Back in the Bindery!
Old Meets New in our New Year
This book has been re-backed in leather with the old spine remounted. The top panel had been lost so we tooled it to match.
Happy New Year everyone! We were hard at it up until Christmas, and January certainly isn't breaking us in gently after the festive season!
After a couple of days to catch up with, and finish off a couple of smaller jobs we spent yesterday cleaning the workshop from top to bottom. Decluttering and tidying in preparation for an exciting year!
Having already been awarded a prestigious tender from a huge library in London towards the end of last year, we are preparing to apply for another! These large contracts are really important for us, not only to keep us all in a job, but for to prove how great our little bindery is! We are a small operation, but we take pride in taking the same care over each book in a big order as we do with those brought to us by individual customers who come to our door every day. The quality of every single book has to reach our high standards!
Our next tender application relies on us expanding our more specialised repair and conservation skills. As more and more binding of new books is being done on such a massive scale, mainly by machines, bookbinding by hand is becoming a dying art - especially book repair. Every book brought to us for restoration is different which makes our job more difficult, but also much more interesting!
We find a lot of people want us to rebind their favourite books, books they want to hand down to their children and some that have been passed down to them. Some folk find old books in charity shops and second hand bookshops and take a shine to them, love the smell of them. They are treasured for the pencil notes in the margins, inscriptions on the front page and beautiful illustrations - both the ones printed in the book and the ones your 3 year old scribbled when you left it out near the colouring pens. Books can hold incredible sentimental value for their owners, something a modern e-book could never manage.
If you have a book you'd like restored, just bring it in - we are always happy to chat about books! You could even have a go at fixing it yourself - under our expert supervision of course - on one of our Book Repair Classes.
We wish you a Merry Christmas!
Book Inspired DIY Christmas Decorations
Etsy - MaisyandAlice
We have been so so busy over the last few weeks it has felt like Christmas spirit has passed us by - but I can assure you we are feeling it now! Just a couple of big orders to finish and a few Christmas gifts waiting to be picked up by some of our lucky customers and we will be ready for our well deserved Christmas break!
So I thought I'd wish you all a great holiday with a few book inspired Christmas decorations to have a go making at home - a home made Christmas is one of the things I love best!
Gorgeous Garlands
This gorgeous garland caught my attention. It's a little different from the brightly coloured paper chains I used to make as a child but it is beautiful and the text definitely brings a much cosier quality to this string of hearts.
kaylaaimee.com
Literary Christmas trees
A wonderfully simple but effective idea! You can find a number of amazing examples of Christmas book art but these I reckon are definitely ones most folk could have a successful go at. They'd make quirky gifts or lovely centrepiece for your Christmas table!
You can find the tutorial to make these dinky book trees here.
Advent Stars
In my search for handmade Christmas decorations it is difficult to avoid the abundance of traditional Scandinavian ornaments. I thought I'd have a go at making a Swedish advent star using this tutorial. Usually made of straw, this version works brilliantly with pages from a discarded novel.
A little bit fiddly at first but surprisingly easy to make and understatedly pretty! It is perhaps a little to tasteful too sit alongside my neon pink tinsel but I am a huge fan of mix and match and at Christmas anything goes!
I do hope everyone has a wonderful time over the festive period - eat, drink and be merry!
We look forward to seeing you in the new year!
Time to Rethink that New Diary?
Get Flexible with a Bullet Journal
I used to get really excited at this time of year. Not only because Christmas is coming at us quicker than I realise but because it's time to start searching for my diary for the new year!
Always after that perfect layout and the right features - and of course a sleek, chic new design with that perfect mordern typeface. But now the hunt is no longer on - several months ago I discovered "Bullet Journalling"...
This ultra simple process was created by New York based, Digital Product Designer, Ryder Carroll. It is a completely adaptable system of note-taking and task planning, alongside appointments, meetings, calendar events - and whatever else you need to keep track of! Check out bulletjournal.com for more information on how it all started.
““The Bullet Journal is a customizable and forgiving organization system. It can be your to-do list, sketchbook, notebook, and diary, but most likely, it will be all of the above. It will teach you to do more with less.” ~ Ryder Carrol”
@feebujo - Frederica Santaroni, Photographer, Italy
I love it becuase, unlike a traditional calendar or diary it is completely personal to you. I can chop and change the layout whenever it suits me. It can be as minimal or elaborate as you like. Some people draw and paint in theirs, others fill it with time trackers and task managers, or you can have both mixed together!
@feebujo - Frederica Santaroni, Photographer, Italy
@tinyrayofsunshine - Kim Alvarez, Blogger
@honeyrozes - Ursala Rose, Graphic Designer
So you don't need that fancy diary after all! A simple notebook is all you need to get started and we can absolutely provide you with that!
We specialise in bespoke books and can make to whatever size and specification you desire. Or of course we can peronalise a notebook you already have with our foil stamping service!
If you need a new notebook to keep track of everything going on in your life - or you know someone else who could do with getting a bit more organised then contact us for more information on our bespoke design service. And keep an eye on our online shop as we will be adding great gift ideas very soon!
Click on the images in the article to check out these brilliant Bullet Journallers on Instagram for more inspiration.