Verkade Cards

I ran across these colorful cards in a local antiques store. I bought a pile and took them home to do research. In the early 1900s in Holland when you bought Verkade coffee or cookies (a company still in existence!) these chromo-lithograph printed cards came with your purchase. There werre different themes: shells, plants, animals, birds. People collected whole sets and kept them in albums.


I used the cards to enhance the covers of photo albums. A rectangle slightly larger than the cards is cut out of the book board to ensure that the cards are flush with the cover and won't fall off. Then I covered the boards in my all time favorite Japanese linen bookcloth. Finally, I inset the cards into the cover.

This periwinkle shell reminds me of the summers we spend in Maine. There are beaches filled with the colorful shells of these marnine animals. I personally like the bright yellow shells!


This is an angel wing shell. We find these in Maine too but they are so delicate to the touch that they often disintegrate before we can get them home.


The raw linen of the bookcloth compliments the earth tones on the cards.


This final beauty is the Sand Piper, a bird that lives in the dunes of coastal areas. I love the vivid colors of the chromo-lithograph prints.


I'm really happy with the way the albums turned out. Needless to say, they are a limited edition.

New Colors of LEGO® Baseplates

I am very excited to be branching out and making my Build Your Own Cover journals in fun new colors.



Next week I will finally be adding photo albums out of the LEGO® baseplates to my Etsy shop. I am starting with the large 10" square (or 32 x 32 dot) green plates. So stay tuned!

Snow Much Fun

February has been an interesting month here in the D.C. area. The record breaking blizzard dumped 26" of snow. It was beautiful and scary at the same time. We briefly lost power the first night of the storm but, thankfully, for only two and a half hours.

The kids loved it - the sledding, snow fort construction and icicle hunting were a blast. I was about my daughter's age when D.C. had a storm with 24" of snow and I still remember missing a week of school.

My Maine buoy collection added some color to the winter white color scheme of the backyard.

We lost a couple of tree branches but not too many. Snow clung to every branch - even the smallest.

The patio furniture looked great after the first snowfall. The snow looked like puffy white cushions - a comfy but cold seat.

Love is in the Air...

Yes, it is that time of year again. We are approaching Valentine's Day. In the spirit of the day Moonlight Bindery has added some new items:

The 5" square book made from LEGO® pieces with a red heart created from single dot pieces.


Same idea but in a smaller package. This is the 2 1/2" x 5" book made from LEGO® pieces. Included is, as always, a separator and additional pieces.

Of course, there are also Chalkboard journals where your love could be professed or a nice red felt photo album - be creative!

Last Minute Shopping Guide

I recently purchased some awesome products from my fellow Etsy sellers. Here are a few ideas for you last minute shoppers or heck buy something for yourself!

This Chickadee makes these colorful wanderlust wallets that are just perfect for popping into you pocket instead of lugging around a big old bag. There are three internal pockets and a clip ring - for your keys or to attach to your belt loop. Get yourself one and hit the road.

I originally purchased this as a Christmas gift but, as you can see from the water marks on the label, I have decided to keep it for myself! Herban Lifestyle creates glorious bath and body products. This is the Lemon Souffle Whipped Sugar Body Scrub and all I can say is wow! It smells lemon fresh and leaves your skin silky soft and exfoliated. Go ahead and buy yourself some, you deserve it!


When I wear this scarf from See Katie Sew everyone compliments me on it. It is thrifted and new material in a patchwork pattern on the front and fleece on the back. So not only does it look good, it also keeps you warm. There are only 4 scarves left in her store and they are on sale so get yours fast....

Pimp My CFR

Bring me your plain Jane paperback Code of Federal Regulations and I can turn it into a classy hardback set you will be proud to have on your shelves! Here is the before and after of a recent special request that put a smile on this Bookbinder/Librarian's face.

Holiday Art Mart

Five down and two more holiday shows to go! I look forward to Squidfire's Holiday Art Mart this Saturday, December 12th, from 11 A.M. to 6 P.M. in the Dunburns arena in Baltimore. Lots of awesome crafters will be there including some of my favorite Etsy sellers: See Katie Sew, Bette's Bags and This Chickadee. Come on up and visit us . Now back to bookbinding!