A custom, classic black-and-white wedding book

This wedding book won't let guests off the hook with merely a simple signature. Dreamed up by a friend of the bride, the book's pages ask for self-portrait doodles by guests and predictions for what the couple will be doing in 50 years.  Each guest gets an entire page to fill with their memories, advice, and well-wishes for the couple. 

The end result was a book that's both fun and classy.  And I can only imagine how entertaining it was for the Maryjane and Barry to flip through the book after their wedding and see all of the drawings and messages that guests left for them. 

In keeping with the couple's black-and-white wedding theme, I used a handmade paper printed with a black chrysanthemum pattern for the covers of the book. The pages were printed in black and shades of gray, and the design features an Art Deco-inspired typeface.  Throughout the book, there are a few pages with my coordinating handmade photo corners where Maryjane and Barry could add wedding pictures to complete the book. 

For couples that prefer something other than blank or lined pages for their wedding guest book, I can design and print custom pages to further personalize their keepsake.  I can include the lyrics to your favorite song along the bottoms of the pages, sprinkle quotes about love alongside floral illustrations, pose questions for your guests to answer, or anything else you can dream up.  You can view my portfolio of wedding books with printed pages to see examples and get ideas for your own book. 

So you might be wondering what types of questions to ask your guests. Here are a few examples from books that I've designed:

What is the key to a happy marriage?

Where will Maryjane and Barry be in 50 years?

What has been your favorite part of the wedding so far?

What is your favorite memory of Maryjane and Barry?

What is your advice for Maryjane and Barry?

What will Maryjane and Barry have first: a new pet, their own home, or a baby boy or girl?

When did you first know that Maryjane and Barry were in love?

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Learn to make a handbound wedding guest book

I'll be teaching a new class next month for creative brides (and grooms!) in Nashville.  In the three-day class, I'll show students how to make their own personalized, one-of-a-kind wedding guest book for their big day.  

I'm always dedicated to making unique books for my customers, but I'm especially excited about this class because I think a book made by the bride and groom themselves could result in something even more special.  

More details about the class are available below, and if you're ready to sign up visit The Skillery website. And if you're not getting married, it's not a problem. You’re still welcome to enroll to make a wedding book for a friend or a journal for yourself.  

Make Your Own Wedding Guest Book

If the details matter in your wedding, don’t forget the guest book. You’ll work with a professional bookbinder to create a meaningful and long-lasting keepsake to hold messages written by friends and family on your special day. 

You’ll use high-quality materials (all provided) while working over three days to go from concept to completion — with numerous opportunities to include your personal touch and wedding colors. Your invitations, engagement photos, and other mementos could even be bound right into the book. 

The class begins with a brainstorming session to introduce the world of handmade books. We’ll talk about the possibilities for your guest book while handling a collection of professionally made examples so that students can choose between two traditional binding techniques. Everyone will have about a week to gather or buy special materials (if desired) before completing the bindings in the final two classes. 

You’ll leave this class with a completed and customized book, as well as the techniques to make handcrafted books in the future — journals, sketchbooks, photo albums, or even another wedding guest book for a friend. 

Dates: 

Tuesday, May 8, 2012, 7 - 9 p.m.

Saturday, May 19, 2012, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 20, 2012, 1 - 4 p.m.

Cost:

$160 (includes $20 materials fee)

If you'd like to bring your spouse-to-be to the workshop so you can make your wedding guest book together, they can attend the workshop for a discounted ticket price when you purchase your ticket here. Spouse-to-be tickets are $40, and can be purchased at the door.

Location:

Brick Factory Nashville

Cummins Station, 209 10th Ave South, Suite 126

Nashville, TN 37203

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A colorful bouquet of birthday books

I recently received an interesting request from a customer that resulted in a trip to Franklin, TN with a collection of colorful books.  The customer from Georgia came across my website while searching for bookbinders in the Nashville area.  Her dear friend's birthday was approaching and she wanted to surprise her with a special delivery of little handmade books.  

We selected a cheerful assortment of little books that I bundled together with a bright orange bow and placed in a gift bag with a sweet handwritten note. Then I set off for historic downtown Franklin (just south of Nashville and home to lots of famous musicians and celebrities). The birthday girl was thrilled with her surprise delivery of miniature books, and she invited me into her beautiful home so I could tell her all about the different handmade creations. 

The birthday "bouquet" of books included four single-signature pamphlet books, one double-signature pamphlet, one softcover book sewn with the Japanese stab binding, an Italian longstitch journal with a red suede cover, a grey-and-orange hot air balloon book sewn onto cords, and a hardcover Coptic book with a Japanese waves paper used for the covers. I had such fun putting together this set of books, and it was a great excuse to make a trip to Franklin too. What a clever idea for a birthday gift!

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Sharing bookbinding photos on Instagram

For the past few months, I've been using Instagram to capture sneak peeks into my studio, custom handmade books, sites around Nashville and beyond, and a few pictures of my bullmastiff and her infamous tongue.  I've included a few of my favorite photos in this post, as well as a slideshow where you can see some of my most recent pictures.

I've also been using Instagram to connect with other bookbinders and artists, and searching for inspiring photos by using some book-related tags: #bookarts #bookbinding #bookbinder #handmadebook.  

Here are a few bookbinders and paper artists I follow on Instagram that are worth checking out:

boundbyhand, press_and_bind, jazziees, leilalk, hss_pdx, jackelina00, aduhlene.  Oh, and be sure to check out this Instagram photo of a handbound book filled with Instagram photos.

If you're on Instagram too, please feel free to follow me.  My username is linenlaidfelt.  And please comment on this post to let me know what your usernames are, or if you have any suggestions for any artists, bookbinders, Etsy sellers, or other creative folks I should be following. 

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