above, Amanda and I are holding a school banner after we've marched into the arena for the annual table hockey tournament.

Tools of the Trade: An Interview with Randy J. Arnold

2009-09-24T08:00:00.001-04:00

I posted this article over on the Bookbinding Team blog today. Read on to learn about an awesome tool maker!

Lovely ebony folders have been on my mind for the past couple of months. If you read my first post about folders, you’ve probably gathered that I am quite a fond of these useful tools. Randy J. Arnold, makes a variety of exceptionally beautiful wooden folders. I’ve been keeping an eye on his Etsy shop, and am increasingly impressed with each new product he has to offer. It doesn’t end with folders, or the custom boxes he builds for them. Randy makes a range of bookbinding tools, from those ebony folders I’ve had my eye on, to punching cradles and nipping presses.

After following a few links from his shop, I stumbled upon, MaxwellBanjo.blogspot.com. It turns out that in addition to making amazing tools, Randy is a luthier and has a blog dedicated to his craft. Naturally, I was curious about what led him from banjos to bookbinding tools and my hunch was that he must have a bookbinder in his life! Randy kindly agreed to a phone interview last week, and I’m so glad, because it was so much fun to talk to him!

Woodworking seems to run in his blood. He is self taught, but was lucky to be able to observe his grandfather and father work in the family shop, which is pictured above. His grandfather worked on household projects and his father was a talented furniture maker. Randy has come a long way since those days as a young boy watching his father and grandfather; he inherited the family home and restored the shop to working order. You can read more about his efforts here and here.

As far as having a bookbinder in his life, I’m proud to say that my hunch was right! Randy’s partner, the talented Amy LeePard of Painted Bunting Books is the reason he started making bookbinding tools. Amy, who studied with Amy Pirkle at the University of Alabama, initially used tools provided by the university, but found that she really needed her own, and was looking for a better quality than was readily available. That’s when Randy stepped in and made his first set of folders. Amy took her new handcrafted folders to a Julie Chen workshop and the Paper and Book Intensive. Other book workers saw these fine tools and couldn’t help but want their own! Interest and encouragement from these book workers prompted a few custom orders for individuals and beyond. Randy’s work is now offered through Colophon Book Arts Supply and through the Morgan Conservatory. You can also find his work at our favorite place, on Etsy!

Like any artist, Randy looks to things around him for inspiration. His main inspiration is, of course, Amy, but inspiration also strikes when he is looking into family history, hiking, or riding his bike. As he slowly pedals down the road on his bicycle he has time to think about preliminary designs and work out any technical details of current projects. Fresh air and beautiful surroundings, as seen in the photo above, can go a long way for encouragement! I'm sure his bike rides are also a great time to think about his next choice in materials. He tries to use materials that are found locally, whether it be the wood he finds from his local sources, regionally tanned leather, or spalted wood found on one of his hikes.

Buying a fine tool, should be like buying a nice piece of furniture. The tool should be well made and built to last. Randy subscribes to this philosophy, and using the same tools as his father and grandfather before him, he makes tools for bookbinders that are not only delightful to look at, but rewarding to use.

Randy is still a luthier and while he is finding a balance between the two, working on bookbinding equipment gives him an opportunity to employ techniques he wouldn't otherwise get to practice. There are so many things he’d like to make, it’s just a matter of deciding what to make first! A main priority is addressing Amy’s needs (naturally), but he’d love to hear what you might like to see available in his shop. He mentioned that he's working on a vertical plough, which I'd love to see! Feel free to get in touch with him or leave a comment below.

Thanks again Randy, for a great conversation!

Second Handmade Winner & My Handmade Winnings

2009-09-21T08:00:00.004-04:00

It is fitting that my friend Erin is my second handmade winner, because I was one of the lucky winners of her handmade giveaway! This little book, covered in cotton polka dots and a vintage hot iron transfer iris, is what I sent to Erin as her prize.

It's a good size for a pocket or purse, and has actual pockets inside! Two envelopes are are sewn in with the thick white pages. The pages have complementary blue endsheets and contrasting fabric endbands.

It was made with the very same construction that I came up with for Stacy's books.

All wrapped up! I hope this was a nice surprise in the mailbox.

This awesome necklace was what Erin sent to me for her giveaway. I wear it all the time! She made the lovely pendant out of shrinkable plastic. Visit her Etsy shop for all sorts of fantastic jewelry. You can also visit her blog to learn more about her process.

