A big birthday sale in my Etsy shop

For the first time ever, I'm hosting a sale in my Etsy shop. In celebration of my birthday this month, I've put more than a dozen books on sale. 

Throughout August, you'll save up to $20 per book on my high-quality hardcover Coptic bound books and a few other styles. Take a look at the sale section, and pick out your new favorite journal.

This sale will help me make room in my studio for some of the new designs I've been working on. You can see some of those books in my shop now, and I'll be adding more throughout the month (like 

new leather Instagram photo albums, hardcover books with my original screenprinted patterns, and softcover notebooks) so check back often. 

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A global wedding captured in a map book

A couple living in Australia. The bride from the U.K. And a wedding in Bali, Indonesia. If ever there was a wedding guest book fit for a map design, this was the one.

For this international destination wedding, I ultimately decided to use a map print paper from Paper Source for their book. It has a vintage map feel that Laura liked. And I made sure to include all of this couple's important places across the covers.

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Book arts class for repurposing vintage book covers

This bookmaking class was a long time coming.

For years now, my husband and I have been collecting quirky vintage books, both to display in our home and with the inkling that they would spur creative repurposing in my bookbinding. But for the most part, I was doing more collecting than repurposing, whether it was radio operator manuals, Gregg shorthand books, 95 Russian Authors, or A Treasury of Cat Stories, to name a few.

In February, I found out I wasn't alone in my affinity for old books when I hosted a sold out class through The Skillery to teach the Coptic binding, using salvaged books to serve as the front and back covers.

I brought a couple dozen books from my own collection, which has grown slowly, usually just one book at a time, by shopping at antique stores and estate sales, and at one of my favorite stores ever: Book Thing of Baltimore, where all of the books are free! Really, they are. But there is a rule at Book Thing: each visitor is only allowed to take out 150,000 books per day. If you still don't believe that they're free, you're not alone: the Book Thing FAQ suggets many are skeptical.

I also encouraged my students to bring their own books. Many did. Among my favorites were a variety of colorfully illustrated children's stories and a little book about the Tennessee Capitol building.

We met at Dandelion Salon, where I have hosted classes before. I taught the students how to carefully remove pages and spines and then walked them through a complete Coptic binding lesson. The journals we created have new blank pages on the inside, between two vintage covers.

While we stayed busy, local photographer Kate Cauthen also stopped by to capture the class in action to bring attention to The Skillery, which I've written about often. The Skillery helps coordinate classes throughout Nashville. Kate was kind enough to share her photos.

Leading up to the class, and since then, I've continued to work with my vintage book collection, completing a few projects that will soon be shown at the Porter Flea art show.

I think we're still taking on more books than I'm upcycling into new blank journals. But having a few more books around has never seemed like much of a problem to me.

Photos by Kate Cauthen.

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Collage books with Lokta papers, now on Etsy

I am constantly surrounded by beautiful, handmade papers. It's one of the perks of bookbinding. But sometimes, I've found that it takes a bit of a shakeup to see them in a new way.

My husband was working late one night, and as I rooted around in my paper scrap bin, I noticed an intriguing pairing of bright Lokta papers. These are among my favorite papers. They come in many gorgeous colors, have great texture, and are easy to work with. They respond well to glue and don't crinkle. Plus, they're sustainably made.

That night, I had a spur-of-the-moment urge to collage with these bits of paper. (Ironically, my husband often harps on me about all the scraps that I save, and it was only when he was away that I decided to put them to use.)

I began a free-form binding project without my usual careful planning. I focused on color matching.

 

The first collage covers I made were striped. For the second, I assembled the papers in a patchwork. For this second book, I also rubbed away at pieces of the paper, distressing portions and allowing the color layers to blend. I also preserved the deckled edges of the pages and composed with those in mind.

The books I came up with — a sister set — are now in my Etsy shop. I hope you'll take a look, and show them to friends. They'd be good journals or sketchbooks or a fun guest book for a summer wedding.

