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 - book of shadows  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An exceedingly complex book of shadows that incorporates many different symbols requested by my customer including a very high-relief carved pentagram, ankh, and eye.  So much time went into creating the raised designs on the front and back covers.  The high-relief carvings on the front were carved from separate pieces of binders board set into a recessed area on the cover.  The raised leather detail surrounding the eye was created from layers of thin board and covered with hand pared red British book calf, waxed to intensify the color.  Perhaps the most unique feature of this book is the permanently-attached wrap-around leather flap that both conceals and protects the cover.  A hole had to be precisely cut through the wrap to reveal the eye on the front cover.  Challenging!  The natural edge of the leather was left on the edge of the flap for a natural look.  Raised cords on the spine, marbled endpapers, and satin ribbon page markers contribute to the classic feel of this book.  My customer also sent me some great artwork for the printed title page that had a hand-calligraphy look.  A custom clamshell box was created to further protect the book.  I love this one and love my customer on this project who both pushed me and let me try new techniques.

 

 please note:

 

the pigskin leather material used for some of the most intricate raised parts of these books is no longer manufactured but a softer version of this look could be achieved with currently-available materials

 

 

 


custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle pentagram and ankh with eye

 

complex book of shadows

     

- page size 9 and 1/4" wide by 11" tall 

- 200 pages (400 page sides to write on)

- pages are archival off-white paper

- printed title page

- seven satin ribbon page markers

- marbled endpapers

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

- raised pentacle and ankh on front cover covered with hand pared burgundy pigskin leather and accented with dark wax in the recessed areas

- cover wrap is burgundy goatskin leather lined with pigsuede

- resin taxidermy eye on front with hand pared red goatskin leather surround detail

- raised cords on spine

- spine cords outlined in pewter foil

- leather wrap closes with chrome stud closures

- custom clamshell box

- clamshell box covered in charcoal linen book cloth

- decoration on front cover added using a custom metal die, hot foil stamping, and pewter stamping foil

- approximately $950 (book)

- approximately $175 (box)

 

custom burgundy leather intricate book of shadows with pentacle ankh and wrap cover back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols and leather wrap front 1

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols and leather wrap front 2

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols carved front detail

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols back cover with wrap on

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols back cover symbols

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols spine

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols marbled endpapers

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols printed title page

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols gray clamshell box closed

 

custom burgundy leather book of shadows with pentacle ankh eye symbols gray clamshell box open

 

 

 

This very large book of shadows was ordered by a customer who requested a raised pentacle on the front with a large eye in the center of a "vortex".  It took several weeks to figure out and carve this design, but I think I was able to get pretty close to my customer's request.  The book was so large that the only type of taxidermy eye that looked right on this scale was an elephant eye.  I like the unique grouping of the raised bands on the spine and the subtle pewter lines as the only foil accent.

 

custom oversized black leather book of shadows with pentacle pentagram and elephant eye

 

oversized book of shadows with pentacle and eye

     

- page size 12" wide by 15" tall

- I will not list the number of pages on this book since it is over the maximum number of pages I will currently put in a book; currently the maximum number of pages a book can have (if made by me) is 400 (800 page sides to write on)

- pages are archival off-white paper

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

- resin taxidermy elephant eye on cover

- raised cords on the spine

- spine cords outlined in pewter foil

- approximately $850

 

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custom black leather book of shadows with pentacle and eye front detail

 

custom black leather book of shadows with pentacle and eye front eye detail

 

custom black leather book of shadows with pentacle and eye flat

 

custom black leather book of shadows with pentacle and eye spine

 

This very invovled book of shadows was several months in the making.  My customer had a list of symbols he wanted included and he was willing to wait for me to make a custom sterling silver pin closure for this book (I am an intermediate-level metalsmith).  That detail made this into, essentially, two projects.  The book is bound in a 1/4 binding style with a different leather used for the spine.  That heavy goatskin spine leather was used again, riveted to the front and back edges of the book to create a very strong loop closure through which the silver pin slides.  The book has 5 ribbon page markers in the colors requested by my customer.  My customer provided the artwork for the printed title page.  My customer wanted the figures on the back cover to have a bit of a tribal tattoo look.  The phoenix and dragon are raised (cut by hand from thin tag board and applied to the cover before the leather is added and then worked down into the raised design as the glue dries) and then accented with silver pigment to accentuate the detail.

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver


book of shadows with ankh, pentacle, elemental symbols, phonenix, dragon, legbas, and hand-forged sterling silver closure pin

     

- pages are 8.5" wide by 11" tall

- pages are acid-free Cougar Opaque natural printed with light gray lines with college-ruled spacing

- 200 pages (400 pages sides to write on)

- British marbled paper endpapers

- 5 ribbon page markers

- printed title page (layout and design provided by my customer)

- cover is black pigskin leather, green goatskin leather, and black hand-pared goatskin (raised central symbols) over hand-carved binder's board, matte board, and tag board

- green goatskin accented with textured steel rivets that go all the way through the cover board

- raised phoenix and dragon on back cover accented with silver pigment

- legbas symbol on back cover added using a custom metal die, hot foil stamping, and silver stamping foil

- raised cords on spine outlined with blind stamped lines

- sterling silver pin closure on front edge hand-forged by me (soldered with silver solder) and created from sterling silver wire and sheet cut and formed into the arch and pentacle shape (customer wanted the symbol to have a rustic look)

- such a one-of-a-kind book with so many unique elements, including the hand forged custom made silver closure pin can only be quoted on a per-order basis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

book of shadows ankh pentacle phoenix dragon legbas elements leather silver

 

 

 



 

 

     
     

e-mail contact: tedra@fineblankbooks.com

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