Inspired by her gift and intrigued by the idea of shrinkable plastic, I did some experimenting and came up with a project for the kids at Carpe Diem Piano Camp this summer. Shrinkable Plastic is great medium, because on one hand you can create striking and professional looking jewelry, and on the other hand, it can be used by to create a very satisfying project no matter what your artistic level may be. Pictured above is a key chain made using Shrinky Dinks.

I printed several measures of each camper's recital music onto the plastic which they then decorated with colored pencil. After they cut their music into squares, I punched holes in them and rounded the corners. The kids then had the thrill of watching them shrink in the toaster oven. After the pieces were cool, I added the jump rings and lobster clasps so they each had a bracelet to wear home. The bracelet third from the right was signed by all of the campers and given, by them, to their wonderful camp director/piano instructor on the final day of camp.

Thanks very much, Erin, for the necklace, and for the inspiration for our camp project!

Neverending Thread

2009-09-18T12:00:00.004-04:00

I struck gold at Disney's property control a few weekends ago. All of those large spools on the table were a just a dollar! The white and yellow spools on the windowsill were finds from the same place a couple months ago. The tiny (normal sized) spools in front are just for reference. If you're a cast member, and you're in the area, there are probably plenty left.

These could have come from anywhere in Disney World, judging by the color scheme I'm going to guess that all this thread was used for costumes either somewhere in Animal Kingdom, or Adventureland. I will probably use it for various projects on my sewing machine and for endbands. I wonder how many hundreds of endbands all of that thread could produce. Yeesh! If you need any of those colors, let me know, I just might have some to spare!

Property control is a magical place. It consists of two buildings, one for damaged items and things that have been long lost in the parks, and another for overstock and things around property that aren't needed anymore. You can even find old vehicles and machinery. Whenever we go, I head for the section in the back where I usually find something I can use in the bindery.

Love & Memories

2009-09-14T07:00:00.002-04:00

Here are some photos of the special memory book that was hidden inside a gift bag that I featured a couple weeks ago. The bride-to-be received her gift and was married a day or two later! Best Wishes Ashley!

Antique Market Finds

2009-09-07T07:00:00.010-04:00

Last weekend, while at Renningers with friends, I came across a number of really neat items. This, of course, is not hard to do considering the vast number of shops within the antiques center. My favorite item, pictured above, was this fabric covered electrotype edition of McGuffy's Eclectic Reader. It caught my eye because I've recently been using fabric to cover books. I was eager to peek inside and investigate the cover construction. At first I thought there was a chance that the binding was originally sold this way, but as soon as I saw the hand stitching I knew that someone spent the time to make this book their own.

A few steps later I saw this huge piece of furniture. I saw the back first, and thought it looked like such a mishmash of random wood, but I circled around to the front to see all of this detailed carving. I love the contrast between the front and the back and feel like I'm in on a secret, since the back would never be exposed in a home.

Paper and string! I was delighted to find this tidy little combo. Not that I brought it home with me, but isn't that old wrapping paper neat? The tear-bar operated with a simple spring mechanism which is a nice touch. I'd love to see it in action. Did people tie wrapped packages with such thin string?

Oh, and one more thing! Here's a photo of my great friends, Lisa and Sarah, sitting at my table at the Farmers Market in Sanford, the reason why we were spending the day together, in the first place! They hung out with me for the duration of the market, and were real troupers in the sweltering sun! It was a very cute market with some very nice people, especially the gal who ran the cheese booth. I was glad for the opportunity, but I don't see myself headed back in the future. It was a great time with friends and a super excuse to get to go to Renningers! We were mostly window shopping, but I did come home with one thing - Lisa and I got a great deal on a gigantic jar of buttons! We've spent more than a couple hours huddled together, dividing them like Halloween candy!

B.E.S.T. Back to School Sale

2009-08-31T12:00:00.002-04:00

Remember back to school shopping? Those were the days! I still feel a little jolt of excitement whenever I roam the school supply aisles or step into my mom's kindergarten classroom. Oh, the smell of crayons, pencils, and Elmers glue, and the sight of new folders and name tags! Nothing like a fresh start.

September will be here tomorrow! What's that you say? You're feeling nostalgic and think you'd like something new to celebrate the new school year?? Well... you are in luck! Starting tomorrow, the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team is having a sale! September 1st through 7th, many members of the team are offering free shipping and special sales.

The following shops are offering free shipping; BoomBoxBindery(that's me!), Anticovalore, Swirling Tree , notubóc , LizzieMade, flurrsprite, Re:Paper, Anagram for Ink, BadonHill, its all just menagerie, Nina Judin Books, Kristin Crane, SusanGreenBooks, OliveArt, UsefulBoooks, and MyHandboundBooks. KarleighJae is offering a buy one get one 25% off, and Parkside Harmony, PrairiePeasant, and Robyn's Art are offering 20% off.

