leather books

I learned how to bind books in college and instantly fell in love. I remember spending a lot of my Saturday mornings hanging out in the empty classroom taking advantage of the amazing paper cutter. I made a lot of books that semester, many of which I still use.

When my best friend Jocelyn and I realized that we both took that class and knew how to book bind, it was a match made in heaven. We started to collect supplies; Jocelyn supplied the pretty paper and I found the perfect source for leather: my father.

I might have to tell you a little about my father at this point. He can do anything (and often does). Sometimes he thinks of something and then makes it (gee, I wonder where I get that from?). He learned how to make fly rods a few years back and has since taught the entire family. He taught himself how to fix cars and has spent a lot of time in our garage trying to keep our Ford Tauruses going. He picked up woodworking and has made our kitchen table, bookcases, bed frames, cribs, and jewelry boxes.

A few Christmases ago for the Spencer family Christmas craft, I taught the family how to make books using leather as the cover, and my dad instantly fell in love. He is actually really good at this and loves to make them in his spare time. My dad had part of a cowhide, which we used, but we knew we had to find more leather. Then came my dad's brilliant plan. As part of his job he drives around the state and often passes a local show factory. One day he stops in and just asks them if they ever sell leftover leather. Nope, they give it away for free. So he walks into an entire ROOM of leather scraps and fills up an entire bag full. Every once in awhile my dad will send me a huge box of leather, all different colors and textures. This is what supports my book making.

So with a box or two of leather and some paper, Jocelyn and I set about to get back into book binding. After making a few books, we came upon this ingenious way to make really small journals in only about 30 minutes (as opposed to 2-5 hours for each journal). We haven't made books together in awhile, but I still pull out my supplies and make books every few weeks. Below are some examples of the journals I have made.