Handmade treats for Valentine's Day

My husband showered me with handmade delights this Valentine's Day. First, I got a box full of cranberry-orange gumdrops, made by fahrenheitgoods on Etsy.  They are soft and delicious (I had to hide them from myself so I wouldn't eat them all this evening!), and the box was wrapped in a beautiful paper too.  I'm sure that paper will make its way into a handbound book in some way or another.

He also got me a beautiful pair of copper enamel earrings from tekaandzoe, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  (You might remember that I've been lusting over them for months...)  I already planning my outfit for work tomorrow so I can wear my new earrings. 

 

And last but not least, Tony picked out some handmade perfume for me from Sweet Anthem.  I've been obsessed with the "Anita" scent for the past month, after ordering a perfume sampler with a gift card my friend Chase gave me for Christmas.  All of the fragrances I tried were quite nice, but that particular one really stood out to me.  "Anita" smells just like a peppermint mocha, my all-time favorite coffee drink.  And as my sample of that scent was starting to run low, I'm excited to now have a full-sized bottle of it.  

Tony and I will be staying in this evening, cooking dinner together, and watching a movie.  On the menu: homemade chicken curry, chocolate souffle, and a bottle of wine we've been saving since our honeymoon.  It should be the perfect evening.

I hope you've all had a very happy Valentine's Day!

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Sneak peek from the studio

This book likely hasn't arrived at it's new home yet, so I don't want to share photos of the completed book now and ruin the excitement. But I couldn't resist sharing a few photos taken in my studio while working on this custom baby book.



All of the pages were designed by me, and include spaces to record special memories and envelopes to preserve keepsakes. I even created handmade photo corners using the same paper used for the cover, so the parents-to-be can fill the pages of the book with photos once their little girl arrives.

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New Coptic-bound journal sizes

If you've been checking out my Etsy shop and facebook page lately, you might have noticed that I've introduced some new sizes into my product line. Throughout most of 2010, my sizes consisted of the large square, the medium vertical, and the mini. I've since started making my Coptic journals (which are also perfect for wedding guest books or sketchbooks) in three new sizes.

Sometimes it can be a little tricky to pick out the right size when shopping online, so I wanted to take a few photos showing all of my sizes that you can use for comparison. Hopefully this helps, and if I can answer any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. The dimensions of my journals are listed below.

Sizes of Coptic bound journals:

Large Square --- 8" x 8"
Large --- 6" x 9"
Medium --- 5" x 6.5"
Medium Horizontal --- 6.5" x 5"
Small --- 3" x 4.5"
Mini --- 2.5" x 3.5"



Which size do you like best? How would you use one of my handbound journals in your favorite size?

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Orange and blue guest book

This Coptic-bound guest book is another custom book that was given as a Christmas gift.  I can't tell you how exciting it was for me on Christmas Day to know that people all around the country -- some that I know, but mostly people I've never met -- were receiving books that I made with my own two hands.  I put so much care into each and every book that I make, and I hope this makes receiving one of my books so much more special than a mass-produced item.

When Beth contacted me through my Etsy shop, she was drawn to a similar book I had made using this orange spirograph paper for the covers.  (It's one of my favorite papers as well!)  She wanted me to create a custom guest book for some friends but was curious if I could make a horizontal book and if I could print lines on the pages. 

Up until this point, all of the books in my collection had either been vertical or square, and they all had blank pages.  But I ended up loving the way that this book came out and I've made several books in a similar format since then.  I'm please to announce that I will be adding this type of book to my repertoire, and the first book in my new collection has been added to my shop.  Click here to see my new lined, horizontal journal in red.   

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Mission accomplished

If you remember back to my first post of 2011, I made a New Years resolution to make at least 20 books per month. Knowing how busy I've been lately, I was a little worried that this goal might be too lofty and that I wouldn't have enough time to make all the books I'd planned to. But somehow I managed not only to reach, but to surpass this goal.

During the month of January I made the 32 books pictured here, in addition to two custom books which I will feature on my blog soon. I made 13 Coptic-bound journals (which also work well for wedding guest books and sketchbooks), five Italian Long-stitch books, and a slew of pamphlets, softcover concertina notebooks, and hardcover sculptural concertina books.

About half of these books are bound for a few local shops that sell my work, and the others will be listed in my Etsy shop over the next week.



I'm already looking forward to the books I plan to make in February. I'll be focusing on making more Italian long-stitch books with suede, leather, and cardstock covers. I'll also be making some new photo albums, which sold out during the holidays.

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