Bookstar Bindery

Bookstar Bindery Bookstar Bindery specialises in bespoke hand made wedding and baby albums as well as personalised notebooks. Contact us for info!

The notebook for Carrie Chan, Fine Art + Illustration was covered with incredibly soft lamb skin, had rounded corners a...
14/12/2020

The notebook for Carrie Chan, Fine Art + Illustration was covered with incredibly soft lamb skin, had rounded corners and a elastic to shut it tight!

Oh, hello there!Well it has been a year and... what a year!2020 was the year I was able to go back to bookbinding full t...
07/12/2020

Oh, hello there!
Well it has been a year and... what a year!

2020 was the year I was able to go back to bookbinding full time. I left Stockholm to move back to London, and start my job at Delta Design again!

Going back to bookbinding, not as a hobby but as a job has been the best move, despite the world collapsing due to Covid.

When I was in Sweden, I simply couldn't afford to be a bookbinder full time, and bookbinding ended up being my hobby. Now that I work as a bookbinding again, it has been very interesting to see my hobby shift to drawing tiles and watercolours. It helped me to keep sane and focused. And I am now even more of an advocate for arts and crafts as mental health relief.
You can follow my painting adventures at on on Instagram!

However, it means that Bookstar kinda ceased to exist. But I am keeping this page for my personal bookbinding projects!
The first one of which has now arrived safely in the hands of my friend, watercolour mentor and incredibly talented artist Carrie Chan, Fine Art + Illustration Have a look at her work, it will make your day better 😊

In the next few days I'll share pictures of the final book!
Pictured here, the paper - Fabriano Artistico cold press, 300 gsm, a stunning watercolour paper.

I know that quite a few fellow bookbinders and artists are following this page. I hope this year wasn't too hard on you.

Margot


Anyone who has been to south Spain will have fallen in love with their Azulejos, their beautiful tiles. I sure did.I cam...
06/12/2019

Anyone who has been to south Spain will have fallen in love with their Azulejos, their beautiful tiles. I sure did.
I came back from Sevilla a few weeks ago, and I was so amazing that I started drawing my own tiles, and taught myself to use watercolour to paint them. This has been a total new experience and I have loved it so much. True, it is not bookbinding, but it sends me in the same state - concentration. When I draw or paint those tiles, the world could collapse, I wouldn't even notice.
I am also very much inspired by https://instagram.com/bycarriechan?igshid=2kzf12aonrb4
who is a watercolour genius. I used her Instagram repeatedly for colour reference.

So after weeks of trying things out, I decided to make my own Christmas cards.
Each one of them takes me over 1h30 to finish, but they are definitely the best I have been able to create. Especially those 4.

It got me thinking - would anyone be interested in purchasing printed version of those cards?
I could do a folded version for easier writing.
Show your interest in a comment! And if enought of you are keen then I'll work at adding them to my etsy shop during the weekend!

Don't forget the 50% off in the shop actually! Link is in the bio. Perfect occasion to get handmade and unique Christmas gifts :) Have a lovely day!

3 beautiful projects from the past few months. I loved how the colours and materials complemented each others.Don't forg...
21/11/2019

3 beautiful projects from the past few months. I loved how the colours and materials complemented each others.

Don't forget the sale on etsy, 50% off everything!
Ideal for personalised, unique and handmade Christmas gifts!

Link in the bio!

Hello dear people!Long time no see. This year has been another one of those crazy year when bookbinding could not be a p...
18/11/2019

Hello dear people!
Long time no see. This year has been another one of those crazy year when bookbinding could not be a priority, unortunately. But things are about to change! I won't say anything more because I wouldn't want to jinx it. But I will update you all as soon as I can.

In the meantime, I need to do a clearout of the workshop. So I am organising a giant etsy sale. My WHOLE shop is 50%, first come first served. The code is CLEAROUT, but here is the direct link: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BookstarBindery?coupon=CLEAROUT

So if you ever wanted your own Bookstar notebook, or if you were looking for the perfect handmade gift for Christmas, it is time! Some of them can have a personalised title for free.