:: Striped collage book
:: Patchwork collage journal

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The Skillery hosts weekend conference to inspire creative entrepreneurs in Nashville

It's an exciting time to be an entrepreneur in Nashville, and an event coming up in a few weeks will celebrate all that we've got going on here, as well as helping artists like me to push forward in the new year. I'll be attending the Nashville Creativity Summit, hosted by The Skillery, which includes one day of workshops to empower the creative community, and a second day for those creators to share their skills through hands-on classes across the city.

The lineup of speakers on Saturday is impressive (and includes some friends!) and on Sunday I'll be leading a (sold out) bookbinding workshop in which we'll be making handbound journals with upcycled vintage book covers. There will also be classes about letterpress, green business practices, freelance writing, and more.

In advance of the event, The Skillery interviewed me for a write-up on the company blog, which really got me thinking more about how far I've come as an entrepreneur. Here's a little bit of what I had to say:

"... If someone would have told me in college that I'd own my own business one day, I would not have believed them. The whole process just came about so organically. It began with a dream of having a more fulfilling, creative career. I quickly found myself spending hours poring over business blogs, and loving it. I actually enjoy branding, marketing, self-promotion, and product development ... "

You can read the full interview here.

This isn't the only time I've been on The Skillery blog lately. I was excited to read a first-hand account of the bookbinding passion that one of my classes inspired. Right before Christmas, I taught a class on binding miniature book ornaments. My student wrote:

"That class, quite unexpectedly, launched a new passion in me. I spent the next few days making books that were slightly less mini, based on Gonzalez's tutelage. Then I set out to learn other binding methods ..."

Find the full story here.

I feel like The Skillery has come a long way since launching in November 2011 — and so has my business since I came to Nashville. In some ways, these go hand-in-hand. I actually taught the first class that The Skillery ever hosted, and I've happily sold out four more classes since then.

So I'm looking forward to the Nashville Creativity Summit on Feb. 9 and 10. If you're here in town, consider signing up.

What: Nashville Creativity Summit presented by The Skillery

When: Saturday, Feb. 9 and Sunday, Feb. 10

Where: The Emma Bistro, 9 Lea Ave, Nashville, TN 37210; and locations throughout Nashville

Admission: Conference registration $180; workshops priced individually

Information: creativitysummit.theskillery.com

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Spring bookbinding classes at Watkins College

Community education classes are starting back up at Watkins College of Art, Design & Film in just a couple of weeks.  In addition to my Introduction to Graphic Design and Typography class (which is already full), I'm teaching two different book arts classes this spring that still have some open spots. 

The first one is a nine-week intro to book arts course, which will cover the basics of bookmaking, plus lots and lots of different handmade book structures.  You'll learn how to make single sheet books, hardcover and softcover pamphlets, multiple variations of accordion books, flag books, star books, photo albums, four different types of books sewn with the Japanese stab binding, an Italian longstitch journal, and more. This class starts in less than two weeks, so be sure to sign up soon!

The second class I'll be teaching is a weekend workshop devoted to the Coptic binding.  In just two days, you'll make your own hardcover journal with an exposed spine binding.  This workshop isn't until March, so you have a bit more time to sign up.  

No previous bookbinding experience is required for either class.  To register, please call the Watkins Community Education office at (615) 383-4848 or register online.  And the view the complete spring course catalog — for classes like clamshell boxmaking, darkroom photography, printmaking, and stop-motion animation — click here. 

Fold, tear, glue, and stitch:

An introduction to book arts

When: Tuesdays, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m.; February 5 – April 2 (9 weeks) 

Where: Watkins College, 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville

Cost: $205, plus $40 materials fee 

Description: Learn the basics of bookmaking and more than a dozen binding styles as you become familiar with the materials, tools, techniques, and vocabulary of handmade books. The course will begin with simple folded structures and build toward intricate and exciting books that can be used as journals, sketchbooks, photo albums, and sculptural displays. Instruction will cover essentials of paper grain, folded signatures, hardcover and softcover books, and binding by hand. The class will also include the opportunity to view and handle a collection of professionally made examples. You’ll leave with an assortment of your own handbound books, and the skills and resources to continue binding at home. All tools and supplies included in materials fee.

