Leather Notebook Cover and Pencil Case

I posted a few photos last week, of a leather Notebook Cover and Pencil Case set, that I had made.
I thought I'd just post a little more detailed description here, as I'm rather proud of them. 

The Notebook Cover and matching hand-stitched Pencil Case, in golden-buff coloured leather.  The stitching is in red linen thread, hand-sewn with a traditional cobblers' method, for strength and a good appearance.  Both the notebook cover and pencil case are lined with nice red bookcloth, to give a long-lasting, attractive finish. 

The notebooks are held in by elastic straps (these are black, but I have several other colours). 

The notebook cover will hold three notebooks, up to A5 size. 

There's a little page-minder too, to mark where you're currently working. 

It's obviously inspired by the currently popular "Midori" notebook covers.  Lots of people have these just now and, as notebook covers have been something I was "going to do" for ages, I really thought I should have a go.  

The nice thing about making them by hand, is that there is flexibility on size.  This one is A5 size - it measures 21.25 x 17cm / 8.5 x 6.5" approx - so it will hold notebooks of A5 size, but also 7"x 5", 6" x 4", or anything in between.  
However, there is no reason why I can't make a larger or smaller version, make it tall and thin, or shorter and fatter.  I'm only limited by the size of leather I can get!  

And, as I am in charge... I made a matching Pen / Pencil Case, that will hold up to six pens or pencils. 

I made one of these for my son's birthday last year.  He's still using it and likes it very much, so I thought it might be time to put them into my shop too.  

Again, I can make them in different sizes and adjust their shape and style to suit the new owner.  

I'm very pleased with them!  

Wednesday Worktable - Wednesday 4th November - Midori Style and Bunting!

Hello Deskers!  This is an infrequent contribution to WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday), over at Julia's Stamping Ground. Each Wednesday, Julia invites fellow crafters and bloggers to show a photo or two of their worktables, and explain what they've been doing.

I don't seem to get much time for working in my studio.  It's just been mad, this last few months (actually, make that years!).  Anyway, "stuff" does happen... sometimes.  So, just to prove it, here are a couple of photos to show something I have just finished (but it's an ongoing project!) and also what I'm currently working on:

Just completed and to be added to my online shop as soon as... 

 

A Leather Notebook Cover, with matching Pen Case 

Inspired by the popular Midori notebooks with covers and a pencil-case I made for my son's birthday last year. The nice thing about them is that I can make any size or shape and in any colour of leather that I can get!  

So, those are just completed and ready for better photos and to be offered for sale.  

Currently this is what's on my desk: 

Experiments and planning for a Commission.  

A lady who runs a student housing agency, found this post on my blog, where I showed a little string of mini bunting.  She has asked me to make her two long strings of House Bunting, to hang in her office.  These houses are 6" tall, so they're considerably larger than the mini bunting I made before. We've just agreed on what she wants and I'm about to start making the "real" bunting.  They will each be six feet long when completed.  It's great fun!

Thank you for reading.  I hope you've enjoyed visiting today.  Feel free to browse my blog, but once you're finished, do go back to Julia's Stamping Ground, to see what everyone else is doing today.

Wednesday Worktable - Wednesday 5th August - Pockets!

This is my contribution to WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday), over at JuliaDunnit's Blog. Each Wednesday, Julia invites fellow crafters and bloggers to show a photo or two of their worktables, and explain what they've been doing.
I haven't been posting much recently, as my mum is about to move house (tomorrow!).  She's elderly and disabled, so... guess who is doing all the work?
Anyway, I have found a spare few minutes and thought I'd post about what I've been up to (and my mess!)

If you fancy a lot of photos and something to "ooh" and "aahh" over, try my previous post, about a lovely day out at the DotComGiftShop Press Event in London.  Lots of pictures of gorgeous new, shiny things to covet...

And then, here is what I have been working on, since returning from holiday:

My main work-table hasn't really changed... it's still scary!  But my small table has had a variety of projects going on... 

Pockets! 

These are for a travel-themed album, that a lady wants for her daughter, who gets married in September and is going to Europe for her honeymoon.  She wanted the album to have some pockets added, to hold mementos, leaflets, tickets etc.  

I've made three bellows-style pockets in white paper, with a blue bellows section at sides and base and fold-over flaps.  

This is the album itself:

Travel Themed Large Photo Album 

Side-on view of the pockets, to show you the blue details.  

I'm hoping she will approve of these, so I can fix them into the book and get it into the post asap!

And just to tie up a loose end or two: 

I finally bound all the notebooks that were ready for sewing, when I posted mid-July. Then I set up a Notebook Sale album on my facebook page - some have sold already, so I'm a happy Lizzie! 

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Thanks for reading, I hope you like to see my various book projects - I haven't really had time for many other things recently, but soon I hope to do a little bit of scrap-book page making (everyone say, "Ooooo!").    

I hope you'll come back and visit again soon. When you've finished browsing around on my blog, do return to Julia's Stamping Ground, to see what's going on elsewhere this week. 

Wednesday Worktable - Wednesday 15th July - Little Notebooks

This is my contribution to WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday), over at JuliaDunnit's Blog. Each Wednesday, Julia invites fellow crafters and bloggers to show a photo or two of their worktables, and explain what they've been doing.