Click away, happy shopping, and everybody have a great start to the new school year!

By the way, that's one of my original Pee-Chee folders, pictured above. About half of the people I know have never heard of them. Sadly, they are no longer in production, and while I had my share of Lisa Frank folders, my Pee-Chees are most treasured. Have any school supply memories to share?

Custom Wrapping, Stamping, and Dear Friends

2009-08-26T06:00:00.010-04:00

I made this simple bag and card to complement the very special gift inside. This gift, to be revealed after it is given, was commissioned by a dear friend of mine for a dear friend of hers.

The fabric is an Amy Butler print, the paper is a rose colored Fabriano Tiziano, the ribbon is from my stash, and the gold stamping is by Wendy Withrow, who happens to be another dear friend!

As I'm saving up for my very own Kwikprint or Kensol, Windy Weather Bindery has been the provider for all of my hot stamping needs. Thanks Wendy!

Custom Boxes for Piper Photography

2009-08-17T06:00:00.007-04:00

This is round one for a series of custom boxes I have started for Piper Photography. I will be making an assortment of sizes in this pretty blue and a poppy orange that accommodate 5x7s, 8x10s, and photo discs.

Piper Photography is owned by Lauren Ustad, who happens to be a college friend of mine! She takes amazing portraits of children, expectant mothers, and some of my favorites are her photos of pets and pups. If you happen to live in Alabama, get in touch with her, and you might just be one of the next recipients of these custom boxes! Lauren will be adding her own finishing touches to the boxes, which will make them a complete Piper package!

Custom Order from Start to Finish

2009-08-10T06:00:00.008-04:00

Last week I had a request for some custom book earrings with an earth tone color palette. I sorted through my papers to find a variety of appropriate colors, took photos, and sent the above image to my new client. I really love the patchwork of all of the swatches. Number 8 in the center, a rose patterned paper by Debra Glanz of Reminiscence Papers, was the favorite.

After I finished making the earrings, I made a sturdy four flap enclosure, or box, for them. Next, I wrapped the little square box with matching paper and also mounted it to the front of a gift tag. After the box was tied with ribbon, it was slipped into a bag with the gift tag and one of my business cards.

Last came protective padding and packaging made out of an inside-out macaroni box! So there you have it, a custom order from start to finish!

Bindery Assistant

2009-08-03T06:00:00.002-04:00

Hot Dog! It's a Virtual Barbecue!

2009-07-31T15:30:00.003-04:00

If you ask me, summer time calls for barbecues, and barbecues call for hot dogs! Last summer when my friend Amy and I were in Sweden, the obligatory summer hot dog was far from our minds, but never far from our hearts. Little did we know that there are all sorts of interesting hot dogs in Sweden! As luck would have it, whilst in Gamla Stan, we happened to find the best variation ever: French Hot Dogs! These were extremely long hot dogs that slid into the ketchup & mustard drizzled hollow of a piece of baguette. That's a shot of the clever & delicious dog over to the left.

I hope all of this hot dog talk has you hungry! On behalf of the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team, I'd like to invite you to our virtual BBQ! Now this is no ordinary barbecue, aside from the fact that it's a three day event, it is also a scavenger hunt! Head over to our team blog for the easy details on how you can be the lucky winner of the B.E.S.T. $30 gift certificate! While you're there, take a look at my recent Tools of the Trade post about awls.

Christmas in July Craft Show in Valrico

2009-07-27T09:00:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting some fine folks down in Valrico, Florida. Josh and I drove down to Horizon Christian Church early in the morning so I could set up shop for the day at their Christmas in July Craft Fair. It was a really neat church, and boy was it packed with vendors!

I found out about the event through my new friend, Michelle, of Bad Day Ben. She and I both belong to FEST, the Florida Etsy Street Team. It was so neat to connect with her in real life! She makes handy jotters that are bound with a ring and have her original illustrations for covers.

It was really enjoyable chatting with members of the community as they passed by my table. My very favorite passerby was a young girl who I would guess was in about fifth grade. From the get-go she had a nice smile and polite response to my, "Hello, how are you today?" She was wearing a sweet cotton dress with a little front pocket that held a tiny pink coin purse. As this was a Christmas in July event, this girl had a mission to buy something for everyone on her list! Although she was on this mission, and there were over forty vendors to visit, she took the time to pick up just about every item on my table and ask questions about them. She was really curious about how everything was made. When I told her about the paper, thread, board, glue, and time that went into each of my items, this little gal really listened!

