Vintage Meets Bookbinding

Since I’ve been retired (I actually like ‘rewired’ better), I’ve had two creative endeavors keeping me busy. First, I love cleaning up, painting, repurposing and selling vintage things in my booth at the Montana Antique Mall. Much of the merchandise comes from cleaning out sheds at Skyline Ranch. Second, my little Just My Type bookbinding business has taken off and I now sell about 500 handmade journals per year.

The two enterprises overlap in that I use upcycled materials for the covers of my books. But the most striking way that they intersect is in the old metal findings that I attach to book covers. Door escutcheons, old hinges, switch plates, metal numbers—the rustier the better. If it’s flat on the back, sized right, and has holes for attachment, I’m on it! And I drill the holes myself if needed. Here’s a sample of lovely old metal in use (click through to six photos).