New Coptic-bound journal sizes



If you've been checking out my Etsy shop and facebook page lately, you might have noticed that I've introduced some new sizes into my product line. Throughout most of 2010, my sizes consisted of the large square, the medium vertical, and the mini. I've since started making my Coptic journals (which are also perfect for wedding guest books or sketchbooks) in three new sizes.

Sometimes it can be a little tricky to pick out the right size when shopping online, so I wanted to take a few photos showing all of my sizes that you can use for comparison. Hopefully this helps, and if I can answer any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. The dimensions of my journals are listed below.

Sizes of Coptic bound journals:
Large Square --- 8" x 8"
Large --- 6" x 9"
Medium --- 5" x 6.5"
Medium Horizontal --- 6.5" x 5"
Small --- 3" x 4.5"
Mini --- 2.5" x 3.5"



Which size do you like best? How would you use one of my handbound journals in your favorite size?

Orange and blue guest book


This Coptic-bound guest book is another custom book that was given as a Christmas gift.  I can't tell you how exciting it was for me on Christmas Day to know that people all around the country -- some that I know, but mostly people I've never met -- were receiving books that I made with my own two hands.  I put so much care into each and every book that I make, and I hope this makes receiving one of my books so much more special than a mass-produced item.


When Beth contacted me through my Etsy shop, she was drawn to a similar book I had made using this orange spirograph paper for the covers.  (It's one of my favorite papers as well!)  She wanted me to create a custom guest book for some friends but was curious if I could make a horizontal book and if I could print lines on the pages. 


Up until this point, all of the books in my collection had either been vertical or square, and they all had blank pages.  But I ended up loving the way that this book came out and I've made several books in a similar format since then.  I'm please to announce that I will be adding this type of book to my repertoire, and the first book in my new collection has been added to my shop.  Click here to see my new lined, horizontal journal in red.   

Mission accomplished



If you remember back to my first post of 2011, I made a New Years resolution to make at least 20 books per month. Knowing how busy I've been lately, I was a little worried that this goal might be too lofty and that I wouldn't have enough time to make all the books I'd planned to. But somehow I managed not only to reach, but to surpass this goal.

During the month of January I made the 32 books pictured here, in addition to two custom books which I will feature on my blog soon. I made 13 Coptic-bound journals (which also work well for wedding guest books and sketchbooks), five Italian Long-stitch books, and a slew of pamphlets, softcover concertina notebooks, and hardcover sculptural concertina books.

About half of these books are bound for a few local shops that sell my work, and the others will be listed in my Etsy shop over the next week.



I'm already looking forward to the books I plan to make in February. I'll be focusing on making more Italian long-stitch books with suede, leather, and cardstock covers. I'll also be making some new photo albums, which sold out during the holidays.

For the bride and groom



My husband and I surprised his cousin, Joy, and her fiance, Chris, with this book a few days before their Key West wedding.  I don't think Joy and Chris had any idea that I'd been working on a book for them, or that their family members had been secretly gathering photos for me to place in the book.



I chose bright tropical colors for this book, with a fun circular print inside for the endsheets, which I felt matched the tone for their sunny beach wedding. Photos are attached to all of the pages with photo corners, starting with a photo taken on their first date. I think guests enjoyed flipping through the book at the reception and seeing photos taken on their vacations abroad, their engagement weekend in Arizona, and their visits to vineyards closer to home.



Wedding guests wrote messages to Chris and Joy throughout the book next to the photos placed on the pages. My husband and I both signed near photos of them taken at our wedding a year earlier. So often when I complete a custom order, I ship the book off in pristine condition with blank pages waiting to be filled with photos and messages. This book was the first guest book I made for a wedding that I attended. It was so exciting for me to be able to see this book as it was was filled with memories, and to include my own message to the bride and groom on pages that I bound by hand.



After the wedding, there were still a few pages with room for messages.  Joy and Chris had another celebration once they returned home from their wedding cruise to visit with everyone who wasn't able to make it for the big day.  I imagine after that gathering this book is now filled and will hopefully be a treasured keepsake for years to come.


As my husband was helping me fill the book with photos, it was his idea to leave the last page blank so Joy and Chris could include a wedding photo in the book as well. I thought it was a great idea because now the book documents their whole journey from budding romance to wedded bliss.

Sunny yellow treasury

I was just featured in a beautiful Etsy treasury, and it was too gorgeous not to share.  I'm loving all of the bright sunny colors, and my yellow Italian long-stitch journal is in good company.  Click on any of the photos for more info about the item.  Enjoy! 

'Daffodil Fields ' by sstormster1


$6.00

$28.00

$28.00

$25.00

$38.00

$12.00

$22.00

$19.00

$28.00

$32.00

$4.50

$72.00

$26.00

$25.00

$24.50
Treasury tool is sponsored by Lazzia.com.

