Karleigh Jae

One Very Large Portfolio

2011-12-23T23:13:00.003-07:00

This portfolio in black leather is about 17.5" x 26"

Last book on my forever long to-do list before shutting down shop for Christmas!

Grey Handmade Lokta Paper from Nepal was used for the inside of front and back covers, the pages are not yet added.

Screw Post Binding which lays flat when open, the pages are not yet added

Raised name in the leather which not only looks nice but you can't help but run your hands over it to feel it!

That's a 12" ruler sitting on top of that portfolio

Paul Scott Page is a photographer that commissioned this work. He creates beautiful images of seemingly ordinary things. This particular portfolio will hold images of large spaces which really call to be printed and viewed in this larger format.

To view Paul Scott Page's work you can visit his website at PaulScottPage.com

One of my favorite images is called "metro arteries"; see if you can find it!

10 Book Workshop in Provo

2011-12-17T19:42:00.000-07:00

Taught by Karleigh Jae Heywood and Daniel Heywood

To register and pay for the class please contact: KarleighJae@gmail.com

10 Book Workshop

Provo Art & Frame

201 W Center Street

Provo, UT

January 18th and 19th

9:30 am - 5:30 pm

(with a one hour break for lunch)

Each student has the opportunity to create and keep 10 different books. We will cover the basics of bookbinding for beginners, but students of all skill levels are welcome.

The ten book structures are:

Single Sheet Books
Chapbooks
Japanese Stab Bound Books
Flower Fold Books
Accordion with Pockets and Sewn Signatures
Hinged Ledger Book
Circle Accordion
Softcover Leather Longstitch
Hardcover Longstitch
Tapes Bound Book ( A Traditional Hardcover Book)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Each student needs to bring:
An x-acto knife (or scalpel) with extra blades
A Pencil
Scissors
A metal edged ruler
Bonefolder
Glue Brush (PVA glue will be provided)

All other materials and tools are provided.

The workshop fee is $150 which includes all materials for the ten books and also includes some bookbinding tools.

This class has a maximum of 15 students.

To register and pay for the class please email KarleighJae@gmail.com

Examples of 7 of the ten book structures are found below. Each student's will be unique as we use papers and materials from all over the world.

Chap Books, front view

Top view of an accordion book with sewn signatures

An accordion book with pockets and sewn signatures-
This photo is of one of my students from the 10 book class.

A flower fold book

A flower fold book full open, showing the front and back hard covers

A Japanese Stab Bound Binding

A Hardcover Longstitch

Leather Longstitch Books

Tapes Bound Book with leather spine and paper cover

Christmas Deliveries

2011-12-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

Last year's 4pm Delivery to the Post Office.

This year is about the same!

New Steampunk Journals

2011-11-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

We had a request for a couple of large 9 x 12 steampunk books and decided to do about 10 small books to give the client a few options of different antiques and styles. These are the first three of the ten books which are available in our Etsy Shop.

Book One

Book Two

Book Three

Custom Order for Christmas

2011-11-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

Custom orders for the holidays are already coming in.

This album was a custom order for a Christmas present last year by a wonderful return customer. She gave it to her mother-in-law who has a lot of Disneyland memorabilia.

Purple Leather was requested for the cover

A Disneyland E ticket was used for the inset on the front cover

Sewn onto cords for a traditional look.

The end papers front and back came from two different disneyland maps. These were really fun for me to look at as I've never been to Disneyland myself.

I'm excited to see what custom orders we'll be making for this year's Christmas.

Custom Order - Our Adventure Album

2011-11-05T01:00:00.000-06:00

This was a custom order request for an anniversary present. The letters and hinges are raised in the leather which is a rustic brown cowhide. I think I might make myself an adventure album someday too.

You can see more details on the album or order one for yourself by clicking HERE.

Rustic Albums, A Custom Order

2011-10-27T08:34:00.002-06:00

This custom order was for a woman who had found some rough characters in her family history. She gathered their information, stories and photos and we made these rustic albums for her.

We antiqued the leather by hand, spending hours stripping the original hide. We learned our lesson on that one. We'll always start with a hide that is either very easy to strip the sealant off or just use a hide that has not been sealed. We then hand colored the leather and stained it to make it look older and then sealed it with wax. The results were great. The hide went perfectly with the Rives BFK Cream paper that was used for the inside. We also printed out title pages for each person she was giving the book to.

A note from the gift giver:

"I just wanted to let you know how much everybody loved the albums. There were tears all round when they opened them and this with five of the six being 20-something year old boys. Of course my 92 year old aunt and 84 year old Mom loved getting to point out the relatives they remembered and tell the family stories. Everybody loved the leather and the way the paper and binding worked with the old photos. I had printed the pictures in sepia tones and the finished products really hang together nicely.

These albums are something very special and they would not have happened without your husband's and your creativity and skill. Thank you."

No making books today....

2011-10-26T08:55:00.001-06:00

Daniel has the flu. So the kids and I will spend the day cleaning the house and the studio. It's nice that Ethan likes to clean. This picture is from last year and he started cleaning the windows all by himself.

Oh the things kids say....

2011-10-25T08:51:00.000-06:00

"Mom, will you make me some cowboy boots?"

He's totally serious.

Jadon and his friend Caleb
Age 4

Custom Order - Printing on Handmade Paper

2011-10-24T08:55:00.001-06:00

This was for a wonderful return customer. She makes me smile with her praising comments on our albums. I love getting her emails.

She requested a yellow leather, raised hinge spine with handmade paper on the cover. After giving her a few options of handmade papers, she chose this gorgeous one that was handmade in Thailand and has plant inclusions.

She wanted the names "Leo & Ella" printed on the cover. But, this type of paper doesn't go through the printer well. So I suggested we inset the names. I originally had planned on printing the names on natural lokta and then insetting the lokta piece. When I pulled out the lokta next to this handmade paper, it didn't go well. The colors clashed a bit too much for my liking. So I daringly sent a piece of the inclusion paper through the printer. The parts on the paper where stems and leaves were raised led to black ink being smeared across it. However, the part where "Leo & Ella" was printed ended up being just fine as it was a bit smoother than the rest of the paper. So, I cut that part out and inserted the paper with names onto the rectangle I had carved out and inset it on the front cover.

I think it turned out beautifully and was very happy with this one.

Book Arts Supply Sale!

2011-10-19T09:11:00.000-06:00

Hollanders Internet Sale!

Hollanders.com has a yearly internet sale. It starts October 20th and goes to the 23rd. All items are 10% off and if you spend over $250 you get an extra 5% off.

Some items I like getting from Hollanders:

Decorative Paper

(especially love the Lokta and the Italian Papers)

(glue can't be shipped during the winter so now is the time to stock up!!)

They also sell bookbinding tools, bookboard and many other book art related items.

Raised and Inset Design Workshop at the Central Utah Art Center

2011-10-15T17:03:00.002-06:00

Workshop at the Central Utah Art Center

Raised and Inset Designs in Paper, Fabric and Leather

86 N Main Street Ephraim, UT

Saturday November 5th, 2011

11 - 2pm

Cost is $50 which includes materials for the book covers you will create. To register and pay for the class please email KarleighJae@gmail.com.

Students need to bring:

pencil
scissors
bonefolder
xacto knife or scalpel with extra blades
ruler with metal edge
glue brush

Each student will create 3 book covers while learning raised and inset design techniques. To register and pay for this class please email KarleighJae@gmail.com

Examples of raised and inset designs found below.

10 Book Workshop in November

2011-10-11T13:21:00.000-06:00

Taught by Karleigh Jae Heywood

contact: karleighjae@gmail.com

10 Book Workshop

at the Central Utah Art Center

86 N. Main, Ephraim, UT

November 11th and 12th

9am- 5pm

(with a one hour break for lunch)

Each student has the opportunity to create and keep 10 different books. We will cover the basics of bookbinding, but students of all skill levels are welcome.

