I created this scrapbook for a long-time friend who is living in Kansas for a bit. She wants to make her son a scrapbook with photos, notes from school, drawings, etc. They will all fit nicely in here. His name is on the front within the state of Kansas...and just for fun, the dot of the "i" is about where they live. I'm excited to see it once she has it all put together!
Want something nice and simple to carry your tablet of paper and pen in? Introducing this new design for a 5 x 7 inch pad plus a pen! It is made from reclaimed leather and closes with a leather tie or heavy duty snap. The sleeve on the left will fit a folded 8.5 x 11 sheets of paper, and there is a place for business cards. On the right, there is a pen holder and a holder for the pad of paper. It will come with both a pad of paper and pen. The particularly nice thing about this design is that because the leather is soft, you can fold both the flap and left side back so that you can easily hold it in one hand. It is great for note-taking as well as having notes available during a presentation or meeting. I offer the 8.5 x 11 size as a custom order. Just contact me if you are interested!
This is a Custom Large Refillable Journal created from reclaimed leather and a very special closure. It closes with a button made from one of the customer's Jacob sheep horns. She is a shepherdess to that breed and wanted to include a piece of her in the book. It turned out so lovely, and she even sent me a couple extra to use, which was very cool of her.
Here is what she had to say about it: "A great job on this custom made journal! Melissa used one of my sheep horn buttons for part of the closure. Such a nice touch to what will be a daily used item. Highly recommend this shop! THANK YOU!!!"
Ed Lawrence put together a collection of 120 photographs, each one taken from one of the 120 counties in KY. He began a kickstarter campaign to gather the funds to publish it and wanted to offer hand-bound editions for those who pledged over a certain amount. We ended up creating five limited editions of his photographs that were printed on archival, handmade paper and then hand-bound to reclaimed leather. The closures were created by another artist and have the recipient's names on them. While I was only involved with the hand-bound book aspect of this project, it was still quite an undertaking. I have to say that these are the thickest books I have bound so far. I'm incredibly pleased with how they turned out. While these handbound books were a limited edition, the published copies of Kentucky 120 should be available in March. They will be available at Morris Book Shop in Lexington, KY among other places. You can contact Ed Lawrence for more details at edlawrencephotography@gmail.com.
SOWING LIGHTNING
Seize
Bolts of lightning from the sky
And plant them in fields of life.
They will grow like tender sprouts of fire.
Charge somber thoughts
With unexpected flash,
You, my lightning in the soil!”
― Visar Zhiti
This design was a custom sketchbook that a couple wanted to gift their friend with. The recipient loves purple, and Lady Gaga (hence, the lightning), and has peace, love, and equality tattooed on herself. While it was a delight to create, I couldn't shake how large these lightning bolts were. They definitely felt electric! It began these ongoing thoughts regarding electricity and charge and shock. All of these can be quite helpful in waking someone up....like REALLY waking someone up...on a deep, deep level. I am grateful for these moments, the ones where I'm forced to see truth and deal with reality. When I allow it, it urges me back to my center where I am ultimately wanting to live from anyway.
One of the really beautiful things as of late is all the stories I am hearing in regards to these little book ornaments. This season in particular, people are sharing why they are purchasing a memory book ornament. Some are literally in memory of people's passing, some are to commemorate a child's newfound love for reading, and one person's son is a brain cancer survivor and finds writing to be therapeutic. Many are going to grandkids from their grandparents. All of them are being purchased with great intention and good will...and I'm sending love out with each one of them and to each of you this holiday season. May we all be conscious of each other as we prepare for, navigate, and enjoy the holidays.
This is a custom turkey feather journal created from reclaimed leather, handmade paper, and turkey feathers. Turkey Medicine is particularly significant for me so creating this journal definitely felt like a sacred task.
Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.
-Berthold Auerbach
Things have been non-stop around here with art shows back-to-back. Still, that is no excuse for having not taken a before picture of this journal...well, I guess I kind of am using it as an excuse ;) Let's just put it this way: This is a custom-made journal that was made out of a lady's favorite purse that had fallen apart. I used the outside leather as well as some of the lining and combined it with walnut brown leather to create this one-of-a-kind journal. In a sense, she will continue to get use out of her purse (such a great color!) as she begins to record her dreams and reflections in her new dream journal.