Congratulations, Joy and Chris!


On this chilly winter day, it's hard not to think back on my tropical getaway from November. My husband's cousin, Joy, planned a fabulous destination wedding and we were lucky enough to be able to attend. The whole family set sail on a cruise leaving from Charleston, SC and heading to two ports in the Bahamas before arriving in Key West. There, Joy and Chris said "I do" on a beautiful Saturday morning just a few feet away from the ocean. It was such a lovely backdrop for the ceremony (and all of the guests enjoyed dipping our toes in the water before heading off for a delicious lunch reception).



Our gift to the couple was a handbound wedding guest book, pictured above. The book doubles as a photo album, and Tony helped me to fill it with plenty of photos of Joy and Chris. With the help of some sneaky relatives who helped track down all of the photos, we were able to include photos of Joy and Chris's first date, their travels together around the globe, their engagement, and many more. Wedding guests enjoyed flipping through the photos and selecting which page on which to write their congratulatory messages. Check back later this week for a more in-depth post about this wedding book with lots of photos.


And now for a few more photos from our trip, as I reminisce about our tropical adventure and look forward to the warmer days ahead.

The photos above were taken in Key West as Tony and I enjoyed splashing in the ocean after the wedding ceremony.


Despite the overcast weather during our day in Freeport, Bahamas, we made the most of our day at the beach.


Before one of the formal dinners on the cruise ship, we stepped outside to take a few photos together as the sun was setting (and the wind was blowing). This is one of the only photos from that evening where we don't look completely windblown.

Saying goodbye



At the end of the month, I'll be saying goodbye to my former portfolio website. Designed during my senior year of college, my website was filled with examples of my photography, graphic design, drawing, painting, and handmade books. I spent months tweaking and perfecting the design of the site, but once I graduated I neglected to update it with new work. And aside from the outdated portfolios, both the design and domain name prominently featured by maiden name. Now that I've been a happily married woman for a year and a half, it's high time for me to let go of kathryngarner.com.



Although my work will no longer be available on my former website, you can now view my updated portfolios right here at linenlaid&felt. You can access my graphic design and fine art portfolios in the links section of the left sidebar. My photography portfolio can be viewed on flickr.



I will continue to post photos of my new handbound books regularly on this blog, but you view some of the books I bound in Italy and during college as part of my Flashback series.  You can also view some new photo slideshows of my work by clicking on the handmade books and custom orders tabs above.

Custom orders made easy



It's now easier than ever to place an order for one of my custom books! I've created custom listings in my Etsy shop for my journals, guest books, and albums in all of my standard sizes, which you can view right here. In each of those listings, you can see examples of previous custom orders in that style to spur ideas about the possibilities.

You can pick the colors and decorative paper used for your book, and I can also design a personalized label for you that I will place in a recessed cutout in the cover. The possibilities are endless, and I will work with you to make sure you get exactly what you want.

These custom listings are just the beginning. If you have a specific idea that doesn't fit into one of the categories here, just send me an e-mail to discuss your ideas: linenlaidfelt {at} gmail {dot} com.

You can also visit my new custom order page to view a portfolio of past custom work and to read the FAQs about ordering a custom book from me. 

Birds of a feather stick together



The two books in this post were both custom orders that were given as Christmas gifts this year. They were ordered by two different people in different states, but both customers were drawn to this particular paper for the covers. The paper is a textured, light blue paper featuring brown and gold feathers. (Or maybe they're pine needles? Everyone seems to have a different take on the design, so it's up for debate.) Either way, this paper is one of my favorites and has the ability to make any book more elegant.



The first book, personalized with the initials "CJR," was ordered by a man as a surprise gift for his wife. They both stopped by my booth at a local craft show this fall, and stayed to chat a while about my study abroad experiences in Italy while they learned about my work. The very next day, the man e-mailed me to place an order for a Christmas gift.

The couple travels a lot, and because his wife is an artist he wanted to give her a book that she could fill with her sketches as they visit different places throughout the year. I hope this book turns out to be the perfect place for her to record their travel memories.



I used the same color scheme for both books, but varied the paper choices for the endsheets and guards, using different selections of gold and brown papers.





The second book was ordered a month later at my trunk show in South Carolina. A mother ordered this journal as a gift for her son, who has kept journals all of his life. The book was personalized on the cover with his full name.

A journal for Gail


The order for this custom book was placed at my trunk show in November. After seeing a similar journal (which is now for sale in my Etsy shop), the customer wanted one just like it to give as a Christmas gift and she requested a personalized nameplate for the cover.

I used a smooth paper printed with a bold, modern floral pattern for the covers of this book. And the textured orange paper that you see along the spine? I made it by hand in Cortona, Italy! While I used some of my orange paper while still in Cortona, I brought a little stash of it back with me to the States. I recently rediscovered it and I've been putting it to good use ever since.