The ten book structures are:

Single Sheet Books

Chapbooks

Japanese Stab Bound Books

Flower Fold Books

Accordion with Pockets and Sewn Signatures

Hinged Ledger Book

Circle Accordion

Softcover Leather Longstitch

Hardcover Longstitch

Tapes Bound Book ( A traditional Hardcover Book)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Each student needs to bring:

An xacto knife (or scalpel) with extra blades

A Pencil

Scissors

A metal edged ruler

Bonefolder

Glue Brush (PVA glue will be provided)

All other materials and tools are provided.

The workshop fee is $100 which includes all materials and some bookbinding tools.

This class has a maximum of 15 students.

To register and pay for the class please email KarleighJae@gmail.com

Examples of 7 of the ten book structures are found below. Each student's will be unique as we use papers and materials from all over the world.

Chap Books, front view

Top view of an accordion book with sewn signatures

An accordion book with pockets and sewn signatures-
This photo is of one of my students from the 10 book class.

A flower fold book

A flower fold book full open, showing the front and back hard covers

A Japanese Stab Bound Binding

A Hardcover Longstitch

Leather Longstitch Books

Tapes Bound Book with leather spine and paper cover

Workshop- Inset and Raised Designs

2011-10-03T08:57:00.002-06:00

Raised and Inset Designs Workshop

Taught by Karleigh Jae Heywood

Each student has the opportunity to create 3 book covers with Paper, Fabric and Leather. Each book cover will have an inset or raised design of their choosing. Raised and Inset designs on spines of books are also demonstrated and discussed.

Each student needs to bring:

An xacto knife (or scalpel) with extra blades (no utility knives)

A Pencil

Scissors

A metal edged ruler

Bonefolder

Glue Brush (PVA glue will be provided)

All other materials are provided.

This class has a maximum of 15 students.

Examples of Inset and Raised Designs are found below.

If you would like this workshop taught where you live please email me with your request. Cost depends on location and the percentage of funds used for rental or institution fees.

This class has been taught in Provo, UT at Provo Art & Frame May and September 2011 as well as at the Focus on Book Arts Conference in Forest Grove, Oregon June 2011 and at the Central Utah Art Center in December of 2011.

Book Arts Class at the Bountiful Davis Art Center

2011-08-29T10:46:00.000-06:00

10 Book Workshop

Bountiful Davis Art Center

745 South Main Street

Bountiful, UT 84010

Bookbinding course includes the following 10 books

Single Sheet Books

Chapbooks

Japanese Stab Bound Books

Flower Fold Books

Accordion with Pockets & Sewn Signatures

Hinged Hardcover

Circle Accordion

Softcover Leather Longstitch

Hardcover Longstitch

Tapes Bound Book (a traditional hardcover book)

All books you create in the class will be designed, created and kept by you! The cost of the class is $125 which includes all the materials for the class as well as some small bookbinding tools so you can continue to make books at home!

You'll need to bring:

A pencil

Scissors

X-acto Type Craft Knife with extra blades

Ruler with Metal Edge

Cutting mat or old magazine to cut on

To Register for this class contact the Bountiful Davis Art Center(BDAC) by clicking this link here: BDAC Contact Information

Leather Longstitch Books

A Custom Order

2011-08-24T14:17:00.001-06:00

This photo album was custom ordered by Sarah in Australia for an anniversary present to her husband. They've taken photos of him standing next to large landmarks (big pineapples and such) and this album is to hold those photos.

All the lettering and design was burned in by hand. Leather is a rustic hickory brown lambskin. You can click on the photos to see them larger.

Upcoming Class

2011-08-18T18:10:00.001-06:00

Raised and Inset Designs in Paper, Fabric and Leather

Provo Art & Frame

201 West Center in Provo, UT

Tuesday, September 6th

6-9pm

Sign up by emailing me at KarleighJae@gmail.com

We'll go over raised and inset designs in paper, fabric and leather and let you try it out yourself!

The cost is $35 and that includes all the materials for your sample pieces you'll create and keep. The sample pieces can be used as actual book covers.

This class was also taught at the Focus on Book Arts Conference in Forest Grove, Oregon this past June. You can see some photos from June's class by clicking here..

Below are a few examples of inset and raised designs.

Embossed hinges or raised spine book hinges in leather

raised design in paper on a tapes bound book

Disneyland E ticket inset into leather photo album cover

Raised circle on spine and cover of book, Inset 4 leaf clover

Raised hinges with fleur de lis

Letters of "Our Family" in French, English and Italian raised in leather on photo album cover

Detail of other side and the raised cords along the spine

Raised design in leather

Raised leather design

Raised cords and inset berries on front cover of leather photo album

Love birds raised in leather on photo album with simple raised hinges

Raised hinges and Inset four leaf clover design

Inset stamp on front cover and raised design along the spine and covers

Cordbound Bookbinding Workshop

2011-07-28T12:52:00.004-06:00

Cordbound Bookbinding Workshop
Length of class time: 6 hours

All materials and a few tools are provided for each student.

Each student will make a traditional quarter leather hardcover book with raised cords, Italian leather spine and paper cover (your choice of printed and handmade papers from around the world).

Tools students need to bring:

*Cutting mat, cutting board or magazine to cut on
*Bonefolder
*Metal Edge Ruler
*Scissors
*Xacto Type Craft Knife
*Pencil

For this class a rotary cutter and clear plastic ruler are helpful. I'll bring mine to share but if you happen to have these useful tools, please bring them.

The style we are learning is the traditional 1/4 leather rounded spine hardcover raised cord book. They date back to the 5th century and were introduced when Byzantium monks established their firstscriptorium, Byblos, in modern Lebanon. The Arabs were the ones to bring this style to life with all sorts of decorative work, gorgeous gold embossing and clasp closures. They still make the most wonderful cordbound books in the world.

Below are a few of the cordbound books that Daniel and I have created in the last year.

8" x 10" Full Leather Cordbound Book

6" x 6" CordBound in Butter Yellow Italian Leather

6" x 6" Purple Cordbound in Purple Italian Leather with 500 pages

Cordbound 12" x 12" Photo Album with Metal Name Plate Inset

Close up of 12 x 12 Cordbound Album with Raised Letters

Two 8" x 10" Photo Albums with Leather Spines and Grey Lokta Covers

8" x 10" Photo Album

1/4 Leather with Black Leather and Peacock Blue Lokta

Cordbound Books with Raised cords all over cover

Curved Cords on Spine instead of traditional straight cords

Two Classes on Tuesday Night in Provo, UT

2011-07-25T08:16:00.001-06:00

Tuesday July 26th, 2011

Starbooks from 5-6pm, class fee $10

Coptic Stitch Books from 6-9 pm, class fee is $25

Take both classes for only $30.

The Ethiopian coptic stitch dates back to the 4th century. It's a beautiful book with an exposed spine in which you can see the sewing of the pages. The coptic stitch book will open flat for maximum use of the pages. It works great for sketchbooks, photo albums and journals. It's also a nice book for recipes because you don't have to hold it open while cooking in the kitchen and it works great as a wedding guestbook too!

To sign up for the class, please email me at KarleighJae@gmail.com

Please bring the following tools:

Pencil
Cutting mat (or old magazine to cut on)
x-acto type craft knife or utility knife
Scissors
Metal Edge Ruler
Bonefolder (available at Provo Art & Frame, ask for a student discount for taking my class! They close at 5pm!)

Classes held at Provo Art & Frame at 201 West Center Street in Provo, Utah. The class is held in the studio above the store.

Teaching and Traveling

2011-07-01T08:53:00.002-06:00

I taught at the Focus on Book Arts Conference last week. So. Much. Fun.

Two of my room mates and fellow teachers gave me a total ab workout from laughing so much. Thank you Karen Hanmer and Peggy Johnston for the constant laughs and wonderful inspiration.

I taught a class on Raised and Inset Designs. The students created beautiful book covers. Here are a few snapshots of the class.

Ok, this isn't really from the class. It's just one of the samples I created for it. The gears were raised on the leather spine and the metal gears on the paper were to be placed in the inset on the book cover. The leather is being antiqued at this point.

Beautiful orange bookcloth with inset metal medallion.

