Spencer's Store....what!? Am I just Old?

I took my Son to the mall today and thought we'd poke around at some stores before we went and had lunch. I haven't been to the mall in years and I don't think he's been since he was two and he's almost nine. I remember having fun looking at all the funny things in Spencer's and giggling at penis gummies and big sock like bras in the adult isle towards the back. So I decided to take him in there and maybe stay away from the sex isle, I'm his Mom he can discover that with his teenage friends. I don't know if I missed a sign that said not for under 14, and I might have but as I was looking at the shirts on sale clearly displaying each shirt front and back for examples on the towers I was actually offended with all this shirts using profanity like it was the word "the". I was in the very front of the store at this point. Now I don't mind swear words and I even swear like a sailor at times but I just brought my Eight year old Son in here and we tell him not to use such words so to have them displayed around in such a manor was not the lesson we've been teaching. He even covers his mouth and gasps when I swear and like I said I do have moments where I swear like a sailor especially if I've hit my head. They were also out of the only shirt I would have bought (Nightmare before Christmas) and since the deal was buy one get one 50% off the thrill of that was gone, which was strike two at that point. So I pulled him past the shirts and started to look around but immediately saw where my son had landed his eyes on an end isle not far into the store and right at his waste level a large pair of penis glasses was pointing right at him, I can only imagine what else was on the rack as he was about to look closer. Now I said to myself isn't this what I came in here for these silly little funny fun items, and trinkets? I think perhaps if I hadn't had to pull him around all the shirts with f*** and f****** in large letters making absolute nonsense statements that a bad mouthed kindergarten student came up with I might have been more open minded about the penis glasses, and whatever else the rack held on it. However the shirts in the front of the store had ended me and I realized if it was this easy to find things I didn't find appropriate for him in here just think if we actually started to look around more. So I told him it was time to go, he didn't have a problem as I think most of it went right over his head (phewff)because he was still in awe over being in the mall, the malls here in Vermont are pretty awe inspiring. So at this point I feel very old about the whole thing,  it left quite the sore taste in my mouth, I don't care that they carry such items but I would have liked a better warning before bringing my eight year old son in. If there was a sign and I missed it than I am to blame entirely, and no one was actually hurt in this outing. Accept my feelings because they were out of Nightmare before Christmas shirts but I will live.

Handcrafted Books made in Vermont

Old Books

I live in Vermont on the beautiful Lake Champlain Islands. I started in the field of book restoration over three years ago. As soon as I walked in the door of the Restoration Lab, I was in love with the idea of restoring beautiful old books full of history and wonders. I learned first to disbind and then to de-acidify old books to help stop the aging process. I then was taught how to mend, sew, round, and eventually leather and finish the books. Each skill can take a long time to become competent in. There always seems to be more to learn in restoration, as each book can have different problems. I love working with the books, the feel of them, and the process of taking them apart to rebuild them into less acidic but stronger versions. These skills seem very natural to me and once learned, I knew it was what I wanted to do as a career.

Sadly the restoration company moved to another state without me. Two co-workers and I established a company to continue the restoration work here in Vermont. The restoration part of my life is separate from the journals you will find on this page. I will include links throughout this site if you are interested in the restoration services that A.E.L Restoration can provide for you.

New Handmade Books

I started making leather bound journals after the restoration company left the state. I had the knowledge to make the books, although using new materials was new to me. I started experimenting with different leathers, laying patterns, different stitching, and using dyes. I love designing the books and making one of a kind books that will last hundreds of years. I am delighted to create custom books for people, whether the books are a large size for an artist's work or very small for traveling convenience. I am even able to print and bind leather books with text as well. These would have to be books that are out of copyright or a writer’s personal books, novels, or even a treasured diary from a lost loved one.

I try not to limit my books by always calling them journals. The word journal is a bit limiting. I feel my books can be scrapbooks, sketchbooks, photo books or anything you want to use them for. They are beautiful on the outside and extremely well crafted on the inside. I take great pride in my work and want people to enjoy them as a usable piece of art.

Future Handbound Books

In today's digital world I'm afraid that quality handcrafted books are losing their value. I'm hoping to change that. I can't imagine finding an old hard drive and reading one’s history or treasured secrets on a computer screen. Or being moved by a moment in time and grabbing your laptop to sketch it digitally. This might be possible in today's age but it feels wrong to me. Beautiful books have such a long history and we need to continue this tradition.

I hope you enjoy my books as much as I do,  Books for all Time

Lindsey

The Joy of Books

This video is really neat, I can't even imagine how long it took to create it.

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Books for all Time

Mini Book Necklaces

Updated version of the book necklace I added more pages and made button closures. I really like these they're very cute and functional. I only wish I had mini pencils to go with them:)

Teeny Tiny, Book Earrings

Sticking with the book theme, I've started making these book earrings. They're only 1/2", even though they're small a lot of time goes into them. I even made them tiny flyleaves which might have been an overkill but I love marbled paper and I am always trying to find something to do with the scraps. I used antique paper from the 1920's to make them even more special. They are hanging on Sterling Silver as what's the point in putting time into something and hanging it on a bad wire. So here is an example of one, I plan to bring them with me to my next Craft Fair and see how they do out in public before I post them on my Etsy site and Website.