I think we’ve all heard some version of the saying that constraints can be great for creativity. I was faced with a constraint of sorts recently – what do I do with […]
Pocket notebooks – So cute and the power of constraints
5 tools that will help you do bookbinding a lot faster
Making a book using your hands takes time and a lot of patience. There are a lot of steps involved, and each step needs to be executed with a certain level of […]
DIY books – How to avoid your book boards from warping using “drumming”
As a bookbinder-in-the making, an issue that I struggle with when making hard cover books is the problem of the book boards warping after the book is allowed to dry for a […]
What to do when your product has a small defect or an experiment does not go as planned
Does this happen to you? You painstakingly work on your product, paying attention to all the small little details, trying to make sure that you get the little things right. And then, […]
New Zen Scribbles journals ready for purchase!
I’ve been on a bit of a journal making marathon over the last few weeks. I source leather for my journals from a furniture designer on Etsy. He usually sends me large […]
The economics of selling handmade journals
Hmmm…..so what are the economics of selling handmade journals? Tl;dr Not great, especially if you’re making them in the US! Let’s use a simple leather handmade journal as an example. Something like […]
Burnishing leather edges – A quick way to make your DIY leather books look professional
As a self-taught (and still learning by the way!) bookbinder, I’m always looking for ways to give my leather bound journals a more finished look. Leather working is a field in and […]
How to add a bookmark to your DIY journal
You can make your DIY journal have its own inbuilt bookmark. Something like this, see the bookmark sticking out of the spine? Adding a bookmark is extremely easy, but you need to […]
How to convert any fabric into book cloth to cover your DIY books
If you’re into bookbinding, you probably find gorgeous materials every now and then that you wish you could use to cover your books, but you’re not sure how to. One of the […]
Neatsfoot oil – A super simple way to make your DIY leather products feel supple
I’m a completely self-taught bookbinder. As anyone who is into making books would know, working with leather is a big part of this craft. Leather is often the material of choice for […]
Sonali Mangal 