The zebras were inset on the bottom and the raised design on top mimics the zebras stripes.

Action snapshot of the classroom.

I'll update again with more photos and telling tales from my trip.

#16: He teaches me to make books and floss teeth

2011-06-20T09:10:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a great father's day! I wrote this all down as Jadon (4 years old) said things that he liked about his dad. My intent was to try and get him to go to 10 but he kept on going so I kept on writing. If it's hard to read, you can click on the photo to make it larger.

Summer time!

2011-06-18T06:00:00.001-06:00

This photo is from last summer. Forever ago. Ethan didn't really like the pool so much last year and would only stay in a few minutes at a time. I think he'll change his mind about swimming this year (at least the swimmer in me hopes so). I'm so glad that the warm weather has finally come back!

Carving out Letters in Bookboard

2011-06-17T07:37:00.000-06:00

It takes forever.

This was a commission during the busy Christmas season. It was a portfolio for a writer in New York.

For those interested in the process, I drew the letters on in pencil, used my scalpel and xacto knife to carve out the letters and then I tooled in the leather to the letters when I covered the board. The letters are about 1" tall and the lines of the letters needed to be slightly bigger than the thickness of my bonefolder so I could push the leather down into them.

Selling Your Handmade Books: The Checklist

2011-06-16T06:00:00.001-06:00

Originally posted on the Bookbinding Team Blog: http://www.bookbindingteam.com/

We're adding to the checklist today. If you've been selling online already, you might still find that setting up some of these checklist items might be worth doing!

Once you have decided what your shop name will be, the products you will sell, and what level you'd like to work at, you are ready to get set up to sell!

There are four accounts that you need to set up for your small online business. Here are numbers 4-7 for the big checklist.

#4- Email: You may have a personal email that you've been using for years. If you are working at hobby level, this might be all you need to keep things together in one place. However, if you decide to go part time or full time with this business venture, I suggest getting a separate email account. This will help you keep the business separate from your personal emails. If you want to just keep your personal, I suggest setting up three folders in your personal account so you can keep all the Etsy info separate. The three folders I suggest starting with are: Etsy Invoices, Etsy information and Etsy emails. Etsy sends out emails everyday that you can opt into. One is Etsy Success, another is Etsy finds. If you want to learn a lot about the handmade business online, I suggest signing up for Etsy Success emails. Etsy Finds is an email sent out to buyers and puts Etsy's products out there to bring in potential buyers. It's way fun to look at these emails and way exciting to see one of your products in them! They have other subscriptions too that you can sign up for by clicking here.

#5- Bank Account: I set up a separate checking account for my business. It's just a separate free checking account through a local bank. This helps me keep the finances separate. If you're at hobby level and plan on staying there, you might be ok just using your personal account if you have one set up. However, it is super nice at tax time to have everything separate. If you have a debit/credit card associated with the new checking account, you can use that for all supply purchases and quickly see, on your monthly banking statement, how much money has gone into your various business expenses.

#6- PayPal Account: Etsy currently uses PayPal as their best option for purchasing items from Etsy. I know they would like to set up a monetary system with checkout right inside of Etsy and it's in the works, but it will be a very big move for Etsy, and therefore will take a lot of time in setting up. There are other options to use but most of Etsy users will opt for PayPal and it's best to accommodate your customers as much as possible in this way by setting up the payments to come through PayPal. So for now, you need to set up a PayPal account. There are three types of PayPal accounts: personal, premiere and business. For selling online, we only need the premiere account. Sign up by clicking here. You'll need to connect this account to your bank account; the sign in process takes you step-by-step through the process.

#7- Etsy Account: Your Etsy seller account is the final account to sign up with because you'll need the email, credit/debit from your bank account and your PayPal account to sign up for an Etsy seller account. These things can be changed later through Etsy in your account settings. It's always nice to just enter these things in once though. Some of my students had a hard time finding where to start their shop. There's a "Sell" button on the top of Etsy's pages, you can click on that and it takes you to the Seller's page. Once there you'll need to look on the right side of the page first for a blue sign up button and then a green Start Selling button. If you ever get stuck in this, click on the Sell button and look to the right side of the page.

Selling Your Handmade Books: The Checklist

2011-06-15T07:37:00.001-06:00

This post was originally posted on June 7th on the Bookbinding Team Blog at http://www.bookbindingteam.com/

I recently taught a local class on how to sell handmade items on Etsy.com. It was requested by many wonderful crafters in my area, so I left my bookbinding tools at home and went to work with this wonderful group. The goal of the class was to have them set up their business by the end of the six week class. I created a check list for starting and operating a small business. The checklist is basically a list of questions to ask your self, or things to do to set your business in a path for success. For the next several weeks, you'll receive some of the tips I shared in that class.

Check list numbers 1-3

1- What are you going to create to sell to others?

This encourages other questions such as, would you like to create one-of-a-kinds, one item in a variety of colors? Or would you like to create several types of things: books, jewelry, aprons, furniture? Write down what you want to make to sell, not just everything you can create. Be specific with colors, sizes, and the materials you want to use. Be original! Don't go on etsy and browse and say "I'll make what they're making." Find something that shows others a bit of you. Find your niche and create your own! For example: I know that when I see this book below, it comes from Renate of Kreativlink.etsy.com as she's know for her felt soft cover books in which she hand draws fun designs, one design being this famous

swirled tree.

And I know if I see one of these longstitch books below with a fabulous quote in the front, it's from Beverly of lapaperie.etsy.com as she's known for the quotes on the first page of her books.

Making books is great, but try and find your own style and niche.

2- What level do you want to work at?

Pick the level you want to open up shot at and the level you might consider moving up-to, or down-to some day. This is important as it sets your mind and goals in the right direction for your business. I wrote a post on this over a year ago which can be read by clicking here but the levels are listed below.

Hobby Level - You love making books and want to continue but materials can sometimes be pricey. At the hobby level, you really just want to make back enough money to cover costs and help pay for future materials for more books. All your money goes directly back into the books and your creative ventures.

Side Income Level - Since you're in need of a bit of extra income and you really don't want to sacrifice making books to get a second job, you've turned to selling your handmade books in hopes that you can do what you love and still contribute money to the monthly cash inflow.

Full Time Level - You love making books and want to make it your full time job. Part of your sales income will go back to materials for books, with most of the income going toward your spending budget to pay off bills and living costs.

3- Pick a shop name.

For most of you reading this post, you may already have a shop name. I encourage you to leave a comment about your shop name and why you picked it. If you had to choose again, would you pick the same name?

For those who don't have a shop name yet, this may be the hardest thing you have to do on the checklist. Here are some tips to picking a name: Keep it simple, keep it short and keep it relevant. When I started out a few years ago on Etsy, I wasn't sure what I wanted to sell. I thought I'd just add things here and there to my shop and see what took off. The first item we sold on there: two dozen cinnamon rolls.

Daniel made them. They look scrumptious don't they? We quickly learned that cinnamon rolls were NOT what we wanted to sell after trying to figure out the timing to ship and the packaging. Good thing I didn't call the shop "Cinnamon Sweets" which was on my list of potential shop names. I would be selling handmade journals and photo albums under that name!

I chose a shop name in which I could add anything I wanted to my shop: Karleigh Jae. However, my name is spelled in a complicated way. Yes, compliments to my mom for a pretty spelling but it's not the best for an online business. I have to spell my website out for anyone who asks and for my customers, they have the hard time of telling friends, when they get a compliment on their new journal, "I bought it off etsy, her name is Karleigh Jae but I forget how it's spelled." Word of mouth is the best advertising for anyone, so make sure your shop name is easy to pass around as not everyone will have a business card on hand!

Also remember to keep it simple. Apple. Gap. Kraft. Nike. These are brand names that kept it simple and they are therefor easy to remember. I had a student who wanted to use something like "Rose Maria's handmade treasured gifts". Think about your customers who want to come directly to your shop. They have to type that long name in! It's also easily forgettable. However, think Calvin Klein. Wouldn't it be weird if it were: "Calvin Klein's Fashionable Clothes and Accessories For Men"? Let's see them fit that on the clothing tag!

