Handmade Journals for Sale
Our etsy shop went up this week! Check out images of what's there below, or, better yet, head over to the shop itself. There's still time to ship for the holidays (but not much, so hurry over!)
What about boxes?
When we think about bookbinding, the first thing we think about is often books. But handmade boxes are a wonderful treasure in their own right. One of our favorite structures, the Clamshell Box, has been used historically to preserve or present documents or photographs. Here at HSS we've created clamshells for a variety of purposes. Have a look: The same box, two different looks and purposes. The first functions as the library box for descriptions of Archery Summit's finest wines. The second is our own travel-size portfolio.
A personal project, this clamshell box is the home for a sonata written by Molly's grandfather.
Some variations on the clamshell box. The first shows a box fitted with an internal drawer and an album that fits above. The second is, well, just a really BIG version made to hold a selection of prints for amazing photographer Toni Greaves.
Our friend, photographer Lincoln Barbour, asked us to make a case for his wooden-covered portfolio (created by another company.) A clamshell box designed to coordinate (that includes an attached postcard pocket) works perfectly.
You can also see clamshell boxes sized to house our albums in our store. Or contact us to make one especially for you!
There's nothing before there's something
A visitor came into our studio today and we showed them our work. "Does this come smaller?" Yes, we said, we can make that smaller. "Does this come with more pages?" Yes, we can put in as many pages as you like. It occurred to me that they didn't realize that we make everything from scratch. As Molly often says, "There is nothing before there's something." So I thought I'd take a moment to share our raw materials and our process. (To see more of our process, and photos of us riding a bicycle built for one, visit our friend Lauren's blog.)
Book board comes in large sheets and is stored on the very bottom shelf (a.k.a. the floor.)
We source parent sheets of paper and then cut them to the page size requested (these start as 22" x 30")
Hinging tape and thread hold things together.
Boxes and book covers are fully constructed before they're covered (this is a slipcase with a recessed plaque area.)
Bookcloth (or paper or leather) can be used to cover the books and boxes.
Holes are drilled in covers, and cut pages are sewn in by hand.
A completed album and slipcase (with space for the client to tip in their own plaque.)
Questions? Email us, visit our Facebook Page, or check out people we've worked with to learn more.
Welcome to our new site!
You may know that Molly of Hinged Strung Stitched has been making gorgeous, handmade books and boxes for years. You may also know that Michelle joined the HSS party back in October. But you may not know what we've actually been doing for the past ten months.
Well, this is it!
(Or at least a BIG part of it.)
New site, new product line, new blog (new filing cabinet, new muffin recipes, new studio hula hoop...) These things mark the beginning of our next chapter, as well as the culmination of lots of hard work.
Thanks so much to Corey and Kortni at Exprima Media for building our site and being excellent to work with. Thanks to Lincoln Barbour for his amazing product photography, and to Lauren Brooks for her beautiful shots of our studio. We love you all very much.
In sum: big new things with even more new things to come.
Thanks for visiting!