And I will try to share all the beautiful projects I have worked on those last few months soon.

In the past couple of days I have been playing with my new fonts! And I have loads of photos to share :)So let's start w...
05/06/2019

In the past couple of days I have been playing with my new fonts! And I have loads of photos to share :)
So let's start with this one. I've got a whole tray full of those weird symbols. They are very small, only a couple of millimeters high! And really cute!

I particularly love the little knife and fork, and also the little yin and yang which I just can't manage to block properly, because it is too small (that's the third one from the left on the top row)

However I have NO IDEA what the 3 first ones from the right and he 5th one from the right on the bottom row mean. And the little P in a circle (first from the left, bottom row) as well.

Any idea anyone?

In any case I'm having great fun reorganising and trying everything out. Such luck I have.

There are days when nothing seems right. Work is harder than usual, the weather isn't so great, you're missing your fami...
03/06/2019

There are days when nothing seems right. Work is harder than usual, the weather isn't so great, you're missing your family a bit more than usual... We all have of those days, I am sure you would agree.

Today was one of those. And then, I got a message from someone I do not know who turned everything around.

But let's rewind the clock 24h. Yesterday, I came back from my non-bookbinder job, and I have a message from a friend who sends me the link of someone who is giving away (yes!) "100 kg worth of bookbinding fonts". As you can guess, I was massively interested! Unfortunately there was someone ahead of me in the queue. I assumed immediately that this opportunity was gone - nobody was gonna give away their spot!

Back at today. The person ahead of me HAD given away their spot. And I am the one getting the fonts. Which were delivered to my door, tonight.

Now you understand how my day got better, right? I know have 10 new amazing fonts to block my books with. I am currently looking at them with all the love in my eyes. There are some tiny one, some big ones, some italic one, a bold one. There are weird symbols and tons of spacers. Each of the tray measures 80 x 45 cm. There are huge and I have no idea where I am gonna fit them in my tiny workshop. But... who cares?! This is incredible. Just incredible. I can't wait to put my machine on, try them out, see what works and what will be more trouble (I am guessing the two tiny 2 mm high one will be the tricky ones).

This man is called Gabriel, and the font used to belong to the grand father of his wife. He was a bookbinder and a book lover. When Gabriel got them this weekend, he knew that those needed to find a new loving home. I am hugely grateful for this man who understood the value of this, instead of throwing everything away. He went out of his way to find someone who would care for them as much as his wife's grandfather did. And oh, I am so happy this is me.

Thanks . I have no other words for you than thank you for ever.
Also thanks Martin for passing on the message!

Enjoying a bit of sunshine in Stockholm to take a picture of those books I am working on. What a palette of colours! And...
08/05/2019

Enjoying a bit of sunshine in Stockholm to take a picture of those books I am working on. What a palette of colours! And they all have different destinations, this is not a set :)
I am in love with them.
2 different sizes, 3 different materials!

LAST DAY OF THE COMPETITION!Tag one or more friend here or on the previous post, and if you both like the page, YOU will...
18/04/2019

LAST DAY OF THE COMPETITION!

Tag one or more friend here or on the previous post, and if you both like the page, YOU will have officially entered the competition!

The price is a totally bespoke A5 notebook!

Get tagging! And I hope that wherever you are, the sun us shining as much as in Stockholm

It only took a few hours but my etsy shop is U P T O D A T E! (And it is kind of a miracle!)To celebrate I have now a ...
10/04/2019

It only took a few hours but my etsy shop is U P T O D A T E! (And it is kind of a miracle!)

To celebrate I have now a 40% discount on most items in the shop (including a whole bunch of notebooks with customisable titles, the Crazy Cat Lady collection, and the Be A Unicorn collection)

Just follow this link : https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/BookstarBindery?coupon=HELLOSPRING
and the discount will be automatically added!