I suggested that she shorten her shop name to Rose Maria. I had all the students try and come up with they way they would spell that name and they all spelled it the same way, compared to my name of Karleigh Jae (everyone always starts it with "C" and let's not even discuss the "eigh" part). Ask friends for shop name ideas if you are having a hard time coming up with a name and remember to keep it simple, short and relevant.

One more note about my shop name. I picked my own name because it was just something I was trying out and I didn't know what I wanted to sell. Difficult spelling put aside, I still wouldn't have picked it. Currently, my etsy shop is working on the full time level and my husband, Daniel actually puts in more time with it than I do (he even made the first thing that sold, remember the cinnamon rolls?) But, the shop is still in my name. So, I wish I had picked a name which allowed everyone to know right off that it's not just a one woman business but a husband and wife team. If I had picked the hobby level and stayed there, my name would be ok. For a business that I planned on growing, I should have thought on my name a bit more.

The checklist is super long so keep up with my Tuesday posts here or on the BEST blog to grow your business!

Coptic Stitch Class at Provo Art & Frame

2011-06-09T22:58:00.001-06:00

The class is Tuesday from 6-8:30pm at the Studio above Provo Art & Frame. Please contact me if you plan on attending!

The Ethiopian coptic stitch dates back to the 4th century. It's a beautiful book with an exposed spine in which you can see the sewing of the pages. The coptic stitch book will open flat for maximum use of the pages. It works great for sketchbooks, photo albums and journals. It's also a nice book for recipes because you don't have to hold it open while cooking in the kitchen and it works great as a wedding guestbook too!

All levels of expertise welcome including beginners! Ages 10+ for this class.

Class fee is $25 which includes all the materials you'll need for the book you make and keep!

If you'd like to attend the class, please sign up by emailing me at KarleighJae@gmail.com

Please bring the following tools:

Pencil

Cutting mat (or old magazine to cut on)

x-acto type craft knife or utility knife

Scissors

Metal Edge Ruler

Bonefolder (available at Provo Art & Frame, ask or a student discount for taking my class!)

Do you want an amazingly yummy recipe?

2011-05-26T08:29:00.000-06:00

I changed my about page. Check it out!

Thoughts on Teaching

2011-05-24T08:56:00.000-06:00

This is my littlest one, Ethan painting. I didn't have to show him how, I just had to make sure he didn't squeeze too much paint onto the painting. I let him once, squeeze to his heart's content, and he was very upset that a pile of yellow sat on his painting. So we had to scoop it off onto his palette which made him happy again. It would be wonderful if all painters could be as content when they scraped off their unwanted painting.

I've been doing an Etsy Workshop with some wonderful people in the area here. I've grown use to teaching bookbinding and so this Etsy class has been rather difficult for me. It's a learning process. I'll be teaching it again in the Autumn through Snow College's Continuing Education Program and I'm just starting to know how to deal with all the aspects of Etsy and Business for a 5 week course. I'm also contemplating a creative journaling class. I love teaching because I love seeing what others create and I learn a lot! It's been said that teaching is a gift to others but really, it's a totally selfish venture of mine.

Found the yellow book photo!

2011-05-23T16:26:00.000-06:00

Here's that book photo I couldn't find this morning, along with a few other photos of the 9" x 12" book. For those not going by the crazy system of the U.S. it's about 23 x 30 cm.

So many things!

2011-05-23T07:52:00.000-06:00

So many things going on lately. Daniel went to L.A. for a photo shoot this last week. I'll have to do a post later this week on that as it made me want to get into photography.

We rearranged the apartment while he was gone. I mean completely rearranged. The boys and I switched bedrooms and I moved the studio shelving and tables around to create a better workflow area. I wanted it done by the time Daniel got back but we weren't even close to getting it done! He's been helpful in finishing up things though! Hopefully this week it will be finished (pleeease?!!) and I'll have pics up of the new studio.

I've been teaching like mad lately and I have another three classes this week. I really do love teaching and I hope my students enjoy the classes. Sometimes, you never really know unless they flat out say "I enjoy your classes."

One of the biggest sellers in our shops right now happens to be the soft cover 9" x 12" books. We have 14 different leather colors to choose from. My favorite of these large books so far has been a butter yellow leather cover with black linen thread. I know we have a photo of it somewhere but I can't find it right now...another day perhaps.

Raised and Inset Designs in Paper, Fabric and Leather

2011-05-13T18:39:00.001-06:00

If you can't make it to the Focus on Book Arts Conference in June but would still like to take my class, I'm offering the class at Provo Art & Frame on Tuesday May 17th. The class is from 6-9pm.

Sign up by emailing me at KarleighJae@gmail.com

We'll go over raised and inset designs in paper, fabric and leather and let you try it out yourself!

The cost is $30 and that includes all the materials for your sample pieces you'll create and keep. The sample pieces can be used as actual book covers.

Below are a few examples of inset and raised designs.

Embossed hinges or raised spine book hinges in leather

raised design in paper on a tapes bound book

Disneyland E ticket inset into leather photo album cover

Raised circle on spine and cover of book, Inset 4 leaf clover

Raised hinges with fleur de lis

Letters of "Our Family" in French, English and Italian raised in leather on photo album cover

Detail of other side and the raised cords along the spine

Raised design in leather

Raised leather design

Raised cords and inset berries on front cover of leather photo album

Love birds raised in leather on photo album with simple raised hinges

Raised hinges and Inset four leaf clover design

Inset stamp on front cover and raised design along the spine and covers

Central Utah Art Center Bookbinding Class starts next week!

2011-05-05T14:20:00.000-06:00

Book Arts Class at the Central Utah Art Center

Held the following nights from 6-9pm

Tuesday May 10th

Thursday May 12th

Tuesday May 24th

Thursday May 26th

Tuesday June 7th

We'll be making ten books during the course. The fee is an amazing $75 which includes all materials and some tools for your books! For more information and to sign up for a class please email me at KarleighJae@gmail.com

The Central Utah Art Center is in Ephraim, UT. You can visit their website here: http://www.CUArtCenter.org

This ten book course includes the following books:

Single Sheet Books
Chapbooks
Japanese Stab Bound Books
Flower Fold Books
Accordion with Pockets & Sewn Signatures
Ledger Books
Circle Accordion
Softcover Leather Longstitch
Hardcover Longstitch
Tapes Bound Book (a traditional hardcover book)

You can view the photos below. All books you create in the class will be designed, created and kept by you! The books below show the styles you will create, your books will be different as you may choose different papers and materials to create your books. Not all book structures that will be taught are shown below.

Chap Books, front view

Top view of an accordion book with sewn signatures

-An accordion book with pockets and sewn signatures-
This photo is of one of my students from the 10 book class.

A flower fold book

A flower fold book full open, showing the front and back hard covers

A Japanese Stab Bound Binding

A Hardcover Longstitch

Leather Longstitch Books

Tapes Bound Book with leather spine and paper cover

Leather Longstitch Book class in Provo Tomorrow!

2011-05-02T11:04:00.000-06:00

This binding created during the Medieval era in Germany. This style of book lays flat when open, and can fold back on itself, sort of like a spiral notebook can. This is the style I use for my own journal!

Leather Longstitch Class

$25 class fee which includes all materials for your book!

Provo Art & Frame 201 West Center in Provo, UT

Tuesday May 3rd, 2011

6pm - 8:30pm

Email KarleighJae@gmail.com to sign up for this class!

Coptic Stitch Class at Provo Art & Frame

2011-04-18T08:36:00.001-06:00

I'll be teaching the Ethiopian Coptic Stitch at the studio above Provo Art & Frame. The class goes from 6 - 8:30 pm and the $25 class fee includes all the materials you'll need to make your book. You'll design, create and keep your own book!

Ethiopian Coptic Stitch Journal

The coptic stitch book will open flat for maximum use of the pages. It works great for sketchbooks, photo albums and journals. It's also a nice book for recipes because you don't have to hold it open while cooking in the kitchen and it works great as a wedding guestbook too.

