tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78900116302442550762012-02-17T06:06:28.816ZTeohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.comBlogger881100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-75557013844776603842012-02-05T14:41:00.003Z2012-02-05T14:44:34.252Z

She did it again!!! My wonderful sister Anca always manages to surprise me with something :) I just could not believe when I received in the mail these fabulous metal letters. It's my first letters set, and what better fit for my books other than Old English style. She got them from Corinne at 6catsVintage. Her shop is closed at the moment but make sure to check back when she opens for a variety

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-4450358637528362382012-01-24T23:42:00.002Z2012-01-24T23:44:13.551Z

There's not much left to say about this book after seeing the photos... except how beautiful and unique it is. A wonderful piece of art, perfect in every way. I just can't wait to touch it, to open, to explore it... Thank you, Jacek. I will treasure it forever!        

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-20843507002437828032012-01-23T19:10:00.004Z2012-01-23T19:12:12.951Z

Day five ... and the last day of work, although the book must still rest in the press for a few days before going away to its new home.  Title is hand written - in translation, "Byzantine Manuscripts in Collections from Bucharest"  Detail of the custom handmade brass book-clasps and painted edges On the front cover, a small detail of a bestiary. Painting is done in egg tempera on golden leaf

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-3548657676787570052012-01-21T21:49:00.002Z2012-01-21T21:54:05.698Z

By now Jacek's book is long finished. But I'm still behind on posting about its making... Day four For the covers I thought to make something simple, using natural leather, not dyed, and to apply only a bit of patina on it in the end. The only decoration that would give it a precious aspect would be a detail of a Byzantine manuscript which I would paint myself on golden leaf. Preparing the

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-72713451677992890972012-01-12T22:51:00.006Z2012-01-12T23:00:41.268Z

Day Three I plan to mount three clasps on this book. The main one, made of two pieces, on the fore edge and two smaller ones on the lateral sides. I wanted it like this mainly for the sake of the geometric composition but I also think it's good to have some sort of reinforcement of the cover on the longer sides of the book. I made these out of 0.6mm (22 gauge) brass sheet that already had some

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-17715128521036265822012-01-11T23:57:00.011Z2012-01-12T00:33:18.780Z

Day Two  Things started to get more interesting... I love painting the book edges and I know that Jacek will also like it. I wanted a simple pattern for the decoration that would fit with the content of the book. My improvised work-table-press :) More on how to paint the book block edges here, in a post I made some time ago. And on to sewing the headbands, made of green and ocher silk

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-61017790501571632732012-01-10T23:48:00.006Z2012-01-12T00:25:24.109Z

Day one I decided to devote myself entirely to this project until I finish it. There are only a few days left until the 15th so I avoided taking other orders during this time. I'm happy, I have all the time I need to work without rush and make this book one of the best I've made so far :) The day started with the removal of the existing binding and sewing the new book block.   As I already

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-56815824937878509922012-01-08T22:48:00.001Z2012-01-08T22:49:04.425Z

Hey everybody, I wanted to let you know that I'm having a giveaway on my Facebook page! Please check it out if you want to win a little book by TeoStudio :)     Good luck!!!   

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-4155598441680844692012-01-05T14:03:00.008Z2012-01-05T14:17:08.023Z

I've been meaning to tell you about my friend Jacek Tylkowski and a very interesting project we are doing together. We actually know each other from the internet, but I tell you, he's one of the finest bookbinders out there whom I had the pleasure to meet. Imagine my surprise and excitement when he proposed me a book swap. We get to choose any book we want from our own country and turn it into a

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-6129417932874958062012-01-03T12:57:00.000Z2012-01-03T12:57:50.424Z

2011 ended with a commission for many tiny books. 2012 is starting with a huge book. Love making them both. I've always been fascinated by extremes... Have a wonderful and prosperous year, everyone!!!  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-40567216676490576942011-12-30T16:24:00.004Z2011-12-30T16:35:31.240Z

Here's what I received from my family right before my trip from Romania back to Portugal. Very appropriate :) Thank you guys!    

