Paste n' Paper

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Dream of the Endless

So I'm posting something a little different, as this is just a concept sketch at this point and I'm not sure if I should go ahead in making it.

Ever since I saw Dream of the Endless wearing this in the Sandman comics, I've wanted to make something based on it. I spent a lot of time poking and prodding and finally have a concept for a reusable journal cover that I'm happy with.

The black void down the middle would be the spine of the journal.

If you're not familiar with my work, you can see my previous posts where I made Totoro, Hades, and Mass Effect themed reusable journal covers. I quite like this one and think it's perfect for a fan who is familiar with the comic or just as a cool cover design for those that aren't.

However, all those little bits and pieces are going to be a LOT of work to glue down. So I've been hesitating in actually making this into a reality. So I guess I'm posting because I'm looking for...validation? Excitement? Discouragement? Any of those would help me to decide if I should keep pushing forward on this idea or set it aside for another time and place.

If you see this, would you mind giving me your thoughts, good or bad? Thanks!

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I’m so excited to reveal photos of the finished commission that I worked on last month. I was asked to make some paper art based on the promo images for the movie Kingsman: The Secret Service with a twist, and it turned out even better than I had dared hope. The final piece is 12" x 16", which was a very good size to work with. But even then, some of the smallest elements on the pens were only 1mm thick. I tried hard to capture the texture and depth that was in a piece like this, but its one of those things that you really have to see in person to believe. I think my favourite part was the filigree and crown molding. It was a last minute addition and it just made everything pop. As always, I love doing custom work. Send me a message if you’d like to discuss a special project!

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New journals inspired by the Supergiant game Hades are now available!

I loved this design so I had to make it in two different versions - A reusable cover and a coptic stitch with the gradient spine. Really pleased with the final outcome of both of them.

Now up on my site, link in my bio.

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I'm still so proud of these journals. I get very excited at markets when people recognize the game, then point and declare "Hades!".

As a side note, I'd love to make more gaming themed journals. But I don't have a lot of time to prototype new designs. So if you have a specific game you'd like to get a journal for, just send me a message. I would love to custom make something based on your favourite game!

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I was so excited when, after posting about the first copy of this fic I bound, I was contacted by one of the authors about getting their own copy.

We went with the black bookcloth because this was a known quantity for me. It made it so I was able to add the title and author names to the front cover!

I do this sort of lettering with paper, which may seem counter intuitive to some, especially those that use vinyl. But I use a thin paper that means there isn't much of an edge around the letters, and it's glued using book binding pva, so it's strong, flexible, and designed to bond well to traditional bookcloth. That means it has no acidic adhesive, like some vinyls, and won't yellow or crack or damage the bookcloth and cover in 10 or 15 years.

The downfall is that it can be a little more delicate than vinyl, and I can't add it to this type of spine. You can see in the video the spine is very flexible, and the paper itself would wear out with repetitive opening and closing. But a dust jacket would easily fix this, and I think the author has plans to eventually get one.

I personally think this second copy turned out even better as I had more knowledge under my belt. Very pleased and so honored to have been given some beautiful comments once it was received.

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A few months ago I was asked by a client to bind Something In The Orange by @randomwordsandstormydays and @insomniamemoirs and I was happy to take on the commission (with permission from the authors).

This is by far the largest book that I've ever made. The final total was 528 pages, and even using relatively thin paper it still ended up as a hefty book.

I learned a lot making this and it's helped me to learn what does and doesn't work for formatting and binding a book of this size.

I was very happy with how the typesetting turned out on this. I'm not in the CoD fandom, so I worked closely with the client to make sure that the formatting and images worked with the story. They seemed very happy with the final result.

The one thing that I wish I had the skill to do would have been to make a dust jacket for this. The checkerboard book cloth is gorgeous, but I don't work with vinyl so I couldn't get the title on the cover. Something to think about for future projects.

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New in 2024, leather bound long stitch journals!

I've been wanting to try my hand at journals like this for a while. A few months back I got approached to make a wedding guest book out of leather, and it became the catalyst I needed to try my hand at this. These are me working my way up to that large size wedding book.

The two books with the wrap ties are already claimed, but the snap closure will be coming with me to my next market, unless one of you snatches it up first.

I'm also open if you'd like to get something custom made! Because I'm just starting out, my leather supply will be unpredictable. This leather is already used up. But I can get different colors, just send me a message. I'd like to place an order in the next few days, so if you catch me I can get you just what you're looking for.

If you've read this far, thanks for all your support in 2023. I'm looking forward to pushing my creativity and skills in 2024. I hope you'll stick with me!

