custom bookbinding - handcrafted - blank book - journal - wedding - bound email - guest book - scrapbook - photo album - diary - anniversary - clamshell box - book of shadows - fan fiction - rebinding

 

 

fineblankbooks.com

Tedra Ashley-Wannemuehler, bookbinder



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More information on the books pictured above can be found in the following galleries (clockwise from left):

Impala and motel sign (daytime) - gallery - intricate

Album with crab - gallery - intricate

Impala with motel (nighttime) - gallery - pop culture

Chevy Cheyenne - gallery - baby

3/4 binding sunflower with copper accent  - gallery - engagement

 

your idea + my craftsmanship = a one-of-a-kind heirloom

  gallery - architectural  

 

This book was created to record the names of donors who made it possible to rebuild a church in Juneau, Alaska.  The image on the front cover was designed by a church member and I turned it into a raised design that frames the title nicely.  The raised area is set into a square "frame" recess so that nothing sticks up above the level of the rest of the cover.  This book also has seven raised cords on the spine.  My customer decided on using pewter foil for the lettering and to outline the spine cords in order to keep the flashiness of the book to a minimum.

 

custom red leather church donation record book

 

church patron donation book*

     

- page size 8 and 1/2" wide by 11" tall

- 200 pages (400 page sides to write on)

- pages are acid-free lined off-white paper with light gray lines and college-ruled spacing

- dark gray satin ribbon page marker

- cover is red pigskin leather over carved binder's board

- lettering on cover added using moveable metal type, hot foil stamping, and pewter stamping foil

- raised cords on spine

- raised cords outlined with pewter foil lines

- approximately $295

 

*the red pigskin leather used on this cover is no longer manufactured or available, but a softer look could be achieved with a goatskin leather and a raised design like this one

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custom red leather church architecture donation book front detail

 

custom red leather church architecture donation book flat

 

custom red leather church architecture donation book spine

 

This book was commissioned by a congregation as a gift for their retiring minister.  The members of the congregation planned to write in the book and present it to the pastor upon his retirement.  The cover features several different types of goatskin leather.  The center of the cover features a church-door-like shape created using individual pieces of thin board covered with hand-pared leather and arranged like a puzzle inside the recessed cover area to form the door design.  The church's denomination emblem appears as a raised design on the front cover and in smaller versions on the cover corners and spine.  Raised spine cords and marbled paper add to the traditional look.

 

custom leather church door retirement book

 

church door retirement book

     

- page size 8 and 1/2" wide by 11" tall

- 200 pages (400 page sides to write on)

- pages are acid-free, off-white, lined paper with light gray lines and college-ruled spacing

- printed title page

- marbled endpapers in a black and tan swirl pattern

- cover consists of a variety of brown and tan goatskin leathers over carved binder's board

- inset elements on front cover are individual pieces of matte board covered with hand-pared goatskin leather

- raised cords on spine

- spine cords outlined with blind stamped lines

- cross decorations on cover added using a custom metal die, hot foil stamping, and copper stamping foil

- lettering on back cover added using moveable metal type, hot foil stamping, and blind stamping technique

- approximately $740

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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custom leather architectural church door retirement book front cover

 

custom leather architectural church door retirement book front cover cross detail

 

custom leather architectural church door retirement book front cover corner detail

 

custom leather architectural church door retirement book spine

 

custom leather architectural church door retirement book marbled endpapers

 

custom leather architectural church door retirement book open pages 

 

This journal is a small-scale anniversary journal where the couple will write on several pages every year on their anniversary.  My customer wanted a raised Celtic cross, a dark brown leather cover, and a natural feel.  This cross was carved as a rounded relief which gave it a very "carved from stone" look.  The outside of the book was kept simple and classic, but I added some lovely marbled endpapers with a rather surprising pattern.

 

custom dark brown goatskin leather celtic cross journal

 

raised celtic cross journal

     

- page size 6 and 1/2" wide by 8 and 1/2" tall

- 100 pages (200 page sides to write on)

- marbled paper endpapers

- raised cords on spine

- cover is dark brown goatskin leather over carved binder's board

- lettering on cover and spine added using moveable metal type, hot foil stamping, and blind stamping technique

- approximately $265

 

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custom dark brown leather celtic cross journal front detail

 

custom dark brown leather celtic cross journal spine

 

custom dark brown leather celtic cross journal marbled endpapers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This book was commissioned by a customer who wanted to mail it back and forth between himself and a friend of his so they could hand-write their adventures on its pages.  These friends met in the military and spent a fair amount of time in Las Vegas.  

The cover featuers a raised Las Vegas skyline that wraps from the front to the back cover.  The book clasp was forged by hand from copper wire and copper sheet, cut and soldered into the shape of the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign.  The sign posts pull up and out of the cover to allow the book to open.  The back cover features a raised outline of the United States with two cities important to these friends marked on the map, a dotted line linking them. About half the time necessary to make this book was taken with making the unique clasp.

a bit of a disclaimer:


the leather used to make this book cover is no longer made or available and I doubt I could achieve results this intricate with what is currently available in book leather, however, I love this book, and the idea behind it, so I'm keeping it in the gallery

 

it's always best to contact me to discuss your custom project

 

there is often a way


Las Vegas Nevada skyline burgundy leather journal front

 

 

las vegas, nevada journal with copper clasp

     

- page size 8 and 1/2" wide by 11" tall

- 250 lined pages (500 page sides to write on)

- 15 heavier unlined blank scrapbook pages spread throughout the book

- custom-printed endpapers

- raised cords on spine

- cover is burgundy goatskin leather over carved binder's board

- lettering on cover and spine added using moveable metal type, hot foil stamping, and satin copper foil

- clasp is hand-forged from copper wire and sheet, soldered to create the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign

- approximately $650

 

Las Vegas Nevada burgundy leather journal whole cover

 

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Las Vegas Nevada burgundy leather journal copper closure front

 

Las Vegas Nevada burgundy leather journal copper closure open

 

Las Vegas Nevada burgundy leather journal copper closure spine

 

Las Vegas Nevada burgundy leather journal copper closure back

 


 

 


 

 

 

 

     
     
     

e-mail contact: tedra@fineblankbooks.com

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