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-67373600914965578442011-12-02T20:05:00.002Z2011-12-02T20:06:44.300Z

I found this poor thing last week at the fair. I don't quite understand, was this ever a book cover? Or just prepared to become one? There are no signs of use, no title, no traces of glue on the back. The front however looks like a hundred years old. I wonder what's its story. Perhaps it's just an old piece of leather that escaped slicing and came out so I can find it and give it a new life.  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-19991461372972244182011-12-02T19:22:00.001Z2011-12-02T19:42:37.659Z

Finished these two the other day... simple, so to let the beauty of the old leather do the rest.    

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-27613660545624980282011-11-22T11:22:00.008Z2011-11-22T18:21:22.990Z

   Last week I went to see the atelier of Razvan Supuran, Romanian artist who makes paper by  hand. Or better yet, craftsman, as he considers himself. It was a fascinating experience. From the moment you enter the door of his atelier time seems to slow down. In a world of technology, there it's an island of peace and imagination that gives a different quality to life. At the Romanian Peasant

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-86905542046067932632011-11-22T08:18:00.007Z2011-11-22T08:23:39.668Z

   Robyn from ArtPropelled wrote a wonderful post on journals and inspiring quotations and she selected for it some of the most beautiful journals I've seen in a long while. She was so kind to include some of mine. I literary had to take out my journal and copy some of the quotes people left in their comments. My favorite for today -  "I want to unfold. I don’t want to stay folded anywhere,

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-55999596707888662472011-10-02T08:16:00.003+01:002011-10-02T09:11:56.193+01:00

Yesterday it was Saturday so I went to the fair. It was not a really good day, full of finds, but I got these three photos. They are from the beginning of the last century, all mounted on cardboard, not in perfect state but meanwhile I already cleaned them and they look great. I have been collecting old photos since many years and I've always felt moved by them. But these three got me thinking so

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-8622376103272340782011-09-24T21:53:00.005+01:002011-09-24T21:57:17.231+01:00

These are the three books that came out of my last paper staining session. Monday we will fill the garden with paper again, probably for the last time this summer. My personal favorite book of the Trio is the one below. We call it scarface :-)A new approach, definitely something I will want to play with again later on.  Thanks to my friend Liviu who bought it fresh out of the press. 

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-20195430117973934502011-09-04T08:53:00.008+01:002011-09-04T08:58:20.823+01:00

A quick sneak peek :) It all starts with the paper... tearing it into pages, staining it and folding it into signatures. Then comes the sewing of the book block.  Followed by the gluing of the spine and rounding of the back. Like so it goes into the press over the night. Meanwhile all attention is directed to the making and the tooling of the cover.   For this hollow back binding the raised

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-37282202308250097732011-09-03T20:43:00.001+01:002011-09-03T20:45:02.271+01:00

Flea market was good to me today! I found all these goodies :) Oh, that leather box! (nooo, I will not turn it into books!!!)   I was especially happy with this shoemaker's tools - I don't know if I'll ever use them but they are just beautiful to collect, aren't they? And keys, many little rusty keys... in an old nivea box. So cute!  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-69361011099722304712011-08-31T10:25:00.004+01:002011-08-31T17:51:02.502+01:00

This was the question of the day while staining paper... coffee or tea? It was a great day - a mixture of paper, sisters, fun and lazy cats. At the end of the day it was unanimously decided that tea was the best choice for paper while coffee was better to drink :) The most serious results of our work are yet to come, as the piles of aged paper are still in the press, waiting to get flat and

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-59341213980386277072011-08-18T13:25:00.005+01:002011-08-18T13:31:21.265+01:00

Last couple of weeks have been so busy for me that I have neglected my blog. I just returned from vacation back to the online world and wow, I see so many things have happened. I hope I can catch up with you guys! I couldn't wait to get my hands on a book... and here it is, my latest creation, a miniature journal inspired by a wonderful 19th century photo found at a flea market in Bucharest.  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-47023201293662911942011-06-20T11:25:00.000+01:002011-06-20T11:25:21.094+01:00

