Went to my first Bookbinding class over the weekend held by the wonderful Jo Kambourian from Ms Brown's Lounge. I am suspecting a future obsession with the sewing, ripping, gluing and folding of papers will ensue.

Having always had an appreciation for beautiful paper, a fascination for paper folding (though not origami strangely) and an endearment for bound books, I am not surprised that I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend of brain cell bashing as I learned some basics for making my own books. I have a huge desire to be able to offer my clients something handmade with love, instead of the same old industry presentation for wedding images and DVD's. I now believe with some practice and some imagination I will be able to achieve this...so excited!

These are my first attempts and it was so amazing to start with papers, boards, glue and thread and end up with a proper, turn the page book. It was like being a kid again and doing a craft project for the first time....wow, look what I made!

bookbinding 005 My first was a woven accordion book featuring photos of my nephling!

bookbinding 006 bookbinding 007 I can still take the pics out and I love that you interact with the book more than if you were just turning the pages...

bookbinding 008 bookbinding 009 bookbinding 010 We made a book featuring a decorative spine called a Rope Bind...

bookbinding 011 But my favourite was something called a Coptic Bind...this rocked my world...

bookbinding 001 I used wallpaper for this cover....loving the possibilities for recycling...

bookbinding 002 All hand stitched by me!

bookbinding 003 Recycled paper for the end papers...the stitching is exposed throughout the whole book....

bookbinding 004 It is a very zen practice and one that I think will be a good counterbalance to the often hectic pace of a photo shoot. Looking forward to exploring this fantastic art and seeing what I can create.

If you are interested in learning bookbinding, Jo presents workshops and is a brilliant teacher. She is generous with her encouragement, knowledge, resources and materials, goes at your pace and is able to explain things so you "get it". I am looking forward to my next chapter!