Hello internet friends!
Long time no see, I know. I was really busy with book making and classes and travel and family, so my blog was neglected.
I realized recently, prompted by a customer- thank you dear Esther - that I could use this blog to answer some of your more common questions in depth. I like chatting with you, here or in ETSY, as I love to know the person behind each package I send. I am a real person as are you and getting to know each other is always a huge plus. But I realize that many of you feel intimidated to ask a question and you avoid messaging me until after the delivery of your order to clarify the how's and what's.
With the gift giving season so close, many of you have questions about my bookbinding kits. So, let's see what we have here:
A bookbinding kit is a complete kit - supplies and instructions- to make a book. You can make a book/ journal/ album yourself to give to your loved one, or you can buy the kit as a gift for someone who is creative themselves to make their own book.
Once a teacher, always a teacher, so my instructions are detailed and aim to help you understand the mechanics behind bookbinding and not just compile the kit. I love when people contact me to show their second, third, fourth book, and I know that they started with one of my kits!
What you need to decide before buying one of my kits are the following:
👉 Do I have some experience in book binding, or this is my first book? Am I a crafty person and I confidently use my x-acto knife and ruler?
If your answer is no, I would suggest that you start on a
non-glue binding kit, like the one in the photo. It is easier to bind and is very forgiving to rookie mistakes.
What is even better with this kit is, that there is a lot room to express your own creativity. Each of the journals of the photo were made by my students, in the same session. Each one adapted the binding to their style and personality.
👉 I promise that I will read your instructions and watch your video, before trying to compile the kit. I am an experienced crafter, or I am good on following the steps described, without skipping parts or improvising my own shortcuts.
If your honest answer is
yes to this question and you will not cheat afterwards, then you can deal with a
full case binding. The kit will make a hardcover book and you will learn the why's and how's along the way. There are
several kits of this type - I will explain the differences among them in a following post.
In all kits you can choose the color of the cover and the type of paper that best suits your style (writing or watercolor).
There are several add-ons that you can buy along with the kits:
Tools or Extra Paper. All are nice to have and make your life easier, but nothing you cannot leave without - pinkie promise!