Binding handmade journals

When: Saturday, March 2, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 3, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. 

Where: Watkins College, 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville

Cost: $90, plus $20 materials fee 

Description: Learn to bind your own unique and functional book, perfect for journaling or sketching. This two-day workshop will teach the Coptic binding style, which features hard covers, exposed stitching on the spine, and pages that lay completely fl at when open. The Coptic stitch, developed by early Christians in Egypt, remains one of the most popular bookbinding styles. All tools and supplies included in materials fee.

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A wedding album to hold Polaroid photos of guests

Picture this: a little table at your wedding that holds a Polaroid camera and your guest book. Your best friends and family members snag the camera, take awesome photos, and immediately mount them into the book and write messages to mark the day.

This particular book was made just for that purpose.  I've found that more and more brides are opting for something a besides a traditional book with lined pages in which guests merely sign their names.  Rather, a book with more space for guests to leave messages and plenty of room for photos leads to a more meaningful keepsake, and one that's more likely to be treasured and enjoyed long after the festivities are over. 

Another exciting thing to note about this book is that it was just featured in Nashville Lifestyles Weddings magazine among their round-up of "lovely local details."  The most recent issue is on newsstands now, so if you're in the Nashville area pick up a copy and check out all of the local talent in our city. 

Aside from binding books and scoring magazine features (this is my second one of the year; check out the first one here), I've been busy applying to art shows, planning new classes, and filling my Etsy shop to the brim.  

Be sure to take a peek at my latest e-newsletter to find out about all the exciting events I have coming up this fall.  (You can sign up for my mailing list to ensure that you'll never miss out on my beautiful, informative e-mails packed with gorgeous photos.)  My busy season is starting off with the Handmade & Bound book arts festival this weekend. I hope to see you there!

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A sweet gray and yellow baby book

If you've been looking around lately (hint, hint, on Pinterest) you're probably familiar with "grellow." That's the chic gray and yellow combination that's as popular in home decor as in fashion. This book takes that scheme and glams it up with silver accents in one of my favorite handmade papers.

This baby book was made for a little girl named Zoe, and in my opinion, she has one of the prettiest baby books around.  The paper used for the covers was made in India from natural plant materials, and was printed with a yellow floral pattern.  Depending on the way the light hits the book, the silver outline around the flowers shimmers.  The hinged spine edge of the book is covered with a grey linen bookcloth that I made myself, and the book is sewn together with a sunshine yellow ribbon using the Japanese stab binding. 

I designed the pages of the book to coordinate with the yellow and gray color scheme, and handmade photo corners are attached to each photo spot so pictures can easily be added to the book.  There are pages for Zoe's parents to record all of the important details, starting with pregnancy memories and baby showers, and spanning through the delivery, her baptism, important milestones, and holidays. There are also pages for a family tree, for handprints and footprints, and for Zoe to write a message to the future on her fifth birthday. 

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Fall bookbinding classes at Watkins College

I'm already a few weeks in to the Introduction to Graphic Design and Typography class that I'm teaching at Watkins College of Art, Design, and Film this fall, but there's still plenty of time to sign up for the two exciting book arts workshops that I have scheduled for next month.  

Whether you're interested in spending a day learning to bind a book with a leather cover, or a few days creating handmade photo albums, I'd love to have you join me for one (or both!) of these workshops.  The classes are open to anyone in the Nashville community.  To register just call the college's community education office at 615-277-7455 or sign up online. Check out the Watkins fall course catalog to read more about the other creative classes happening this season. 

