This customer wanted a gift for her husband, an old style PDA (or PPA in this case). Damp leather and a warm die create this darkened blind deboss. One page pair for each letter and some blank pages for notes in the back make up the content.I met here the other day at one of my workshops and she told me her husband refused to believe it was hand made. I'm not sure whether I'm offended or proud.
This content was provided by a Boulder, CO area personal historian. Dreaming Mind coordinated with her graphic designer to insure the provided printed page would fold properly for binding. Her stylish design includes a chocolate/rich brown leather binding, photo inset on the front cover and gold titles.
This annual job, a portfolio of industrial properties in Mexico, features a blind deboss of the company logo on the front cover. Blind debossing is a popular option for all my leather products. Inside are location maps, aerial photos, floor plans and property specifications printed from the customers PDF files.
Details of personal histories bound for Narrative Arts of Boulder, CO.
On his 75th birthday this customer's staff secretly printed his entire career output of patents for medical devices. Bound in 4 volumes and collected in a slip case. The case is dark green goat skin, the books are green goatskin and mohair black cloth. These books were bound from cut sheets printed on both sides.
John Berendt first got in touch for a custom formatted date book in 2006. Working from one of his past diaries which he had drawn and dated by hand, we worked through several revisions to arrive at this design. It's stood with minor changes ever since.Each spread shows one week with John's preferred holidays and 5 month blocks at the bottom; 1 past, the current month, and 3 future months. The facing page is for notes.
Transcribing from faded typewriter pages, often relying on the indent of the letters rather than the ink image, this customer reclaimed her Grandmother’s remarkable writings from the 1930’s. After several months of cooperative effort, my customer writes:
I just returned from my great-aunt’s 100th birthday party and want to thank you again for the beautiful job you did printing and binding those copies of Master to Disciple...I could not have accomplished nearly as much without your partnership, skill, and experience on this project. I am very, very proud of what we have done. LF
Most of the book cloth used at Dreaming Mind has too much texture to take hot-stamped foil titles well. A good alternative is a leather label. This label is on a clamshell box which houses a first edition a binding classic.
This life story compiled by a Colorado Personal Historian was accompanied by digital materials that supplement the text. A pocket and Tyvek sleeve keep the CD neatly in the back of each book. I made the pocket open toward the spine so there is no risk of the CD sliding out unexpectedly.
As Valentine's day approaches, so do orders for bindings of love poems. Sometimes, as in this example in full terra cotta goat skin, it's a husband's writings for his wife. I've also had occasions where one partner secretly had their partner's work bound as a gift.