If you'd like to attend the class, please sign up by emailing me at KarleighJae@gmail.com

Please bring the following tools:

Pencil

Cutting mat (or old magazine to cut on)

x-acto type craft knife or utility knife

Scissors

Metal Edge Ruler

Bonefolder (available at Provo Art & Frame, ask or a student discount for taking my class)

How to Sell Your Handmade Items Online

2011-04-11T08:54:00.000-06:00

Would you like the following class taught where you live?

Contact me at KarleighJae@gmail.com for more information.

etsy class

Sell your artwork or handmade items on Etsy.com

Small business basics and how-to’s of selling on etsy.com for those who have an etsy shop or those who want to start one!

...

Snow College

April 27th - May 25th

Wednesday Nights

6pm - 8pm

(It’s ok if you need to miss a day)

...

Class Fee $50

(435) 283-7320

wendy.sanders@snow.edu

This class covers the basics of starting a small business from home. We cover the how-to's of setting up shop, creating great photos and marketing. The class is focused on your own shop and working to build your own business. This course if for those who want to start an Etsy shop or for those who already have and would like more guidance on their specific product marketing.

10 Book Course

2011-04-08T13:13:00.004-06:00

10 Book Workshop

Learn how to make ten different handmade books structures in two days!

This course is designed for beginners but all skill levels are welcome.

This class is taught as a two day workshop, 9am - 5pm each day with a one hour break for lunch. Price varies depending on location and/or number of students taking the course.

This ten book course includes the following books:

Single Sheet Books
Chapbooks
Japanese Stab Bound Books
Flower Fold Books
Accordion with Pockets & Sewn Signatures
Hinged Hardcover Ledger
Circle Accordion
Softcover Leather Longstitch
Hardcover Longstitch
Tapes Bound Book (a traditional hardcover book)

----------------------------
Students need to bring:

Metal Edge Ruler
Bonefolder
Pencil
xacto type craft knife with extra blades
Cutting mat or old magazine to cut on
Scissors

All books you create in the class will be designed, created and kept by you! The books below show the styles you will create, your books will be different as you may choose from a large selection of different papers and materials to create your books.

(Note: not all ten book structures are shown.)

Chap Books, front view

Top view of an accordion book with sewn signatures

-An accordion book with pockets and sewn signatures-
This photo is of one of my students from the 10 book class.

A flower fold book

A flower fold book full open, showing the front and back hard covers

A Japanese Stab Bound Binding

A Hardcover Longstitch

Leather Longstitch Books

Tapes Bound Book with leather spine and paper cover

Pop-up Books

2011-03-30T22:03:00.003-06:00

So excited to make circle accordions and pop up books in tomorrow night's book arts class here in Ephraim! Check out this music video. Love it!

The Little Red Wagon...not so little.

2011-03-29T23:30:00.000-06:00

My boys love riding in their little red wagon and I love it because it holds the groceries well!

Check out those tires though! This "little" red wagon is updated with monster truck tires, not like the small metal tires of yesteryear. Smooth riding, I'm sure they'll come with shock systems next. This photo was taken last Autumn...I'm missing the green grass.

Japanese Side Stitch Books -Class in One week!

2011-03-29T08:41:00.001-06:00

Class at Provo Art & Frame

Japanese Side Stitch Books

Tuesday, April 5th

6-8pm

Also known as Japanese stab bound books, pouch books, four hole and they have several variations. I'll teach the traditional four hole and show variations including Kangxi, Asa-no-ha toji and Kikko toji.

Instruction will be given and then you can make as many Japanese Stab Bound Books as you can in the remaining time!

We'll be using printed and handmade papers from all over the world! Class fee is $5. Please bring the following tools with you (everything else is provided!)

pencil

metal edged ruler

cutting mat or a thick magazine to cut on

scissors

an exacto type knife with extra blades

bone folder (Available at Provo Art & Frame -ask for the student discount for taking this class)

a magazine to be thrown away (this will be used as a glue station)

paper or notebook to take notes if you wish

Chapbooks at Provo Art & Frame

2011-03-18T09:21:00.001-06:00

Book Arts Classes start up at Provo Art & Frame on Tuesday, March 22nd and will be every other Tuesday throughout the year.

This first class is only $5 and we'll be making chapbooks. Chapbooks are great for everything and you'll never purchase a spiral notebook after making one! Chapbooks make great gifts (you can ask my mom).

Chapbooks can be as small as 1/2" x 1/4" (for doll houses I suppose, as it would be really difficult to write that small) and as large as you're materials allow. My favorite size of chapbook is either a 3" x 3" or a 6" x 8".

Chapbooks can be covered with anything: Fabric, Leather, Paper, Cereal Boxes, plastic sheets....

We'll be using printed and handmade papers from all over the world to make our chapbooks. The $5 covers the materials costs and you can make as many chapbooks as possible in 1.5 hours!

Bring a friend and a few tools:

pencil
metal edged ruler
cutting mat or a thick magazine to cut on
scissors
an exacto type knife with extra blades
bone folder (Available at Provo Art & Frame)
a magazine to be thrown away (this will be used as a glue station)
paper or notebook to take notes if you wish

I'll bring my postage stamp collection, papers from around the world, thread and ribbons to help you in designing wonderful unique chapbooks. If you have anything you want to use on your books, bring it along.

The class starts at 6:30pm and we'll go until 8pm.

I'd love to hear from you if you're coming to help me prepare tables and chairs beforehand. You can contact me at KarleighJae@yahoo.com

All those who attend this first class will receive a 50% off coupon to another book arts class this year!

A few new custom orders

2011-03-16T22:01:00.001-06:00

Just a peek....if you want to know more about them you can visit my custom order blog by clicking here.

Reminder about tomorrow's class!

2011-03-16T21:39:00.000-06:00

The Ephraim, UT bookbinding class starts tomorrow, Thursday, March 17th at 6pm.

To register for the class contact Wendy Sanders with the continuing education department.

You can view more about the class on this blog post here.

The class is held at West Campus HiTec Room 119.

A tapes bound book in the works!

2011-03-16T11:58:00.002-06:00

This is a follow up post for Rob who asked a question from my last tapes bound post.

You can view that last post here.

This photo below shows a tiny book that was recently purchased from my shop. The tape I used was actually a strip of linen bookcloth that I cut down to the size I wanted. I sewed the tapes onto the spine while I was sewing the book. If you're interested in how to do this, it's very similar to the cord bound sewing which can be found on a past post by clicking here. You would just replace the cords with tapes. For such a small book, I don't bother with a sewing frame, I just place the tape onto the spine and sew over it as the book is in my hands. Since this book is so small, I can get away with using a 1/4" wide piece of tape and just having one tape to hold the text block to the cover. On larger books, I use wider tape or more of them to give the text block more support with the covers.

To connect the tapes to the cover, I place the tapes on the inside of the cover like this photo shows below and I glue it there.

This particular little book was done differently than a traditional tapes. The tapes on this book were brought across the cover and glued. I then tooled around the leather to create the stripe on the front of the book as shown in the last photo. Since I wanted the stripe to stand out on the cover, I used two pieces of the linen bookcloth tape to build it up. Typically, I would just use one tape, but I wanted it to stand out. One tape was glued down and the other right on top of it across the cover as shown below. So, it looks as though only one tape was used.

This book was one that was made a few years ago but it's the same book that I make and sell in my shop. You can see more photos of this book here.

We're creating a bookbinding dvd!!

2011-03-10T15:53:00.001-07:00

So excited! I'll give more information on it at a later date as it's a big project. But for now, I'd like to know if there's interest in learning certain types of books.

To the right, you'll see that I listed every structure (I could think of off the top of my head) that I could demonstrate in the video. The video will have 15 or so book structures taught. You can choose your favorites from the list on the right (you can choose several if you like!)

If a structure is not on there that you want to learn, please let me know in the comments!

This will help me to determine which structures to teach for the dvd. Thanks!

Want to learn some new techniques?