Traditional leather bookbinding 

with a contemporary twist 

When: Saturday, October 13; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Where: Watkins College, 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville 

Cost: $45, plus $20 materials fee

Description: Learn to bind a soft-cover leather book that can be used as a journal, a sketchbook, or a photo album. Using the Italian Longstitch style, a historical binding that dates to 14th Century Europe, each student will create a book with a leather cover that features exposed, decorative stitching on its spine and pages that lay completely flat when open. Students will use leather for the book cover and have the option to include interesting contemporary papers inside. No previous bookbinding experience is required, and all materials and tools will be provided.

Binding handmade photo albums

When: Saturday, October 27 – Saturday, November 17 (4 weeks); 

1 - 5 p.m.

Where: Watkins College, 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville 

Cost: $125, plus $35 materials fee

Description: Learn to make several styles of handbound photo albums to preserve and proudly display your favorite photographs. These books will be more unique and meaningful than a typical store-bought album and will give you a reason to finally print those photos that have been collecting digital dust on your computer. Using archival materials, this class will cover three hardcover binding styles: the accordion, the Coptic, and the Japanese stab binding. You’ll learn the basics of bookbinding while creating beautiful, functional books. No previous bookbinding experience is required, and all materials and tools will be provided.

Click the image above to view the full Watkins course catalog as a pdf.

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Handcrafted photography meets handbound books

This summer I was treated to a truly special photo shoot with Mary Clark of psalm27creative behind the lens. When Mary Clark and I first met, we were both newcomers to Nashville working on building our  own creative businesses.  She is a photographer with a passion for creating handcrafted keepsakes for displaying photos, which of course resonates with my own personal mission as an artist. 

I was so excited when we decided to collaborate and share our creative talents. After seeing Mary Clark's portfolio of images that she's taken of other creative businesses, I asked her if she would take some photographs of me and my books that I could use to promote linenlaid&felt.  In exchange, I create a one-of-a-kind handbound psalm27creative photo album for Mary Clark to display her work.  (Click here to see a sneak peek of the logo that Mary Clark stitched onto the cover of her book to personalize the cover!)

On the day of the photo shoot, we got started early to take advantage of the beautiful morning light and to attempt to stay cool on a day when the temperature surpassed 100 degrees in Nashville.  We began with some pictures of me and my handcrafted books in Shelby Park in East Nashville.  Then we headed to the pedestrian bridge to take some photos with a more urban feel, featuring the Nashville skyline in the background.

After our outdoor photos, we retreated to my studio to beat the heat and to capture the location where  my creativity flourishes.  She photographed all of the little details in my studio: rolls of decorative paper, my inspirational tack boards, spools of colorful waxed linen thread, and my collection of bookbinding tools. She also documented the process of me creating a custom wedding guest book, binding each set of pages one by one.  

You may have seen some of these new photos starting to appear on my facebook page, in my online shop, and in the new About page on Etsy.  To see even more, be sure to visit the psalm27creative blog at the links below:

View photos from the first part of the linenlaid&felt photo shoot here.

View photos from the linenlaid&felt studio here.

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Ethiopian binding workshop caps off busy summer

It's been a busy summer of bookbinding, both in the studio and in the classroom. Nearly every day this summer I taught some type of class or workshop, and then I capped off my August by taking an inspiring class for myself.

Taught by Jennifer Knowles-McQuistion of Brown Dog Bindery, the class helped me create something that wouldn't normally come out of my studio. The wooden book seen here features an Ethiopian binding, which is sewn with four needles at once. After I completed the binding, decorative woven headbands were sewn at the top and bottom of the spine.

The covers were made from reclaimed wood shelves from an old department store that used to be in downtown Nashville on the site of the current Nashville Public Library. I carved, sanded, painted, waxed, and drilled the wooden boards to make the covers. All told, the book took more than 16 hours to make. And I still have a wooden peg and buffalo leather strap to add as a closure.

