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Hi Reader,
There’s something special about the objects we choose to keep.
A scrap of paper. An old photograph. A ticket stub. A bit of fabric. On their own, they may not seem like much. But gathered together, they can hold a surprising amount of memory.
That idea came up again and again during the Handmade Book Club's recent Artist Spotlight with Jane Chipp. Jane shared how she uses found objects and fragments to tell stories... not necessarily in a literal, beginning-to-end way, but by layering together pieces that carry a feeling, a memory, or a sense of a life lived.
It got us thinking about our own collections of little things. The bits tucked into drawers, slipped between book pages, or saved for no particular reason other than I can’t throw this away.
Maybe those fragments don’t need a grand purpose. Maybe they’re already doing something important: helping us remember, notice, and tell our stories in a way photographs and words alone sometimes can’t.
And perhaps that’s reason enough to give them a place on the page.
New on the Blog
If your creative space looks anything like mine, there is probably no shortage of things that could become a book. So rather than adding more supplies to the pile, let’s use some of it.
These bookmaking prompts are simple starting points meant to get you rummaging, experimenting, and turning what’s already around you into something new.
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Tip of the Week
Choose one detail to highlight
Instead of trying to make every part of a book special, choose one feature to shine: the stitching, the cover paper, the closure, the endpapers, or the shape.
Book of the Week
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This week’s featured book comes from Hannie Mommers. Her Asemic Writing Journal is full of beautiful layers, expressive marks, and intriguing contrasts. We adore how the paint, collage, and asemic writing come together to create pages that feel like they’re telling a fascinating story.
Beautiful work, Hannie!
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If you’re ready to move beyond the basics and keep exploring what handmade books can become, we’d love to have you join us inside the Handmade Book Club.
Ali's IG Shares
Warmly,
Ali & the VPD Team