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This fabulous marbled reusable journal got snapped up a couple of markets ago, but I really wanted to show it off anyways.

I have more of this paper available, but I just haven't had time to swatch it on my site. So if you'd like one of these of your own, drop me a message!

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I repurposed this cover from another journal (a 2023 dated planner) and turned it into this fun envelope book. It has alternating green and purple envelopes that would be perfect for keepsakes from travelling.

I love making these, and it's always a delight when someone opens them up at a market and realizes there are envelopes inside!

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A new undated planner now up on the site! 60 weekly spreads, blank monthly calendars at the front, empty graph pages at the back. All with plenty of room to schedule things your way.

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Just another custom journal that was mailed out a while ago. The matching thread and elastic was a treat.

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I just added this beautiful rainbow journal to my site. Photos do not do justice in showing the intense shine of the gold and silver on the cover. Feel free to check it out along with all my other beautiful handmade journals.

#stationery #rainbow #notebook #journal #handmade #sketchbook #handbound #pastenpaper

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I just want to say thank you to all of you who ordered a Hades journal from me in the past 2 weeks. The enthusiasm for these has been so amazing!

This batch (plus one more reusable journal that had already been mailed) have all gone out and I hope their new owners love them as much as I loved making them.

The reusable in the back is one of my favourites because I modified it for a customer who's first language writes right to left. Most of my journals can be modified like this. Just leave a message during checkout and I'll make the change!

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Marbled Reusable Journal with Blank Insert

I'm still working hard on all these custom journals people have ordered recently. While I wait for people to pick up their orders so I can post pictures, let me show off this custom order that I made last month.

I love this blue marbled paper so much. The gold is striking and it reminds me of geode slices I used to have as a kid.

I only have enough of this paper to make one more journal and then it might be some time before I manage to order more. So if it speaks to you, now is the time to contact me for a custom journal of your own!

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While I work through my current orders, here are two custom journals that I made a couple of months ago. They were ordered with split inserts which give the recipients lots of options when they're using them.

I'm always open to help you design the perfect stationery for your needs. Just send me a message!

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Just a quick post of the unique paper on this undated planner. It's hard to capture but the silver and gold bits catch the light beautifully.

Available!

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Hi! I saw your Hades journal and was immediately hit by Aphrodite, because I think I'm in love!!

Unfortunately, I'm not very familiar with journals, because I'm more of an artist than a writer. I have many questions. I hope that's alright.

On bindings: will the reusable cover lie flat without breaking the spine? Do coptic bindings always lie flat on the table, or only when using the center pages?

I've found that finished pencil drawings are much less likely to smear over time in bound notebooks than spiraled. Do you have any experience with this in coptic notebooks?

Finally, I haven't worked with the paper weight you use. Do you have any bleed tests? (pen, sharpie, highlighter). I'm assuming it wouldn't take alcohol markers or watercolors well.

Sorry for the long ask!

Hi there! I hope you don't mind me answering this publicly, but you had some great questions and I thought the answers might benefit other people as well.

So both the reusable journal and the coptic journals lay flat. That was a big deal for me - I hate fighting with a journal to get it to stay open. The exposed stitching means that they open completely at the spine no matter where in the journal you open it. Flat is subjective because if there is only a few sheets on one side and the rest of the journal on the other it's going to lean slightly. See the photo below of the coptic journal.

As far as smearing, I don't have a conclusive answer to that as I don't personally use them for art. I will say that because of the stitching, the pages don't shift up and down like they would with a spiral bound books. They are much closer to a hardback sketchbook than a spiral bound sketchbook in how solid they feel.

Finally, I use Canson Sketch paper in most of my journals. It's 65lb/96gsm with a very slight tooth. I chose it specifically because it has a good balance both for writing and drawing, has a good hand feel (texture is important to me), and doesn't break the bank so I don't have to charge an arm and a leg for my journals. You're right, it's not rated for wet mediums like alcohol markers or watercolors. Here are two photos of a quick pen test. The first is the front, the second is the reverse side so you can see the bleed/ghosting when the pages are stacked.

That being said, I'm always willing to make custom changes. So if you're looking for a thicker paper that's something we can do, just for a little extra cost.

I hope that helps!

And to anyone else, my asks are always open. I'm here to make sure you get the journal that is just right for your needs!

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New journals inspired by the Supergiant game Hades are now available!

I loved this design so I had to make it in two different versions - A reusable cover and a coptic stitch with the gradient spine. Really pleased with the final outcome of both of them.

Now up on my site, link in my bio.