I've been in a suspiciously good mood lately and itching to make something quite different for a change. This beauty of a book is the result of it all. I often wish I could marry my love for bookbinding and mixed media better, but as a bookbinder I'm usually too obsessed with durability and functionality to make it happen. But since vellum as a material is very durable, I decided in this case I could be a bit frivolous with the rest of the book.
The spine is cut from a 19th century document with both printed text and handwriting. (These legal documents aren't rare at all, so please don't be terrified by my chopping up of history.) I've used some reindeer vellum (or more accurately parchment, as vellum is a word traditionally reserved for parchment made out of calf/goat skin) in the past, but I've never been quite satisfied with how greasy it can remain after all my attempts at degreasing it. The reindeer vellum isn't made for bookbinding purposes, so properly degreasing it as it's made is most likely not a priority for the manufacturer. So by repurposing these old great quality vellum documents I get to make something beautiful out of something now practically useless, and as this vellum has lasted for 150 years in great condition, it's bound to last a good while longer if treated well.
The covers are made out of lovely greenish-brown waxed lokta paper I brought home from London. I can't decide if it looks more like leather or stone, but in any case it has a lovely soft, almost velvety feel to it.
More about another bookish mixed media project on Monday already! I'm working on an editioned artists' book in a very untraditional format.
PS. Don't forget today's the last day to apply for the one-on-one bookbinding feedback opportunity I'm offering to two lucky bookbinders on Instagram - check out this post for details! I have already received a dozen applications, but I've yet to check out anyone's work with feedback in mind. Having early favourites would only make my decision harder come tomorrow!