What an amazing place. I have returned to Paris after 8 years. Many things have changed meanwhile, but not my desire to stay and live there for the rest of my life. It's not about the zillion places to see, but about the things you can do. It's amazing! And that city... it just feels right to me. In the crowd of the streets by day or by night I didn't feel stranger for a bit. Surely compared to

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-78242215277798900072011-06-17T22:49:00.002+01:002011-06-17T22:51:02.221+01:00

Ok, I know it's not very imaginative from one bookbinder to another, but this year your present is nothing else but a journal :) Still, I wanted it to be special so I made it with handmade paste paper covers and leather spine. You can imagine that it also has a chip in there somewhere so I can track it anytime ;) just like in our childhood, only a bit more sophisticated :) Happy Birthday dear

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-18096574790969974992011-06-13T16:17:00.004+01:002011-06-13T16:22:37.328+01:00

It's been too long since I haven't painted. At least on something other than my books :) One of my early fascinations was illuminated manuscripts. Many years ago I made copies from Byzantine manuscripts and had them exhibited in club from Lucerne, Switzerland. With help from my friends in two weeks I sold almost all my works. It was such a great experience for me at that time, as I was a fresh

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-82864437089334138042011-06-10T21:00:00.007+01:002011-06-10T21:04:42.940+01:00

It was about time, right? I'm still trying to sort things out with my page but here's a preview Who's willing to help me change that nasty "0 people like this" ? Come visit here :)    

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-32277654222970009032011-06-07T11:54:00.003+01:002011-06-07T14:04:17.582+01:00

Just discovered this great video and had to re-post for my bookbinding friends :) "Back before inkjets, printing was a time-consuming laborious process, that took teams of people working together to produce just one book. Now days, any crabby person can sit at home and crank out stuff on a blog or even make internet video. This movie will make you happy as you watch others toil for 'The Man'

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-74894826721788959482011-06-03T22:24:00.000+01:002011-06-03T22:24:43.396+01:00

And not any fair... it was a medieval one, with costumes, music, dance and lots of fun. I participated with my friend Zé who makes the amazing Machado shoes. My books got along very well with his shoes, happily sharing the same booth for 4 full days. It was a nice experience, a bit exhaustive for a novice like me, we had sun, we had rain, and some pretty funny adventures. We also had some sales,

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-29566337151247755662011-05-11T14:08:00.009+01:002011-05-11T14:19:42.153+01:00

Last winter during my trip to Bucharest and my weekly visit to the local street fair I was lucky to find a letterpress printing plate. I have no typographic skills or knowledge except for a few printing trials made during my graphic classes in university, but I instantly figured out a use for it with my books. And it was fun! I did not want to simply print onto the leather. I was looking for

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-83362869525572111202011-05-10T18:40:00.000+01:002011-05-10T18:40:56.292+01:00

Good news! One of the 'unusual books' I mentioned in my last post was on Etsy's front page today thanks to the feature in a stunning treasury made by Fnine.  She's such a talented designer and to my surprise, she lives in Romania!  Check out her unique embroidered jewelry in her Etsy shop.    

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-91534626029679239122011-05-05T18:02:00.008+01:002011-05-05T20:33:58.896+01:00

Lately I've been haunted by the idea of elongated books. I'm trying out new proportions, stretching, distorting, searching for the unusual. The idea came to me after seeing a book with uncommon dimensions in the collection of a friend. It was a prayer book, slender and long as it was meant to be hold in the hand. It felt really pleasant and special to have it in my hand so I instantly wanted to

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-27957487868046385712011-04-04T21:35:00.004+01:002011-04-04T21:38:00.581+01:00

I couldn't take one more step into this spring without a new pair of Machados. Thank you José!  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-70455206505297325532011-03-17T12:36:00.017Z2011-03-17T19:37:26.900Z