2011-03-01T09:11:00.002-07:00

Here's a happy student (isn't she so cute?!) from my Snow College class this past Autumn Semester. She made that accordion with pockets book and brought it back the following week half way filled. Made me feel guilty about not writing in my journal!

My smile is as big as hers right now. I'm so excited to hear that my class is full for the Focus on Book Arts conference. Hooray! So, I'll definitely be heading up to Portland at the end of June.

The Snow College Class starts in a few weeks (March 17th) so register now! To learn more about that class visit this previous blog post.

I'm also starting up classes again at PROVO ART & FRAME in Provo, UT on March 22nd and continuing through the summer every other Tuesday. If there is a book style or technique you would like to learn please contact me or request it in the comments and we'll set up the class for you!

I'm also putting on an ETSY Workshop on March 26th. Information below, feel free to ask questions!

I also get to teach a book arts class tonight with the Relief Society Sisters in my area. I love teaching others what I love to do!

Add Style To Your Tape Bound Books -An Inside Peek

2011-02-23T06:00:00.002-07:00

These handmade books are all in a sewn onto tapes style. You can see that a sewn onto tapes book is a typical hardbound book which can have a rounded spine or a straight hardback spine. The tape is a long strip of material that is sewn across the spine of a text block. The material, which is typically linen tape, is then glued to the cover of the book before the endpapers are placed on. Traditionally, these tapes can either be seen on the inside of the book, or more often, are hidden with built up paper on the inside cover so you can not see the tapes on the inside of the cover. Instead of hiding the tapes, I created designs in the front covers of these books below. I also didn't use traditional linen tape, I used linen book cloth because I can cut it to various widths and the book cloth I used was a bit thicker which allowed for the design to really stand out.

Tying Scarfs

2011-02-22T06:00:00.007-07:00

This is me and Kacie during our first photo shoot for Pearl Jane, our clothing and accessories shop on Etsy. We took turns tying the scarves on each other and after half a dozen scarves, we were pros at tying them on (almost). I can't wait until spring. I'll wear these little scarflettes all the time. They aren't the best for outside wear during freezing cold February though. We have other scarves for that, as you can see below.

The universal sign for cool

2011-02-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Tiffany and I on top of Mt. Timpanogos giving the Universal Sign for Cool.

I hope she's having a Happy Birthday today!

Raised and Inset Book Hinges

2011-02-19T15:58:00.001-07:00

These book hinges were done a few years ago but I still love them. I believe this book ended up being a sign in book at an art show out in PA. The hinges are raised and the fleur de lis is inset into the hinges. It took quite a bit of time to tool those tiny designs but I was pleased with the end result.

Focus on Book Arts Conference

2011-02-17T13:09:00.002-07:00

The Focus on Book Arts Conference is held every two years in Forest Grove, Oregon (just outside Portland).

I'll be teaching a class this year. You can find more information on their website. I can also send you a catalog if you'd like one as I have a few left.

I'll be teaching a class on creating raised and inset designs in Paper, Fabric and Leather.

The description:

In this class, we will create three samples that can be used as covers for books, one each of leather, fabric and paper. Tips and techniques will be explored as well as design layout instruction. Many samples will be shown and techniques discussed. Embossed hinge designs will also be demonstrated. We will discuss different glue options for each type of material and technique as well.

Chinese New Year's Resolutions

2011-02-17T12:58:00.001-07:00

For those of us who missed January's New Year Resolutions, it's sometimes best to just start on the Chinese New Year. My new year's resolution is to get organized and post more often on this blog. My goals are more detailed but I won't go into that right now.

I had a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Breakfast made by Daniel.

So sweet!

Book Arts Class in Ephraim, UT starts in one month!

2011-02-16T22:19:00.002-07:00

The book arts class at Snow College starts on March 17th (St. Patty's Day). You can read the above flyer for details. Students who sign up need to bring a few things to class:

pencil
metal edged ruler
cutting mat or a thick magazine to cut on
scissors
an exacto type knife with extra blades
a magazine to be thrown away (this will be used as a glue station)
paper or notebook to take notes if you wish

Custom Order Info

2011-01-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

I've set up a new blog with just custom order information. Currently under construction but should be up within the next couple of weeks. Thanks!

VISIT THE CUSTOM ORDER WEBSITE HERE.

Custom Artist Portfolio

2010-12-19T00:04:00.001-07:00

Wonder where I've been? I've been buried in the studio with custom orders :)

I've had several inquiries lately about artist portfolios. I'm making on next week with the plastic sleeves which will probably be the last Christmas Present I send out. Today, I sent out a custom artist portfolio with heavyweight black pages. I love it!

24 pages of black stonehenge with natural deckled edges
Embossed hinges
Soft leather in grey, white and black
Metal plate inset into cover with engraved name
Sewn with strong black linen thread
Sewn in an Ethiopian coptic stitch so the pages will open completely flat
Spacers sewn into spine to allow things to be added to book
Rounded hollow drop spine

I hope Brynn loves her Christmas Present that was special ordered by her brother and I wish her all the best with her future artwork!

The front cover

The embossed hinges along the rounded spine

These pages will open flat and look at that awesome drop spine!

Inside of front cover

A page showing the spacers which allow for photos or actual art pieces to be placed inside while still allowing the book to close.

The inset name engraved name plate

What do you want to learn more about?

2010-11-23T19:48:00.001-07:00

Last Spring, I started blogging weekly for the BEST (Bookbinding Etsy Street Team) Blog. My weekly posts were only done for about 2 months. I could give excuses as to why they stopped but the truth of it comes down to...I'm not sure what I need to write about. There's a lot I can say and I'm just not sure where to focus my posts. Here are My Past Blog Posts on Selling Your Handmade Books if you want to check them out.

So...Today, I'm asking for feedback. I'd love a list of topics that you'd like me to write about. I'll take them one by one and research and write as much I know each Tuesday which will be posted here on my blog as well as the team blog. Let me know what you'd like to learn about most!

I would love specific questions as well as general ideas of what you'd like to know more about to help boost your business.

Are you prepared for success?

2010-11-08T03:28:00.002-07:00

Two years ago, I really wanted to be Etsy’s featured seller. I thought “if only I could be picked, then my business would soar!”

Then, I had a rush of sales for one week. I was frantically putting things together, ordering supplies, trying to rush last minute to the post office and getting too little sleep. I was stressed!

I realized that I was not prepared for any big sales, let alone the opportunity to become a featured seller on Etsy!

I decided I needed to organize my business and prepare myself so that one day, if the opportunity came, I would actually be ready.

Two years later, not only do I feel prepared, but my business is doing so well that I’m not in desperate need of that featured seller position (although I would still love the opportunity and the boost it would give my business!)

By becoming prepared for that opportunity, I prepared my business for success and it has become a success. How did I do this?

1- Inventory became priority! If realized that if I expected to sell X number of items a day, then I should be listing that many per day. You can’t expect to earn thousands of dollars from your online sales if you only have $100 worth of product in your shop. I now have shelves and shelves of product waiting to be sold.

2- I set up shop the right way. I filled in every bit of information in my shop policies, profile, announcement and descriptions. I used all the features Etsy sets up for me right in my shop including alchemy. Believe it or not, I started selling better when my shop policies were set. This not only helped the seller to feel better buying an item from my shop but it helped me to be organized with the questions that arose with shipping, returns, and custom orders.

3- I kept up with Etsy. I followed announcements in forums, read the Storque, subscribed to all the emails and I found that there were many promotional opportunities I could be a part of. If Etsy was promoting a certain holiday (Veteran’s Day for example) through email or a Storque article, then I made a Veteran’s Book and listed it in my shop at least a few weeks before the holiday. I also tried to comment often on the forums and kept up with other online opportunities to increase traffic to my shop, mainly free blog advertising from other etsy sellers or promotional opportunities like the yearly yart sale.

4- I organized my time and space. I have a shipping station that is filled to the max with bubble mailers, boxes, packing tape and craft paper. When I first started, it took me about 20-30 minutes to wrap up one book. It now takes me all of five minutes to wrap a package, write a thank you note, label and address the mailer and tape it all up. Organizing takes time but by being organized, I cut down on my work time drastically, which means more time to be able to create or promote instead of being frustrated that I can’t find the packing tape.