As for classes I've taught, my students have included middle schoolers, college-bound teens, and adults, and I've taught all sorts of projects and topics. There are almost too many classes to mention them all. They ranged from two-day Coptic binding workshops to a collaborative class in which young students made their own collagraph prints and then bound them into books.

In July, I worked with a group of six highly motivated high school students through the Watkins Pre-College Program. This was a special opportunity, and one in which I actually wasn't teaching bookbinding. Instead, I tapped into my college training and former career to teach graphic design. The students were able to get a taste of what it would be like to major in graphic design while completing assignments on deadline and preparing their very own gallery exhibition. And for their hard work over three weeks, each student earned college credit.

Also this summer, my partnership with Thistle Farms has blossomed. I've taught bookbinding classes for this non-profit group, helped them develop a paper goods product line, and encouraged them to sell their goods at the city's upcoming book arts festival. I'm very excited about the Thistle Farms collaboration, so I'm sure I'll dedicate a whole blog post to it soon.

I'm still looking forward to teaching more classes in every month through the end of the year. But it has also been nice to get back into the studio — and back to a bit of book arts blogging.

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Summer book arts workshops in Nashville

I've often found that people who like book arts fall into one of two groups. They either like functional books, perhaps to be used as travel journals or sketchbooks. Or they like sculptural forms made from clever found objects, and interesting book-like structures created as artistic displays. This summer, I'll teach workshops for both. 

Through Watkins College of Art, Design & Film, I'll be teaching a two-day workshop where we'll make a large hardcover journal with the Coptic binding, as well as a several smaller functional books with a variety of binding styles.  And I'll also be teaching a one-day workshop on flag books made with a interesting materials like maps, postage stamps, vintage photographs, and game boards.  

If you're interested in learning to make books but don't know which type you'd enjoy the most, these two workshops would be a perfect introduction to the world of book arts.  Since the workshops are just one or two days long, you'll be able try something new without committing to an in-depth, multi-week course.  

These classes are open to anyone in the Nashville community, and to register just call the college's community education office at 615-277-7455.  Be sure to sign up at least two weeks in advance.  To see the other creative classes available, check out the Watkins summer course catalog. 

Bind your own handmade journal

When: Saturday, July 14; 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

and Sunday, July 15; 1 – 4 p.m.

Where: Watkins College, 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville

Cost: $65, plus $20 materials fee

Description: Learn to bind your own unique and functional book, perfect for journaling or sketching. This two-day workshop will teach the Coptic binding style, which features hard covers, exposed stitching on the spine and pages that lay completely fl at when open. The Coptic stitch, developed by early Christians in Egypt, remains one of the most popular bookbinding styles. All materials and tools will be provided.

Sculptural bookbinding

When: Saturday, June 9, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Where: Watkins College, 2298 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville
Cost: $50, plus $15 materials fee

Description: Maps, postcards, ticket stubs, letters and vintage photographs become works of art in this sculptural bookmaking class. We’ll make hardcover flag books, which look simple when closed, but open to reveal surprising interlocking folds and pages. Bring your own paper keepsakes to feature inside. All other materials and tools will be provided.

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A coral, orange, and gold wedding guest book

I finished making this wedding guest book yesterday for some friends of mine in Nashville who are tying the knot next month.  To personalize their book, I included a portion of Anna and Troy's lovely wedding invitations in an embossed cutout in the front cover.  

Their wedding colors are a vibrant mix of warm tones, so the bride-to-be selected a coral handmade lokta paper for the covers of the book and an orange lokta paper with shimmering gold brushstrokes for the guards, which are seen along the spine of the book.  And for a playful surprise when you open the book, the endsheets are made from a paper with a bold orange and magenta flower print.  

Anna is an artist with exceptional taste, and it was fun working together to create this book.  While she was visiting my studio, I pulled out all of my decorative paper options that matched her color scheme and she immediately gravitated toward that papers shown here.  I love the way this book turned out, and I can't wait to see how all of the other details for her wedding come together.  

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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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