It’s been a long few months, but here at last I’m happy to announce the opening of Re:Paper Studios North!  That’s right, I’ve arrived in Chicago safe and sound, with dog and husband in tow.  What’s more I’ve finally unpacked enough of my studio to get some work done, so send those custom order requests my way- whether you’re looking for a new journal, wedding album, photo album, address book or any other kind of custom-bound custom-made book, I can help!  More news to come as I continue to settle in.  Welcome to the new studio!

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In a perfect world I would bind books full time. I would make lavishly beautiful books for the most discerning customers, archival cases and re-bindings for museums and archives. I would dedicate myself to the science of bookbinding, pouring a fair amount of my ample income back into high-end supplies and tools. In a perfect world I’d be showing you a picture of my fancy standing press rather than the stack of art history books I use as an actual “book press.”

In a perfect word, but also a more boring world. In truth most of us are making books for a little bit of income, and a lot of creative release. And even if it is your full time gig, saving a few bucks or finding inspiration from outside the norm is always a good thing. When making books my credo is- I may not have a lot of money to spare, but I can still have a lot of fun. That’s what I want to talk about on my new Wednesday blogging stint here- what I call budget bookginding, or hackbooking. “Hacking” tools & supplies from other aisles of the craft store, or things already around the house, or even things saved from the trash to create new and interesting structures and save a buck.

So let’s get started! There are a lot of beautiful tools out there, but sometimes you have to make do with what you’ve got on hand. Below are some of my favorite easy substitutions- bookbinding “tools” you probably already have laying around the house.

Glue papers: Free newspapers, catalogs and magazines. Every Thursday our local free paper comes out, so every Wednesday night I take a few left from the stack outside my office and use them to protect my table from glue when working on my covers. Just open the paper to the front page and start gluing, and when the page is all gluey turn the page for a fresh surface. Do be careful when using lightweight or light colored paper as the ink from the pages can transfer with the glue- in those cases it’s best to use the blank backside of a printed page from your recycle bin or a spare scrap of wax paper as your glue paper.

Cutting/ scoring mat: Cardboard from the back of sketchpads. I use sketchpad paper for a fair number of books, and instead of recycling the backs right away I’ve found that the thick backing makes an excellent “pad” to protect my table when scoring pages with a bone folder. In a pinch they also work as a quick cutting mat. Bonus- you can write down your measurements on the board for quick reference.

Punching Cradle: Telephone book. I started using the phone book in a pinch when my cradle bit the dust and I needed a quick replacement in the middle of a project. You do need to be extra careful that the signatures don’t slide once you’ve squared them up, but otherwise this works great- just tap your signature on the table to square up the pages, open your book to near the center, and place your signature in the valley to punch. And don’t forget to put your slip of sketchpad cardboard underneath to protect your table from awl holes. One warning- I’ve yet to run into a problem, but you may want to “test” the ink in your phone book first by rubbing a piece of scrap paper against the page you plan to set your signature on- if the ink rubs off place a clean sheet of paper between your phone book and signature for extra protection before punching.

Bookpress: Stack of books. The classic book press (no pun intended). Just sandwich up your glued boards (wrapped in wax paper) between heavy books large enough to cover the board surface for a good, even pressing. Our Time Life art history books get lots of love this way.

Hinge spacers: Skewers. At just over 1/8″ wide wooden skewers have become my favorite way to get even, easy hinge spacing in my books. Just place down a skewer on either side of your spine, snug up the cove beside it and lift the skewer away. Voila! Perfect, even hinge spaces- from a cheap and reusable little tool. The pointy end is also good for poking ribbon ends down into hole to finish off a stab-binding.

So what am I missing? I’m sure there’s a ton of great “household material tool hacks” out there, please share your favorites in the comments below!

**This post was first published on the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team blog.

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It’s almost 2010, which means time for resolutions- for the new year AND the new decade.  If you’re resolving to learn something new, why not check out the Book Arts Class at the Atlanta Printmaker’s Studio?  Classes start soon (next Sunday!), so there’s no time to waste- this is a resolution you’re sure to keep. Come join me for 24 hours of instruction, spread over 8 fun and laid back Sunday classes.  We’ll cover a variety of techniques for creating beautiful books, including: pamphlet stitch, Japanese stab-bound, cased-in codex, exposed stitched Coptic and chain stitch over ribbon books.  Head over to the APS site to register, I look forward to seeing you next Sunday!

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Perhaps you saw them in the Green Upgrader Handmade Gift Guide written by the lovely Becky of Glue and Glitter , or maybe you caught them on Nerd Approved. Either way, there’s no denying- beer box books are the must have journal for eco-conscious beer aficionados with a writing habit. The demand caught me by surprise and the initial batch of books sold fast, but rest assured I’m working as fast as my fingers will go to whip up and new round for you all.

So what do you do if you’ve just got to have a beer box book? There are a few options. If you want a book and are not too picky about the box used for the cover drop me a message either using the contact me link to the left or the contact RePaper link on my Etsy site and I’ll send you a note when the new set of books has been listed in my Etsy store. If you have a request for a specific brand, drop me a line at either contact and let me know what you’re in the market for- I’ll keep any eye out when I hit the neighborhood bars (or rather, their recycle bins), but I may not be able to fill every request. If you have a must-have brand that I cannot find locally you can send me a box (contact me for shipping instructions) and I’ll create a custom listing for you in my store when it’s ready.