As you probably noticed by now, I'm very curious and experimental when it comes to my art. I'm also in permanent danger of getting hooked to new and new hobbies. I have flirted before with the idea of making my own papers to use for book covers and endpages and it was always such a fun. Yesterday I tried making paste papers for the first time. I won't get into details as to how they are made, as

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-32328980268205080062011-03-08T15:29:00.011Z2011-03-08T16:58:12.126Z

Encouraged by the results of my first experiments with brass and by your wonderful excitement and feedback, I went on with the idea of making my own book clasps. If to the first ones I had to apply some patina as I found the color of new brass too shiny for my vintage leather books, this time I used some pieces of old brass recovered from a broken coffee grinder. I bought it long time ago at a

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-75733151667010280442011-02-25T22:14:00.003Z2011-02-25T22:18:32.319Z

Here's my latest addiction: making my own book clasps! I've been searching for them for ages, craved for those in old books, but never actually tried to make my own until now. Obviously, I have absolutely no experience with metal work and it wasn't that easy until I got the first one right. I only had available some basic tools like scissors and rasps for metal so everything is really handmade :)

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-3244555266508325862011-02-25T21:41:00.005Z2011-02-26T14:27:30.031Z

I had a wonderful surprise yesterday! My shop was featured on Gilliauna's blog - "The Meandering Musings of a Consummate Shopper". She wrote a very nice post about my work, I feel flattered. Thank you so much!   

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-52235250835969458452011-02-15T12:31:00.005Z2011-02-16T11:05:05.463Z

I've been waiting for the best moment to make some changes to my studio. It was never properly organized as when we moved to this house a year ago we made everything in rush and that's how it's been ever since then. Now I'm hoping I can finally do this in March. It's a good time for me as I have some new plans for my book shop too, and a change always makes me feel so refreshed. Meanwhile I'm

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-90008416038491862832011-01-27T21:24:00.003Z2011-01-27T21:52:06.219Z

Saturday's fair from last week was fun. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, a vintage bag, an apothecary bottle, a few tools for my book binding, a huge suitcase and... the highlight of the day, an old leather cover that cost only €1.5!! I was already so happy with it but much to my surprise, when I got home and looked better inside, I found a bunch of letters and telegrams from the '50s

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-64110888496547262302011-01-21T19:03:00.003Z2011-01-26T17:45:06.954Z

UPDATE: Thank you so so much to all of you who participated in my giveaway. I wish I could give one little book to each of you. There were 16 eligible participants (sorry sis, no relatives allowed :) and the winner is.... number 14, ELONWEIS! Congratulations!!! I'll definitely celebrate in the same way my next 100 sales. So I'll do my best to see you again very soon! ________________________

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-59839609113437291902011-01-14T16:23:00.002Z2011-01-14T16:25:34.327Z

After one month of vacation I'm back to work again. Feels really good, just that I spend half of my time searching for stuff I don't remember where I put. I'm still settling in my workshop. Yesterday I went to buy a pairing knife and I came home with 40 pounds of leather - that is 19 kilos! It's leather that's almost 50 years old (30 in storage and 18 in store) and very hard to find. As the guy

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-6443379774551959032011-01-06T08:20:00.003Z2011-01-06T14:40:45.603Z

Our snowman, needing a bit of facial reconstruction...  I started the new year with lots of snow and temperatures below zero. But soon my vacations will be over and I'll be returning to the mild climate of Portugal. I actually look forward to it so I can start working again and reopen my Etsy shop by mid-January. So I'll see you then, and hopefully with a few new things to show!   My mum's

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-38154354265589214102010-12-29T10:32:00.003Z2010-12-29T10:34:30.878Z

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas and that your Santa was as generous as mine this year. This is what my Santa had in his bag... there's really nothing better for me than leather, bags and book covers :) Thanks so much!!       