5- I joined an Etsy team, the bookbinding etsy street team (BEST). We share information with each other and help boost each other’s sales and boost our motivation to keep at it. I didn’t know it would help my business so much. Joining a team has really helped me prepare my business for success.

My sales are steady as well as my custom orders. Two years ago, I was only selling a few items per month. Currently, I’m selling a few items per day. I now feel prepared for any opportunity that comes my way. I’ve worked for those opportunities that will boost my business further. I’m no longer stressed. I am prepared.

Is your business prepared for success?

Are you trick-or-treating at my house?

2010-10-26T17:59:00.001-06:00

Wouldn't it be great if we didn't hand out candy this year and instead handed out little handmade gifts?

That would be awesome.

-----------------------------------------------------

This was my contribution to the B.E.S.T. Halloween Zombie Award Challenge!

Go vote & leave a message on the blog post over on the B.E.S.T. blog for your chance to win a surprise!

Click Here to Vote!!

Pearl Jane

2010-10-16T11:48:00.001-06:00

I've opened a new Etsy shop!!

My sister-in-law Kacie and I have put our ideas and skills together to create some very elegant clothing and accessories.

We'd love a few sales so please spread the word for us! And thank you in advance for taking a look through our shop!

I made this ruffle scarf that I'm wearing above! So cute!
I'm working on a black ruffle scarf which will be listed in our shop soon!

This is Kacie modeling the white dress she made and the tabarde in red.
She designed that tabarde all by herself and it's amazing! I just gave her encouraging words, she did it all!

Check out these items and others in our shop!

PEARL JANE

Oops!

2010-10-14T14:48:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I teach a class on Saturday! It's at the Central Utah Art Center and I'll be teaching how to make a clam shell box and we'll learn techniques on making other boxes as well.

The class is $30 and that includes all the materials for your box (I'll precut all the book board for you so we'll focus on other things instead of spending the few hours cutting.)

The class is from 10am - 1pm on Saturday, October 16th at the Central Utah Art Center in Ephraim, UT.

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of a clamshell box. I'll just have to post photos of the ones we make in class :)

Book Arts Class at Snow College in Ephraim, UT

2010-10-09T08:07:00.000-06:00

Book Arts class
open to everyone!

Come learn to make your own sketchbooks and journals! These make great handmade gifts!

-non-credit evening class-

Once a week on wednesday nights 6-9pm

Oct 20 - nov 17

create 10 book structures including:

japanese stab bound

Hardcover tapes bound

longstitch leather bound (shown above)

pop-up books and more!

For more information on registering for the class, please contact Wendy Sanders, 435-283-7320; wendy.sanders@snow.edu.

The cost of the class is $75 which includes all the materials for the class as well as some small bookbinding tools!

You'll need to bring:

A pencil

Scissors

X-acto Type Craft Knife with extra blades

Ruler with Metal Edge

Cutting mat or old magazine to cut on

The class is held in West Campus HiTec 119. If you have any questions please contact me or Wendy Sanders (contact info above). Thanks!

If you'd like to swap for one of my journals...

2010-09-15T17:01:00.000-06:00

Check out We-Swap!

I'm swapping for something fun. I'm really holding out for that backpack for Jadon but the items offered so far are very tempting.

Longstitch Books

2010-09-11T11:13:00.001-06:00

Longstitch Bookbinding Class

at the Central Utah Art Center

in Ephraim, UT

September 18th 10am - 1pm - $45

You'll have the opportunity to create a longstitch leather book and we'll discuss different techniques used to make them unique:

closures, antiquing, painting, burning and more.

The fee includes the materials for the longstitch book you will make and keep.

If you would like to come please contact me or The CUAC.

------------------------------------------------

Below are a few longstitch books that Daniel and I have made in the last year or so. This really is my favorite structure to use and therefore, I use it for my own journals and sketchbooks. This book not only opens flat, but if you use the leather or another flexible material, you can bend the book back on itself like a spiral notebook. It makes it convenient, especially if you want a larger sketchbook format but not the awkwardness of a large size when opened just flat.

This is my journal which you can read about here.

This is a recent artist book I made which you can read about here.

You can also see more burned leather books on a past post here.

Back by Popular Demand! Cord Bound Book Class at Provo Art & Frame

2010-09-08T21:22:00.001-06:00

We're moving to Ephraim next week and so I'm postponing the Artist Book Workshop for a later date (will be announced later).

I've had a few requests to do another Cord Bound Book Class at Provo Art & Frame and so I've scheduled that in place of the Artist Book Workshop.

The class will be held from 10am - 2pm on Saturday, September 25th. If you'd like to sign up please contact me via email so I can prepare a materials kit for you.

Cord Bound Book Examples that I've made in the last couple of years:

Breathing for a bit....

2010-09-01T17:44:00.001-06:00

So I have massive amounts of custom orders and I took a break today (sorry to my customers!)

I made one custom order and then I made the book for the BEST Book Swap. I belong to a group of bookbinders, we're located all over the world, we make all sorts of different books and we all sell on Etsy.

BEST (Bookbinding Etsy Street Team) has a book swap that we do every few months. We each make a book and send it to another participant of the swap. I'm excited to see the book on it's way to me from Turkey. I still need to show off the book I received from the last book swap too so maybe I'll do that soon :)

I loved making this book and being a bit creative with it :)

I don't have the dimensions because I forgot to measure the book before it went out. Here are some lovely photos though. (A lot of photos because I think Daniel liked this one.)

Top View Open. This book has an accordion spine with sewn pages.

It's such a fun book structure. It sort of looks like a stack of old envelopes.

The inside endpapers and the pages are all archival tea stained pages.

View of the accordion spine with dark brown linen thread.
Lokta paper was used for the spine.

Here's the book all nice and closed. The buttons were pulled off of an old shirt and I knotted the linen thread to make the tie around cord.

This is the back. Old stamps from everywhere. This was my son's favorite thing about the book and he was disappointed that he couldn't play with it.

You can see the book all nice and closed here. The cord wraps around the buttons, one on front and one on back.

The Front Cover. This envelope was sent to me when I purchased a bunch of old stamps from someone. The envelope is from 1929 and I love it. My favorite things are the way it's addressed "Special Delivery" as well as the fact that someone wrote measurements on the left side of it. (Who doesn't use envelopes for random jottings?) And I also love that someone wrote in red ink "Very old, 1929" right on it. Who did that?! Haha!

This is the back with all it's stamp loveliness.

Cord Bound Books

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I love cordbound books! This style is the traditional rounded spine leather book. They date back to the 5th century and were introduced when Byzantium monks established their first scriptorium, Byblos, in modern Lebanon. The Arabs were the ones to bring this style to life with all sorts of decorative work, gorgeous gold embossing and clasp closures. They still make the most wonderful cordbound books in the world.

This style of book is made with a sewing frame but it can also be done with simple tools and anyone can make one from home.

I do classes on how to make these lovely cordbound books. In the class we learn traditional and modern methods of cord binding.

I made this cordbound book last week. I actually made two and one book was used for a sign-in book and the other for a photo album:

Cordbound Sign-in book for my sister's wedding. Traditional cord bindings have straight cords on the spine which I teach in the class but this variation is easily done.

The top view of the book which has the Even Star from Lord of the Rings embossed on it.

You can see how well the cordbound books stay open. They open almost completely flat so they're great for sign-in books, photograph albums, sketchbooks and journals.

I'll be teaching this class in two weeks at Provo Art & Frame. Sat, August 28, 2010 from 9:30am – 2:00pm. If you'd like to attend please send me an email and I will add you to the class list and send you needed class information. The class is $55 which includes all the materials you'll need for your book, some tools will need to be brought with you.

Book Arts Classes at Provo Art & Frame

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Click on the image to view larger.

You can also view the Calendar and Classes pages above to see more information.

Do you dance with flowers in your mouth?

