WA Craft Bookbinders Guild

Over the last weekend we held a Boxes course at our usual venue, Hazel McDougal House in Como. On day 1 we learned how to make a box base & lid, and day 2 a solander or clam shell box.

Making boxes requires a bit more precision in measuring, cutting & gluing, and it was wonderful to share the course with past students & Guild members. Each one of these lovely ladies brings skills and knowledge from other hobby areas, and it was so nice to be able to spend time with them. And our instructors, Peter & Tony, of course. 😉 There was a real sense of community, of sharing & encouragement.

Here’s hoping we can convince Tony to teach Boxes 2 later this year!

World Book Day is celebrated each year on Thursday 23rd April. An official UNESCO event, the date was chosen to mark key dates in the life/death of several prominent authors including William Shakespeare.

How will you celebrate World Book Day?

During our intermediate course, we introduce marbling on the edges of the book blocks. One of the students on our last course had experience in marbling paper, which of course we can use for end papers, grain and paper size allowing. She recommended products by Vastorg, available at the links below, so you can make your own:

https://kraftkolour.net.au/products/marbling-inks-vastorg-professional-paint?Search-28%2F07-adgroup1&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=22845591043&utm_content=185989011324&utm_term=&utm_device=c&utm_placement=&matchtype=&creative=770848502104&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22845591043&gbraid=0AAAAAD4-Juh56poHWRLR8tZYItNNR723L&gclid=CjwKCAjwnN3OBhA8EiwAfpTYenR4fbdTmuyYgxhhwUtc_DJB05k7G5yla3ogMuIJD2Bwqohxe9A2MxoCslgQAvD_BwE

I just had to get some to see for myself. Pictured is the full professional marbling kit, available from Etsy. It came within days, so very quickly, and the colour range is lovely. There are illustrated instructions tucked under the bottles and tools too.

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/896486121/full-professional-marbling-kit-12-inks?ref=yr_purchases

Lean, clean cuts on the guillotine, during our Beginners Book Binding Course last week.

I always find myself buying books when I travel. Plan your next travel by the bookstore!

Bookshelves you want to move into 📚

From courtyard cafés and resident cats to grand chandeliers, cosy couches and a very iconic red door, these are the bookshops that turn finding your next read into a full-blown experience 📖☕️

Come along for a social catch up tonight, 6pm at Hazel McDougall House, Como.

The John Samson Memorial competition is open to entries from Australia.

Jolabokaflod, pronounced yo-la-bok-a-flot, is the annual flood of new books and Icelandic tradition of exchanging books with loved ones on Christmas Eve.

The “Book Flood” tradition dates back to World War II when foreign imports were restricted and paper was cheap so books became the predominant gift to give.

This tradition continues today and sounds like the perfect start to Christmas celebrations.

Looking for inspiration? Check out the winning entries to the John Sansom Memorial Prize for 2025. These beauties were on display at BIND25 conference.

Association of Book Crafts - The John Sansom Memorial 2025 We use cookies to enable essential functionality on our website, and analyze website traffic. By clicking Accept you consent to our use of cookies. Read about how we use cookies.