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-65582845627432222312010-12-21T09:58:00.008Z2010-12-21T21:36:17.985Z

This year I got my own Christmas present - this absolutely fabulous wall clock from Paulaart. Actually Santa came two months earlier as if I didn't snatch it, it would probably hang on someone else's wall by now. I fell in love with it long time ago and when Paula discounted it in the shop I just couldn't resist anymore. It has an amazing story as it's made of a cow watering bowl she got from an

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-41285554630039429232010-11-26T20:52:00.005Z2010-11-26T21:10:27.702Z

These are probably my favorite three books I've made so far. I think they represents a step forward in my bookbinding practice - they are books with memories, that tell stories even before being written.   I found this wonderful quote while writing on the endpages of a book: "The labour of the writer is the refreshment of the reader. The one depletes the body, the other advances the mind.

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-83274340571652084382010-11-24T22:33:00.001Z2010-11-24T22:35:33.161Z

Lately I've been working on large books, on a larger scale. Tonight I've just finished ten books which are going to London. I'm pretty tired and look forward to my holiday which luckily starts early this year, on 4th of December. I'll close my shop for a while and focus on new (book) projects and designs. But for a change, here is my teeny-tiny library. I've been working on it in between the

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-76870990576831180142010-11-19T00:15:00.001Z2010-11-19T00:15:45.231Z

I just stumbled upon this video and I loved it, so I thought you might like to see it too. I couldn't embed it but there's a link to it at youtube. Oh, how nice is the art of bookbinding!  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-89363812429113585772010-11-16T22:51:00.003Z2010-11-16T22:53:10.182Z

I haven't been up to much lately besides books. Big books, little books, and even teeny-tiny books. Christmas is coming and it's really the best time of the year on Etsy! I just love it!!  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-21091474750461642552010-10-21T14:00:00.007+01:002010-11-16T22:44:13.181Z

Here’s what I recently received from two of my friends :) Could any surprise be better for me than vintage leather? I don’t think so! The piece of leather is coming from a vintage chair and was offered to me by José, my leather mentor :) It is recovered from an old family chair which he upholstered. It’s a big piece but I’ll use it for only one book, a really special one. The book cover below is

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-11227968331143967302010-10-20T11:22:00.001+01:002010-10-20T11:23:22.804+01:00

I decided to discount some books in my shop, thus, until the end of this week they are 20% OFF their actual price! One is gone, six have left :)  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-45135501997019706832010-10-17T00:06:00.008+01:002010-10-17T16:59:21.814+01:00

This month we celebrated one year since we moved to Vila do Conde, in the north of Portugal. When I first came here I had no idea if I will like it or if it was really the place where I wanted to live. I didn’t know anybody and being such a small quiet city, I had no expectations of meeting people or making new friends around here.  And then this wonderful unexpected thing happens, and one day I

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-28874200582172734502010-10-09T19:53:00.005+01:002010-10-09T21:09:49.659+01:00

I’ve been in a little vacation for the past two weeks and neglected a bit my online presence, my blog and even my Etsy shop. But that was for good reasons--my sister visited me in Portugal so we were going to places and having fun. We also worked together on our bookbindings and made all kind of artistic experiments. It was great.   Here’s what we did one day, inspired by a book from 1893 which

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-38720194869311750512010-09-19T09:55:00.007+01:002010-09-19T10:00:56.775+01:00

Yesterday morning when I heard the alarm clock ringing for the fair I was soooo sleepy so I decided better I don't go anywhere. Trying to go back to sleep I started to have all these images with great vintage bags and other people were buying them, and then the question: what if this week is THE week? Because very rarely, there are some amazing Saturdays when I find incredibly many things to buy,

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-685478228009399792010-09-12T15:04:00.008+01:002010-09-12T15:11:42.087+01:00

I’m still at a point in my bookbinding work where I’m tackling new ideas and techniques. I delve into research of tools and materials that I can use, re-use, adapt or improvise. When I find myself getting too far away from the traditional I take a break, so I can jump back to the basics the next day. That’s how I’ve always functioned, I can’t do something for too long, so from time to time I must

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-25031045454823979572010-09-11T18:21:00.003+01:002010-09-11T18:25:40.410+01:00