I'm reading a book, Big Russ & Me by Tim Russert, that has me yearning for a yesteryear that I wasn't even around for. Days like Saturday complete with a welcoming community, social children, and handmade goods make it feel like that yesteryear is either still here, or it will come around again!

It was a great day that was made complete when Josh's Grandma and Nana drove up from Tampa to say hello. After I packed up my books & boxes, and Josh put his sketchbook away, they took us out for a lunch full of stories and laughter.

Through The Viewfinder: Kodak Duaflex

2009-07-20T10:00:00.011-04:00

Amidst a week of custom jobs, quotes for new projects, and building my inventory for this weekend's craft fair, I've been having fun playing assistant to my husband for his photography endeavors. Our friends Lisa and Sarah, designers and owners of Orange Blossom Ink, are in need of some photos for their website and promo materials, so they turned to Josh to get the job done. We scouted out a few locations this weekend, and yesterday was our photo session.

My self assigned job was to carry equipment and props, as well as to provide entertainment and pose our lovely models. I'm sure the photos will be featured soon enough on either Josh's or OBI's blog, so I just thought I'd share these images of a fun piece of equipment that Josh used.

Josh has quite a collection of older cameras and has been toying with the idea of trying Through the Viewfinder, or TTV photography. He did some research, and I'll leave the technical bits to him, but voilà! he made that contraption to fit over his Kodak Duaflex! I helped a little bit by making the portion on top so his digital camera rests safely and snugly on the box while the lens maintains the proper distance from the Duaflex screen. I used a ruler, bone folder, and an Olfa, which goes to show that I try to use my bookbinding skills as much as possible!

These photos, taken with my point and shoot camera, were from the mouth of the cereal box contraption. One with flash and one without, to show what it actually looks like inside, and give an example of the affect achieved through the Duaflex lens. Pretty neat, huh?

B.E.S.T. Contribution: Olfa Blades

2009-07-10T16:00:00.002-04:00

I've added my second "Tools of the Trade" post over on the Bookbinding Team blog. If you'd like to learn about a couple of my favorite knives, head on over and check it out!

Gift Envelope Tutorial

2009-07-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

A fun and simple way to dress up a small gift or sweet note, the envelopes above were featured in my last post. I made them in both a vertical & horizontal format with the sealing flap on either a short or long end of the envelope. The images below depict the making of the vertical variety.

Cut a strip of decorative paper that will be long enough to envelop your gift, and wide enough to include a strip of adhesive on either side. Make sure to leave enough overlap in the length to allow for adhesive on the flap, in my case a strip of thin double stick tape. Fold the paper as shown above.

Lay strips of double sided tape along the edges of the the fold opposite the flap. I prefer 3m #415. It comes in a variety of thicknesses, I find 1/4" to be very useful. One of great things about this tape is that it comes with a backing. This backing adds an extra thickness to the tape, against which a straight edge can be positioned, as in the image above. Cut a strip away as indicated by the gray dotted line. Do this on both sides.

Your paper should look like this. Fold the taped strips under and then form the envelope by peeling off the backing and folding the sides together.

Rounding the corners of the flap is a nice touch. Either trace around a coin and cut the corner off, or use a corner punch for a nice swift job! Add another strip of adhesive to the edge of the flap.

The final touch is to add a tag to the front of the envelope. Slip a hole puncher through the opening of the envelope and punch through both the tag and the decorative paper. Secure the tag to the envelope with thread or thin ribbon.

Miniature Book Pendants: Small Things, Great Love

2009-06-29T06:00:00.007-04:00

As the school year drew to a close, my mom, a kindergarten teacher, began to think about how she might show her appreciation for all of her wonderful classroom volunteers. I may have had a part in helping her think of her final plan! She teaches in a Catholic parish where she and my dad also attend mass (It is also the church where Josh and I were married). Mother Teresa's quote, as seen in the photo above, is one that the parish priest quotes from time to time, and one that my mom has taken to heart.

There was another solution for the men who volunteered, but for the ladies, I made these miniature book pendants to be used on a chain or charm bracelet. I printed the quote, "Do small things with great love," on vellum paper. Each book has a few extra vellum pages and colored endsheets to complement the pattern on its cover. I made a total of fifteen, twelve of which are pictured above. These books are the same size as the miniature book earrings I make, 3/4"x 1/2".

A gift isn't complete without some sort of packaging, so I made envelopes out of a sheet of decorative paper that goes with the school colors. The envelopes are just big enough to fit a business card and one of the pendants. I left them open when I sent them off to my mom, so she could decide who got which pattern and seal them herself. All she had to do was peel off the backing of the double stick tape that I had adhered to the envelope flap. Once sealed she wrote a tiny note or a to/from on the little tab of paper that I secured to the front side.

