I Was Featured in I Love Handmade Books by Charlotte Rivers!

Ruth Bleakley in I Love Handmade Books by Charlotte Rivers

Is there anything more exciting than seeing your name in print? (except maybe in the police blotter in the newspaper) I am thrilled to reveal that I was featured in Charlotte Rivers’ latest publication I Love Handmade Books , also published under the title The Little Book of Book Making in the US.

I’m not a big goal-setter – some people swear by writing down goals, making “vision boards”, changing their computer passwords to remind them daily of goals – all of these are great ideas, but a little Type-A for me. HOWEVER, I will admit that a couple years ago I did say, out loud, “I’d love to be in a craft book someday”. WELL GUESS WHAT, THAT DAY IS…well, actually many days ago, I just never got around to blogging about it, shame on me!

Accordion books by Ruth Bleakley featured in I Love Handmade Books by Charlotte Rivers

About a year ago, Charlotte Rivers, author of  The Little Book of Letterpress  sent me an email asking if I’d like to participate in her upcoming collection of handmade books! After shrieking like a little girl, I typed back something much more professional like “yes I’d love to, thank you for considering me!”

If you’re wondering HOW I got in a craft book, I don’t have the exact answer, but I suspect Charlotte found me online because I take lots and lots of photos of my work, and I’ve worked hard to learn to use both my camera and Photoshop so that I can show my books off in their best light. Then I post them to Flickr or my blog (I’ve had this blog since 2007) and that means when authors are looking around for crafters to feature, and type in “handmade book” into the Google, hopefully I come up! Keep in mind I put my stuff out there for 7 years before this great opportunity came along, so it’s not a matter of “going viral” or any of that other internet-speak.

Coptic Stitch Books handmade by Ruth Bleakley featured in I Love Handmade Books by Charlotte Rivers

I was just one of many talented bookbinders and book artists featured in the colorful 176-page book, described thusly by Amazon: “Making books by hand has never been cooler, with this inspiring guide to 30 top bookmakers working today, plus 21 tutorials for essential techniques to make your own books.”

I furnished the photos myself, I was asked to provide up to 40, and I decided to offer as many as I could!

When the book arrived (just after I arrived home from the Penland School of Crafts) I was absolutely excited and delighted to find that I’d been featured multiple times!

Since I am only featured in the book and not an author, I don’t get any royalties from the sales, but if you purchase the book through this link (and yes, the cover is different, because this is the US version – the content is all the same) : The Little Book of Handmade Books – then I’ll get a small percentage of the sales price at no additional cost to you as part of the Amazon affiliate program.

Suminagashi Paper Marbling tutorial in I love Handmade Books by Charlotte Rivers

About the Author

Ruth

6 Comments

Amy

Congratulations! Your work is beautiful and this recognition is well deserved 🙂

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Leslie

Congrats! It’s a real thrill, isn’t it? I’ve had some short stories published and didn’t stop smiling for days after the acceptance call. I love book binding and may have to get a copy of this. I enjoy your blog.

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