I am late in posting again (!), though this is what was going on on Wednesday! 

Notebook-filled Table! 

I'm making little 6"x 4" notebooks just now, with little windows in the covers, through which you get a glimpse of the design on a decorative end-sheet inside...  

Four floral notebooks, with lined pages.  All cut and ready to be hand sewn with linen thread. 

Three woodland-themed notebooks.  I've made (and sold) quite a few of these recently. This batch are a bit more experimental than before - I've tried changing the position of the window and showing two creatures peeping out from either side, and also making a larger, rectangular window, with a bigger view of the wood and a fox.  I think they look nice.  There is plain, cream paper inside these books.

Finally, two little dogs - a Scottie and a Westie - cute little partners!  I'm going to bind these with red thread, for a nice colourful pop.  I think I may also add a little Scottish touch, with some tartan ribbon.  These books also have ivory paper inside, printed with lines in grey.  Very nice (but then, I'm biassed!). 

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Thanks for dropping by to see what I'm doing.  I hope you like the notebooks-in-progress. They'll soon be finished. 

 
I hope you'll come back and visit again soon. When you've finished browsing around on my blog, do return to Julia's Stamping Ground, to see what's going on elsewhere this week. 

Making Rainbows!

It's been a month since I found time to blog.  Time does fly!

I've been busy enough... but I have managed a bit more bookbinding work too: -

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A Valentine's Journal, with covers of soft red leather...

There is an embossed heart design on the front cover

...and a fancy stitched back, with hearts in longstitch...

...black cover linings, for a good contrast and white pages of lovely textured paper.
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Some 6"x4" Kraft notebooks, with windows - 

these have woodland creatures on their endsheets. 

...these have floral paper...

...a couple have African animals...

...and one with bees and daisies.

There are seven different designs and they seem to have gone down well in my shops!

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I also completed the binding of a Photo Album, for a customer: 

Peacock Feather Album, with Silk Trim...

...Decorative binding, in French Stitch, with deep teal linen thread...

...The stiff white pages have linen-embossed glassine tissue between them.

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And Finally... On my Binding Table Now:-

A Grey Linen Photo Album, with Rainbow Pages...

Each set of pages is individually stitched to a pleated linen spine, with coloured linen, to match the page colours...

... The Covers are plain grey linen, but they are not attached yet.  The idea is that the purchaser can choose a custom trim for the cover edges - they can have a coloured strip of silk, or a ribbon, in a colour of their choice.  And also, the covers can be lined with coloured paper of their choice (or even patterned paper!). 

I'm looking forward to completing this project, with whoever chooses it. 

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Thanks for Reading!

Christmas Present Orders

I'm getting orders now, for Christmas Gifts.  It always makes me smile - someone likes my work and even wants to share it with somebody they love! 

This package is off to Buxton, in Derbyshire. The very lovely customer ordered three things - they will have some happy friends, come Christmas Day (or I hope so, anyway!). 

This is what's inside....

A Leather Journal, with green linen longstitch binding, handmade porcelain button and hand-twisted cord fastenings, lovely cream text paper pages and yellow lokta paper lining.

I hope this will be enjoyed, as it was one of my favourites! 

One of these 6"x4" notebooks.  Kraft card covers, wrapped with "luggage labels" paper, nice cream paper pages and a kraft paper envelope to present it in. 

and... a Pair of 6"x4" notebooks, with covers of double-sided, stiff scrapbook paper. Each has lovely "Three Candlesticks" paper pages, bound with red linen thread and a ribbon tie. 

I do hope these are well-received - both by the buyer, and the people they are given to!  

Book Catch-Up

Life is really busy here as always, but I am managing some book-binding work, in amongst all the rush.  So, I  thought I'd just post a little update on what I have been working on recently: 

A Coral-pink leather journal with light blue longstitch binding. 

 Lined with a Cath Kidston designed paper... 

 it contains lined pages, with the lines printed in pink 

and the pages have a floral design in a kind-of watermark print.

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An Artists Book.  

This has stiffened covers of black leather and is stitched in a coptic style with pale orange thread.

The covers are lined with a hand-marbled paper, by artist & bookbinder, Rhonda Miller... 

The pages are three types of artist's paper - cartridge drawing paper / pastel paper / watercolour paper. 

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This journal has covers of softest leather, in lovely aqua blue.  

The floral design is raised-embossing.

  It has plain white pages, with cover lining & endsheets of this great birdcage patterned paper.  

The paper even has glittery bits, which is fun.

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I showed you these fun little 6"x4" notebooks... 

So, I added a couple more to the collection - fun, aren't they? 

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And I've been making more rainbow notebooks - this one is 7"x5", with pastel pages in 10 colours.

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I showed you this very large photo album recently, which I sent as a gift for a friend with a new baby boy.

It was well received, so I'm really very happy about that!

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And currently, I am working on two large albums - one with a cover paper you may well have seen a couple of times before, but the other will have a very lovely, summery design paper, which I have never used for a book before now, with a very unusual paper trim at the bound edge of the covers.  The binding for this is a bit experimental too ... 

I hope all will be revealed very soon! 

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and if you made it this far:
Thanks for Reading!