The sale will last until the 30th of April, so make the most of it while you can!
I hope you will find your perfect notebook in what is available 😊

Head to on Instagram to participate to the new competition!
04/04/2019

Head to on Instagram to participate to the new competition!

Another cute little project of those last few months -->A bespoke box to house a bow tie! The box is covered in black na...
03/04/2019

Another cute little project of those last few months -->

A bespoke box to house a bow tie! The box is covered in black napa leather and lined with Nepalese paper.

It was so much fun to make this. I always loved working with leather, and this box was no exception! And this paper is so cute...

Hello friends!It has been a while as I have been busy working and travelling!But I thought it was time to get back on tr...
01/04/2019

Hello friends!
It has been a while as I have been busy working and travelling!
But I thought it was time to get back on track with sharing some projects I worked on in the past few months!

So here is the first one. My super talented husband made a 3D model of the amazing illustrator 's Spidersona, and then 3D printed it.

And, well, it was a perfect excuse to create a bespoke box to house it!

So here it is. Lemme know what you think!
Concept art by
Model by (but only on twitter)
Box by

Here they are! Pictures of my little slipcase. I really wanted the outside to reflect the inside, so I toyed with all th...
02/09/2018

Here they are! Pictures of my little slipcase. I really wanted the outside to reflect the inside, so I toyed with all the coloured papers than I used for my little tabs.
What do you think?

Following the worried comment from a friend and fellow bookbinder, wondering how I was gonna protect my travel book, I i...
31/08/2018

Following the worried comment from a friend and fellow bookbinder, wondering how I was gonna protect my travel book, I initially answered confidently that I didn't care! It's a travel book! It has to live with me, and it does not matter if it get scratched or kinked along the way!

Well. I still believe in that, but... I decided to give my beautiful book a layer of protection anyway, and made it a slipcase.
It was not only the occasion to create a bit more for myself, but also the occasion to make a slip case, as it's been a while since I last made one.

Now my book will live a bit better.

The light is terrible today, so I won't share anymore picture. I'll take some as soon as possible and post them here!

Also, 8 days before departure! Woop!

And here it is 😊My husband and I are going for a big road trip around North America in precisely 17 days (yes I am count...
22/08/2018

And here it is 😊

My husband and I are going for a big road trip around North America in precisely 17 days (yes I am counting), starting with my ultimate dream - New York!

When I travel, I keep everything as souvenirs. Receipt, museum tickets, luggage tags... you name it, I keep it. I always plan to make a box for them, and never do. So this time, I decided that I needed to be better and actually collate everything as I go along. Like I did for London all those years ago!

This is why I made tabs for this travel journal - the spine has now the capacity to hold tons of added papers in it.

It is A5, bound in pink calf Nappa leather. The pages are made with Fabriano 200 gsm white ecological paper. The end paper are hand made Nepalese paper. The bookmark a double satin ribbon.
Each word has individually been blocked with gold foil decorated with stars.
The tabs are made with left over colourful papers I got to make the flowers for my wedding!

Now! Do you know bookbinding supply shops, workshop or unmissable bookbinding related places in New York, Montreal, Toronto, Holland (Michigan), Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, Burlington (Vermont) or Boston? Please let me know about it, and I'll go have a look!
Thank you for your help 😊

So what do you think of my travel diary?

A little picture of the behind the scene for tonight!If you've been following my personal project, you've seen my colour...
21/08/2018

A little picture of the behind the scene for tonight!

If you've been following my personal project, you've seen my colourful pretty little tabs. So yes, they are pretty, but they make the building of a book way more complicated than usual! Not only for the stitching, but for the casing as well.

For the non-bookbinders out there, casing is when you glue the cover to the pages. Then, to dry flat, the book need to spend the night in press.

So the tabs! If I had put the book in press as it was, the press wouldn't have been able to press to book flatly, and the spine would have been crushed.

So I had to compensate every single one of the tabs with blotting paper before pressing it.
Not so fun anymore 😁

The blocking well relatively well though, and I think my new book is finished. Result pictures tomorrow!