Yesterday one of my books was featured on Etsy's front page thanks to the gorgeous treasury above, made by the talented Evelyn from Sumikoshop. In fact, the entire collection was inspired by my book because of a very fun game that we're playing in our AG team (Artisan Gallery Team). The idea of the game is to make treasuries dedicated to each other so that everyone gets equally featured, this

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-47886849740144821162010-09-08T15:03:00.012+01:002010-09-08T20:06:29.032+01:00

There are a lot book binders on Etsy. Many of them make nice journals, but very few make really special ones. Among my favorite book binders is Anca from Baghy who happens to be my sister :) We live in different countries and see each other very rarely. Twice, or maybe three times a year if we're lucky. We learned bookbinding together a few years ago and from there we developed quite different

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-24265954847893700792010-09-06T20:49:00.003+01:002010-09-06T21:46:47.282+01:00

There are a few aspects in bookbinding that I love most. For example, sewing the book block is one of my favorite parts. It can be done in many different ways but it looks really beautiful no matter the technique. Unfortunately most of the time the sewing is hidden by the spine and remains unknown to those who are using the books. I feel it's time for me to try something new, something different

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-12903872110929032852010-08-25T22:37:00.008+01:002010-09-06T23:20:12.557+01:00

For those who did not recognize yet this character, I introduce you to Gromit, very intelligent dog and companion of Wallace, famous creation from the great comics of Nick Park. Originally they were made of plasticine and filmed with stop motion clay animation. My Gromit here, on the other hand, is made of polymer clay and is an expert in bookbinding inventions. It measures 27 cm from head to toe

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-59006365473592615482010-08-23T23:08:00.001+01:002010-08-23T23:10:45.228+01:00

These days I was playing a bit more with painted book edges. I thought I'd show you a few pics during the process. I really like painting them, it's fun and relaxing.  The first thing to do is fixing the book with clamps. It must be as tight as possible so that the color stays on the edge and does not slip between the pages. Followed by sanding the edge with sand paper of different size, from

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-6121321886725373812010-08-20T10:48:00.012+01:002010-08-20T21:23:18.692+01:00

Very rarely I make a custom order in Etsy. It’s quite difficult because I like to have my liberty of creating and most of the times it’s the vintage materials that I work with that define the aspect of my books. But I do agree to make a custom book when I really like the idea of the customer. In this case, the request was quite a challenge as I never made such a big book before: 9 cm. thickness,

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-83543538047287000382010-07-25T13:05:00.005+01:002010-07-25T13:14:00.949+01:00

I've always loved books with gilded edges. Their fineness, elegance and preciosity fascinates me. So a few time ago when I received as present a book on how to do it I immediately had to try. It took me a few days to gather the tools and find a workshop that agreed to cut my book blocks with their guillotine, but I was all set up and ready to go. As you imagine, the experience was not at all as I

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-64495871529453803582010-06-30T12:03:00.001+01:002010-06-30T12:04:17.711+01:00

I was so happily surprised this morning to find out that my "Dream Library" Treasury was featured on the front page of Etsy last night. It's the first time one of my collections makes it to the FP and it feels incredibly nice to know that I was able to give some very talented artists the opportunity to sell their work. Congratulations to those that did sell their items -- and I promise I'll try

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-9436073533627728302010-06-18T21:55:00.010+01:002010-06-19T17:09:21.703+01:00

Frame before and after restoration. As promised I’m back with a few more pics from the restoration of another frame. This one is my favorite, I bought it in a fair about a year ago but I never got around to restoring it until now. The procedure was the same as here, except for the reintegration of the color as this frame is painted black over a layer of metal leaf. Making the mold for the

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-34761448548039955122010-06-17T17:04:00.012+01:002010-06-17T17:10:55.747+01:00

Last week my boyfriend had to go away for a few days to a meeting. I love when he goes on his trips for two reasons. First, I get to have the house all to myself for some time and second... he always brings me something nice and special from his trips. These wonders came from a street fair in Brussels. The leather suitcase is simply breathtaking, and the bottle… so peculiar! I’ve never seen such

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-65510360827361988312010-06-10T23:47:00.002+01:002010-06-10T23:49:00.553+01:00

I thought I'd celebrate this holiday by posting some photos of the city where I live -- Vila do Conde, near Porto. We moved to this small, very calm city half year ago but I still have to discover it all.