Talk about small and great! Aside from describing my mom very accurately, that also describes this photo of the two of us. It was taken a year ago with her stellar camera timer skills. We were having fun in the lovely and grand Worcester Train Station in Massachusetts.

B.E.S.T. Contribution: The Bonefolder

2009-06-25T06:05:00.002-04:00

Today is my first day as a contributing member to the Etsy Bookbinding Team blog.

Thursday is my day to post, and my plan is to document and chat about the tools of the bookbinding trade. I'm limiting the tools to those that I find in my own bindery. I've yet to do the count, but I think this will take me through quite a few Thursdays.

Luckily, I have a little helper who will help me choose what to post about, & more importantly what to play with.

Small Flatback Travel Journals

2009-06-22T06:00:00.006-04:00

Earlier this month I sent this set of eight small travel journals to my friend Stacy. She has a great group a friends, seven of whom recently traveled to New York with her to celebrate two of the friends' engagements. This isn't the first trip of this nature, they've had four previous engagement trips which led them to Las Vegas, New Orleans, Miami, and San Fransisco. After each of those trips the gals got together and made a scrapbook for the bride.

Planning ahead, Stacy wanted to give simple travel books to her friends so they could keep track of their itinerary and have a good place for safe keeping of souvenirs and memories.

The best way to include simple pockets was to use #6 envelopes that I had on hand. I cut the flaps off of the envelopes and cut the rest of the folios and end sheets to match that size. Each book includes two envelopes for a total of four pockets.

Paste was used to secure/align the sewn endsheets to the rest of the book block.

The books were lined with super and a matching paper lining. Endbands were made with the same bookcloth used on the covers.

Each book block was the same size, so I was able to make all of the covers in production fashion.

To keep costs low, I only used materials that I had on hand. The turquoise blue cloth is the prettiest I have in stock, and it was a good choice to pair with the pastel endsheets.

I was pleased to find a different decorative paper to complement each color pairing. Stacy was able to give a unique book to each of her friends. I hope they have fun when it comes to scrapbook time!

Folded Star Book Tutorial

2009-06-15T12:00:00.003-04:00

Pictured above are an assortment of folded star books. From left to right; pages made from colored construction paper & covers made from Chili's coasters, printer paper pages with covers using decorative paper and a turquoise bead embellishment, a typography journal made with printer and decorative papers, a gift from my friend Erin - made by Jen Swearington of Jenny Threads with ketchup artwork for the covers, and finally the little book featured in my last post.

The following is a tutorial for making these fun books. They can be made in any size, but if you use the dimensions that I provide, a basic printer paper can be used for the pages. Have fun, and please let me know if you have any questions!

Creating the Basic Structure
Using a sharp blade such as an Xacto or an Olfa utility knife, cut out two 4¼ x 4¼ inch squares from a piece of board (binders board, cereal box, any board will work). Be aware of what is underneath the board while you cut. If available use a cutting board or self healing mat. These two pieces will be your covers.

Making the Covers
Cover these two board pieces with paper or fabric. Use an adhesive appropriate to your cover material. Mix (PVA & Methyl Cellulose), Paste, Glue Stick, and HeatnBond are all acceptable. I like to brush Mix onto the paper and then place the paper onto the board. Use a bone folder to smooth cover material onto boards.

Adding Embellishments
You may add a decorative element to one of the boards to create a distinction between the front and back covers. Use contrasting paper, beads, or found objects to create this sense of a cover.

Folding Paper
Fold an 8½ x 8½ inch piece of paper three times. From one corner to the opposite corner create a diagonal fold. Flip the paper over and then continue from the left side to the right side creating a vertical fold, and from the top to the bottom creating a horizontal fold. A bone folder will help create crisp folds.

Creating the Book Block
Place your pages in front of you so that your diagonal fold is vertical. Next, flip every other piece onto the opposite side. Adhere the folded pages one to another in an alternating manner. A glue stick may be used for this, a thin even coat of adhesive is desired. When all of the pages are connected, this is called a book block.

This construction paper version is a good example of how the pages should be attached.

Completing Your Book
One at a time, adhere the front and back covers to the endpapers of the book block. Be careful to align the covers evenly. The book should be able to stand on its own when dry. A glue stick or the PVA and Methyl Cellulose mixture may be used for this.

After you finish your book, if you find that you need more pages, no problem! Just fold another page and glue it in -- as I did in my typography journal (above).