Ok…so – if you’ve ever tried to make your own hard cover leather journal, and you’re like me in that you’re self taught and you’re using whatever leather you can find to […]
I finally found a leather paring knife
Bookbinding excursions in Florence
I recently went on a one week trip to Florence, Italy – the heart of the renaissance, a city filled with gorgeous sculptures and art at every turn and corner. As a […]
An ode to keeping a travel journal
The Smell of Spices and History I open my leather journal and take a deep breath. The smell of spices and history wafts up from the pages, reminding me of my recent […]
Five more common mistakes to avoid during bookbinding and making DIY books
A long time ago, I wrote a post on six common mistakes to avoid when making your own DIY books. I had just started making my own books at the time, and […]
Pocket Notebooks – Capturing ideas on the go
Do you get ideas when you’re out and about – in your car, on a plane, while generally strolling somewhere or sitting in a cafe? How do you capture these ideas to […]
5 uses of leftover leather scraps from DIY bookbinding projects
You probably have a lot of leftover leather scraps, if you use leather for your bookbinding projects. Instead of throwing it away, here are 5 ideas of what you can do with […]
Bookbinding excursions in Tokyo, Japan
I’ve written in the past about how travel can be a great source of inspiration for whatever art or craft or hobby that you pursue. Travel exposes you to new ideas, new […]
Pocket notebooks – So cute and the power of constraints
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 […]
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 […]
Sonali Mangal 