Please keep in mind that Christmas will very soon be upon us, I’ll do my best to fill orders by then but if you can wait until after the holidays let me know, you will win my eternal gratitude and save a little bit of cash. All must have by Christmas special orders carry a rush charge and will cost $12, special orders that can wait until after Christmas delivery are still only $8. And, if you can catch them, the ready made books I’ll be listing in the shop will also sell for $8 and will make it to you by Christmas if purchased by December 20^th (US delivery only, sorry). How do you know when there are more books ready in the shop? Keep an eye or the Etsy widget to the right there for images, or contact me to be sent an update.

Happy Holidays, and remember- once you do have a beer book in hand, write responsibly.

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Thanks everyone who voted in the BEST Zombie Award over at the BEST blog- it was a tough fight with so many awesome entries, but I managed to retain my title!  Check out the BEST Blog here for a wonderful write-up on my Vampire Diary.  Best of all, I get to share the “horrors” (ahem, pardon the pun) or rather honors this year with Rhonda on MyHandBoundBooks and her super cool (and super creepy) “Trapped Inside a Haunted House” tunnel book!

You may well ask, Sara Hindmarch, you just won the BEST Zombie Award two years running- what are you going to do next?  Well, here’s a hint.  And here’s another one!  Keep your eyes here for more info soon!

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As you may recall, I am the reigning champion of the 2008 B.E.S.T Zombie Award- bookbinding Zombie queen supreme if you will.  And here it is nearly Halloween again, meaning I’ve got precious little time left to brag and use my coveted award graphic, eeek!  It also means that the 2009 B.E.S.T. Zombie challenge is just around the next spooky corner.  I’ve been working hard and have completed my book for your consideration again this year, a ghoulish and bloody little Vampire diary* perfect for chronicling any undead angst- whether you’ve been dead 100 years or just since home room.

Voting will open soon on the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team website, in the meantime be sure to check out all of the submissions already listed at Esty by simply searching for “ZombieAward2009″.   Who knows, you might find the perfect little tome for recording your search for the great pumpkin this year.  Happy haunting!

*Not to get too technical, but I can tell you that the book is created with the Secret Belgian binding,  adapted to create “fangs” on the cover. Each long fang is tipped wth a red eyelet (smaller fangs are tipped with white).  The cover is made with black satin, with red satin endpapers to invoke a vampire cape. The ext block features blank ivory and red pages with random pages printed with text from “Dracula” for extra inspiration.
UPDATE: Polls are now open, get out there and vote!

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The covers are done and in the press for my 100th Etsy book sale, and while they dry I thought you might want a peek at the process!  Step one is often the most fun- shopping!  Supplies for this book came from a variety of sources, including lovely soft pink book cloth from Paper Studio and the adorable eyelet paper and coordinating brown ribbon from Paper Source.  Next comes the skill part, getting those covers built!  Step one with this look is to cover the acid free davey boards in the book cloth, making sure to run the grain of the book cloth in the right direction for a smoothly folding spine hinge.  Mitred corners also give a clean finish to the book, removing excess material bulk from the corners for a good, clean look.  Next up, placing the eyelet paper over the book cloth on the front cover for a sweet peek-a-boo effect.  This is the most challenging step of this book for me as glue tends to want to seep up through the eyelet holes and get on to the cover.  BUT with my trusty bone folder and a damp rag at hand it’s easy enough to keep the glue where it belongs!  Next, a bit of a color accent as the brown ribbon is placed between the end of the eyelet paper and the pink spine on the cover, secured inside with some acid free artist tape.  Over that goes the endpapers and then into the press to dry!  I’m working on the page layout now, stay tuned for some pictures of the binding process and the final book!

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Oh happy day! I’m now within 10 5 sales of reaching the 100th sale in my Etsy shop! As a special thank you to the buyer of my 100th item I’m offering 20% off any listed book or 10% off a custom order on the 100th sale. AND every sale between now and the 100th will receive a small fun gift for playing along. SO! Pop on over to Re:Paper and have a look at what’s for sale! Gift giving occasions like Graduation, Father’s Day, Summer Weddings and more are just around the corner, so stock up now on lovely address books, blank books (make great journals), photo albums, travel journals and more on offer. And don’t forget the custom option, I can make a guest book, blank book, Scrabble book, address book and more all to your specifications! Good Luck!

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Mother’s day is Sunday and you need something special to show Mom how much you love her. How you appreciate her years of love and hard work, instilling you with values and ideals while wisely stepping back far enough to let you become your own unique person. If only there were a shop filled with local, handmade, thoughtful and lovely gifts worthy of your Ma. Well, you’re in luck! Come on out this Thursday night to Kraftwork, the best monthly indie craft market in Atlanta, held at the Young Blood Gallery in Midtown. Entry for shoppers is free, and in addition to the lovely wares of your local captains of crafty industry and industrious crafters there is often food and drink to be had for a mere “donation.” It’s like every art opening you sneaked into in college for cheap wine, only now you’ll both like and be able to afford the art! There’s some serious talent lined up for this week, just check out the roster- a veritable who’s who of local indie crafters. So come on out and pick out special for your Mom, you know she’s worth it and so much more.

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Oh happy day! I’m now within 10 sales of reaching the 100th sale in my Etsy shop! As a special thank you to the buyer of my 100th item I’m offering 20% off any listed book or 10% off a custom order on the 100th sale. AND every sale between now and the 100th will receive a small fun gift for playing along. SO! Pop on over to Re:Paper and have a look at what’s for sale- and don’t forget Mother’s Day is just around the corner. I have lots of lovely address books, blank books (make great journals), photo albums, travel journals and more on offer. And don’t forget the custom option, I can make a guest book, blank book, address book and more all to your specifications! Good Luck!

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