My little personal project is moving along nicely! The pages were stitched, bookmark added, and the leather cover made.A...
21/08/2018

My little personal project is moving along nicely! The pages were stitched, bookmark added, and the leather cover made.
As this one if for me, it obviously had to be pink.

My afternoon is gonna be dedicated to title it! If everything goes well, you will see pictures of the result tonight. But I am being really ambitious on this one, so wish me luck 😊

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Something a bit different for Bookstar today! A friend of mine is getting married next week, and I am making her a bouquet! Paper flowers and gorgeous silky ribbons :) . . . #BookstarBindery #paperflowers #weddingflowers #weddingbouquet #handmade #mariage #red #yellow #orange #weddinglove #sunsetcolours

Merry Christmas everybody! I hope that wherever you are you are spending some lovely times with your families and loved ones! I'm enjoying times, good food and good wines with my family in France and it is wonderful! Lots of love 😘

This beauty is the first of the 3 books I made with the beautiful endpapers hand painted by @ranakadry. The cover is made with beautiful Italian nappa leather, with rounded corners and fake bands of the spine. It is A5, with 96 high quality paper (Fabriano 200 gsm) inside. And since the Christmas market it has a title and a new home! . . . #BookstarBindery #bookbinding #handmade #sketchbook #notebook #beautifulpaper #books #reliure #atelier #workshop #creative #booklover #bokbindare #handbound #bookstagram #makersgonnamake #bookarts #creativelifehappylife #artisan #artisanat #metiersdart #paperaddict #faitmain #leather #nappaleather #ranakadry #illustration #pattern

Our 3 most popular notebooks will also be on sale this weekend! "Crazy Cat Lady" and "Guys Can Be Crazy Cat Lady Too books" will each be available in gold and black with gold or black cats endpapers! Only a few of them though so first come first served! See you tomorrow Färgfabriken for Designmarknad Sthlm design Christmas fair! . . . #BookstarBindery #bookbinding #handmade #notebook #madeinSödermalm #madeinStockholm #reliure #atelier #workshop #creative #bokbindare #handbound #makersgonnamake #bookarts #creativelifehappylife #artisan #artisanat #metiersdart #paperaddict #faitmain #unicorn #cat #crazycatlady #guyscanbecrazycatladiestoo #christmasmarket #designmarknad

Introducing! Tenth one (and last one) of the notebooks made for the @designmarknadsthlm Christmas market! Grey cover gold, copper and silver endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. So which one was your favorite one? . . . #grey #bycicle #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm #bycicles #velo

Introducing! Ninth one of the notebooks made for the @designmarknadsthlm Christmas market! White cover with black skulls endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. . . . #white #skull #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm #skulls

Introducing! Eighth one of the notebooks made for the Designmarknad Sthlm Christmas market! Purple cover with purple and white geometrical wave endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. (Also my own favorite) . . . #purple #wave #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm

Introducing! Seventh one of the notebooks made for the @designmarknadsthlm Christmas market! Dark pink cover with gold and fuschia flowery endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. . . . #pink #fuschia #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm #flowers

Introducing! Sixth one of the notebooks made for the Designmarknad Sthlm Christmas market! Teal cover with gold and teal arches endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. . . . #teal #blue #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm #arches

Introducing! Fifth one of the notebooks made for the Designmarknad Sthlm Christmas market! Azure blue cover with white and blue leafy endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. . . . #azure #blue #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm #cactus #leaf #leaves

Introducing! Fourth one of the notebooks made for the Designmarknad Sthlm Christmas market! Green cover with cream and gold Cacti endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. . . . #green #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm #cactus #cacti

Introducing! Third one of the notebooks made for the Designmarknad Sthlm Christmas market! Yellow cover with yellow and green Pineapples endpapers. A6 or 10.5 x 10.5 cm. Title customisable on site Saturday and Sunday. . . . #yellow #bookstarbindery #christmasmarket #Liljeholmen #Fargfabriken #beautifulpaper #notebook #sketchbook #a6 #julemarket #designmarket #stockholm

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