2010-07-20T21:56:00.001-06:00

As I was sewing a quilt this evening, Jadon pointed to the fabric and said, "Those are flowers." Which led us to the following conversation.

Me: Yes, those are flowers.
Jadon: Do you like flowers?
Me: I love flowers.
Jadon: Do you dance with flowers in your mouth?
Me: Sometimes. Do you think dad dances with flowers in his mouth?
Jadon: No. He's a natural.

Jadon: "Are we going on a trip?"

2010-07-15T00:00:00.000-06:00

When I was teaching a bookbinding class this past Saturday, Jadon and Ethan went to the Farmer's Market with my parents. He got his face painted and they tried out all sorts of food. Jadon even got a carved wooden owl and watched the man make it. He loves things like that so I'm sure he had so much fun!

Whenever he visits my parents house, he also has to take a turn on the truck dolly. My dad always takes a break from working to give him a push. Ethan hasn't quite learned how to stand on it yet but he kept trying. These photos were taken about a half an hour apart. You can see he became messy from the popsicle and had to change his clothes.

Custom Artist Journal for My Grandma

2010-07-13T17:00:00.001-06:00

This artist journal is a custom order from my grandma. You can click on the photos to see them larger.

She wanted a book that she could carry around with her so the book is slightly larger than 5" x 7" and it's about 1.25" thick. She requested that the book have an assortment of papers so I included the following paper types: Mohawk Superfine 80lb Smooth soft white, Canson charcoal paper in blues, cream, pale yellow and green.

There's also Lokta heavy weight and light weight papers in red, purple, green, pumpkin, pinto and sand. There are also embossed papers and papers with leaves, flowers, and thread inclusions. Papers are from all around the world (Nepal, Thailand, Japan, Canada and the U.S.)

The paper will be great for all sorts of mediums.

She wanted the book to look used and old so I took a honey colored cowhide and with the help of my dad we antiqued the leather. The pages were deckled to give it a handmade and more used/old feel to it. As she uses it, the page edges will get worn and look older. The cover has a bit of deep red to it and I used maroon linen thread to sew it.

My grandma said I could burn anything I wanted into the cover (a bunny, a flower, her name) and so I put her name on the spine and I put the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland on the front cover. She mentioned "a little rabbit" when we talked on the phone so I'm hoping she's ok with a full cover illustration. I put an old button on the cover and braided linen thread for the closure. I placed a skeleton key on the end of the thread but I'm not sure if that will stay. It's heavy for such a tiny key so I'm not sure I like the feel of it. It's removable so I think I'll let her decide on that one.

The book is sewn in a longstitch style which allows the pages to open flat (and even fold back in half) so it's wonderful for artwork as well as carrying around.

It really is a beautiful book with beautiful paper.

Waxed Irish Linen Thread is great for Jewelry!

2010-07-13T14:45:00.001-06:00

Diane of Adesso Jewelry on Etsy purchased some waxed linen thread from my shop. This is what she made with it:

AdessoJewelry

Isn't this necklace beautiful! And it is also totally metal free! Which is great for those of us who have allergic reactions to metal from jewelry clasps and chains. I'm excited to see more designs with linen thread.

Diane also crochets wire bracelets and does great beadwork. Check out her etsy shop full of beautiful handmade items.

How to make your own curved needles

2010-07-13T12:28:00.001-06:00

Curved needles are important for sewing coptic stitch books. They allow you to sew faster and tighter.

This photograph shows my expensive $1 curved needle and my $.20 homemade curved needle.

Daniel took a video of me curving needles for my coptic stitch students. I can't find the video but when I do, I'll place it in this post. For now, I've written instructions below.

To curve needles you will need:

Straight bookbinding needles. I use a darning size 1.
Two pairs of Pliers
A candle or a gas burner
A plate or something to place a hot burning needle on to cool down

You can use a candle but I use a gas stove burner. I take the pot rack holder off so that I can get in close to the burner. I hold a needle with one of the pliers and place the middle part in the flame. When the needle becomes red hot, I take the other pliers and place it on the other side of the needle so that both ends are being held by pliers. I then bend the needle to the angle I would like it at. Place the needle on a plate or on something to cool down. The pliers will be burning hot as well so set them down on a heat resistant surface when you are finished!

Props to Esther K. Smith for teaching me that one :) It saves money and works just as well!

I taught a coptic stitch class on Saturday at the studio above Provo Art & Frame. The students were wonderful and their books turned out beautifully! Thank you to all those who came!

Class on Saturday!

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Click on the poster below to see it larger.

Antiquing Maps

2010-06-21T06:00:00.004-06:00

When I did Lori's Books, the map for the cover didn't fit with the rest of the book. So I antiqued the map to make it look older. I used distilled water and acrylics and brushed a thin layer (as thin as watercolor) over the top of the map. I liked the cover insets so well that I decided to do the same antiquing on the end papers on the inside.

I did a large sheet of it but this was a left over piece that I used for a pocket on the back inside cover. It held the colophon for the book. This photo below shows the paper before I cut out the pocket. You can see the difference of the bright blue paper and the antiqued greener (beautiful,beautiful) paper.

I may never be able to use this paper again without antiquing it first!

Chocolate Ice Cream Beard

2010-06-18T06:00:00.002-06:00

We're heading to Provo for the bookbinding class on Saturday. Today is family time though and my two boys get to visit with their grandparents and their aunt Haleigh. Their aunt Calixta and cousin Delia Mae will be in town so they get to see them as well.

Jadon loves Haleigh. I think it's because she give him ice cream every time we visit.

He has such a man face as it is but check out that chocolate beard and serious look.

Mister Jadon is three years old.

Book Swap May 2010

2010-06-17T06:00:00.003-06:00

This is my book for the book swap that BEST (Bookbinding Etsy Street Team) did just recently.

My book went to Hilke Kirzke of Buechertiger who lives in Germany. She received the first book in the series. If you would like one you can purchase one in my Etsy Shop.

Handmade paper on handmade books is lovely.

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New photo album in the shop! This photo album holds quite a lot of photos. You can use photos corners or glue the photographs right into the book. There are no plastic sleeves just beautiful paper.

This is the back of the book (just as lovely as the front) which has a soft brown leather spine with embossed hinges.

This shows the inside covers. Beautiful paper!

This photo shows the glassine interleaving between the heavier pages. The glassine is meant to keep your photos from sticking together when placed on facing pages.

See more of it in my Etsy Shop.

I cut the paper for my books with a butter knife. Seriously.

2010-06-14T06:00:00.003-06:00

Daniel took this photo of me a few years ago. I'm tearing down pages for a book at the kitchen table. You can see the bonefolder and the non serrated butter knife that I got from the thrift store. This is how I cut my paper down for years. Last year, I called around to a few places to price out paper and found a company I could buy wholesale from. I was talking with the salesman on the phone while he looked up prices for me. So he was just making conversation as the computer was loading the information for 1000 sheets of Mohawk Superfine that are 25" x 38"

Salesman: We usually deliver to large companies. You say you're out of your home?
Me: Yes, I sell handmade books online and I just work from my home.
Salesman: What do you use to cut down all that paper?
Me: I cut it at my kitchen table with a butter knife.
Salesman: (after a pause) I'll have to call you back since I don't have the prices right on hand.

He never called back. It wasn't until later that I figured out that he probably thought I was a prank call or something. I found a different company to work with though and I'm very pleased with them.

I've also recently switched over to a tear bar and I've been so happy with it! I still use the butterknife occasionally but I could never go back to make hundreds of books with it again.

Scandinavian Festival

2010-06-12T06:00:00.003-06:00

Jim and Barbara Cowlin stopped in at our booth at Scandanavian Days. They are taking a trip on US Route 89 and blogging about their adventures along the way. You can check out their little run in with me on this blog post.

I swiped this photo of me from their blog. It's the only one we have of the booth I think. It was super windy and so we had to be careful on our display. The containers all had lids kept under the table which we could just throw on in case of an extra long wind burst or rain. Luckily, we didn't have any rain and Saturday wasn't as windy as Friday. Friday, we weren't even able to keep the canopy up.