When I dream of an animal or come upon a particular animal repeatedly, I often look up the Native American meanings behind it. It can be called "animal medicine" or "animal totem". The idea is that
animals have lessons to teach us and can help act as guides just by the way they are "being" in the world. I recently created a custom journal with a turtle on it. The recipient wants to use the journal to record his dreams in and told me that the turtle is important to him. It made me curious as to what turtle medicine is all about. Here is a little bit that I found:
Turtle symbolizes both new beginnings and endings. It is through the ending of something that allows space for something new to arise. This ending may be of an outer circumstance or a change or shift that occurs within ourselves.There may be a sense of loss or even grief over what has passed and yet it is through the energy of Turtle who is very long lived and thus very wise, that we can come to understand why something did need to leave our lives. Turtle can help lead us to that space where we can finally move on, to let go of what has been, celebrate it for the gifts it gave us and finally to turn and head for a new shore.
You can find this information and more about turtle medicine here.
take it all one day at a time and enjoy the journey
This refillable leather gig planner/journal was specifically designed for famous Flat-foot dancer Paul Anderegg. He has used many planners and journals over the years during his workshops and performances, but none of them were able to meet all his needs. This design was created to solve that problem. It fits a 5 x 7 notebook or a 5 x 8 planner and can be refilled year after year. It also has two business card holders, two pen holders, a wrist and finger holder feature, a place for storing CD/DVDs and a pocket for folded 8.5 x 11 loose papers. It closes securely with a snap. The flap on the front can be used as a nameplate that you can either add your name or initials to or have me hand-stitch them. It will be a perfect fit for speakers, teachers, performers, and musicians alike. It is now available exclusively in Paul Anderegg's online store.
Here is the newest community journal/sketchbook at Coffee Times Coffee House! You can find it on one of the tables. Feel free to share your thoughts, a favorite quote, or create some sketches. It's 8.5 x 11 with 450 recycled pages and was created from a coffee bag from Coffee Times. Please enjoy when stopping by for a cup of java!
This custom sketchbook was created from a discarded encyclopedia cover. The textblock is recycled, acid-free paper that is hand-torn. And, yes... there is a black ribbon added as a built-in bookmark.
This bright remnant leather was discovered by a customer who wanted to have some custom orders created for her out of it. She has bought several of my products before, but decided that she wanted something for herself this time. She loved the mixing of the aqua and purple, which we did a bit of on each of the pieces. The refillable planner has leather flower on the front and also a small inside pocket for her post-it note booklet. She obviously likes to keep ongoing lists like me! The colors were so fun to work with, and we were both delighted by the outcome.
Here is her response:
"They came!! They came!!!! My oh my~~I LOVE THEM!!!! It's almost as if you read my mind. They are perfect. Thank you!!! ( and yes I will be keeping these for myself. ;) ) "
This Custom Leather Portfolio is for a dear customer who has bought from me multiple times for gifts, bought a few products for herself, and follows me at shows. She is so supportive, and always makes it fun when she wants a custom piece made. This portfolio is for her as she embarks on a new job. She wanted a mix of blues with a pop of yellow inside. We added the business card holder inside as well, which turned out to be the perfect addition.
These are a couple of custom leather journals that I made for a lady and her friend. It was fun to work with her to get the colors and details exactly like she wanted. What isn't shown is a letter to her friend on the first page of the journal that she was giving to her friend. Here is here response:
"They are here, they are here! My journals are absolutely gorgeous! You do amazing work, Melissa! Thank you so much... they are worth every penny! When I met you at your first show, I knew then, that you would have great success. Congratulations to you and the wonderful artist you have become. Thanks again-- I'm sure I will have future orders!"
This was a fun one to create! One of my neighbors, who is also an artist, had me create this rugged, manly journal for her husband for their 1st year wedding anniversary. She had just found out that he kept notes throughout the day in a little notebook of things that he wanted to remember to share with her. She surprised him with this gorgeous, earthy journal. Here is what she had to say:
"Thank you, Melissa, for making this gorgeous journal for Ron for our first anniversary! Now he has a place to write down all those things he wants to remember to tell me. And he recently acquired tiny little journals that his grandfather and father kept. So this turned out to be perfect!"
This custom rugged leather bird journal was created in collaboration with a customer who asked simply for a large, earthy journal that had a flying bird on it. She left the details up to me, and this was what came of it. I loved these colors together, and it reminded me of this poigenet Rumi quote:
“God turns you from one feeling to another and teaches by means of opposites
so that you will have two wings to fly, not one.” ― Rumi