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-34458517735071844662010-06-09T20:28:00.014+01:002010-06-18T22:46:31.998+01:00

The other day I was bragging with my latest finds among which an antique frame in poor state of preservation. Now I’m back with photos from the restoration treatment. I wasn’t able to find much information on this subject on the net so I thought it would be interesting to share my experience. Not quite a tutorial, but I wanted you to see at least how I did it. Antique frames are usually dusty

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-1728517227123392662010-06-06T10:36:00.006+01:002010-06-07T09:16:28.502+01:00

Last night my 'Once Upon a Time' Book made it to Etsy's Front Page. I woke up to a sale this morning and for that I must thank GwenR for her gorgeous, well made treasury. She makes beautiful jewelry so if you get the chance please visit her Twelve Beads and White Butterfly Jewelry shop.

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-60126307675403064582010-06-03T15:08:00.009+01:002010-06-03T15:13:39.147+01:00

I bought these last week in a second hand shop and I must say they were a bargain. The frame is really degraded and at the present moment it’s in my workshop awaiting restoration. It has hand-blown glass with small imperfections that make beautiful light waves. The print is from 1916. I really love this type of old frames and I already have a few of them collected. I dream of the day when I’ll be

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-79049436668845809192010-06-01T18:36:00.005+01:002010-06-03T15:14:19.799+01:00

I’m back in my workshop after being away for like 5 months...? And I have such a mood for making big solid books!! These are my latest creations. I’ve been thinking on how to put them together for a long time. During these last months I’ve been accumulating -- searching and gathering all hardware I could find to use on my books. But it’s really difficult to find vintage fittings that would suit

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-40342784289222766952010-05-08T08:57:00.002+01:002010-05-08T10:54:50.030+01:00

Yesterday I had a very nice surprise when I saw that my journal was nominated for the Graduation Gift Ideas Voter, thanks to Jen from PoleStar. If you have an Etsy shop, and you like my Travelers Journal, please vote for me HERE until Thursday May 13, 2010. Thank you!!!

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-7329152328975192532010-04-28T07:40:00.002+01:002010-04-28T07:41:23.688+01:00

After a long absence I’m back and I’m celebrating with a 20% discount on some of the books in my shop until Monday, May 3!

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-8828199225005145432010-01-22T10:02:00.000Z2010-01-22T10:02:54.515Z

This is hard to believe, but last night I got again on Etsy's FP via the gorgeous treasury made by YannPendaries. Thanks!!!

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-82812377540386211492010-01-21T13:19:00.017Z2010-01-28T16:52:05.827Z

28 January Update Giveaway Winner: Jennevieve (Comment number 118)CONGRATULATIONS!!! Thank you all for entering my first giveaway! Your comments made this experience so nice that I want to repeat it again in February! So check back soon for more giveaways!   Total number of comments 181  (2 comments from 183 were eliminated because they didn't qualify) __________________ My first giveaway is

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com184tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-37618090845548952182010-01-19T21:33:00.001Z2010-01-22T10:03:36.716Z

It was a lucky day - one of my little journals made it to Etsy's front page, got 85 hearts and sold! And the best part of it is that I got to meet the buyer, a wonderful artist and Etsy seller who makes one of a kind, beautiful art dolls.  Finn and his brother Fergus at okay4u2nutz's shop And, thanks to Etsy for featuring my work! 

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-85881409672015374822010-01-19T17:23:00.004Z2010-01-19T17:27:10.905Z

What could be better for a bookbinder of vintage journals than to find authentic vintage supplies? I was so thrilled to find this beautiful waxed thread for sale last weekend. Real collector’s item! My only regret was that the man only had 4 spools left. Three of them were produced by Droulers-Vernier, Lille - a French manufacturer specialized in leather industry, active from the 19th to the

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-64051062252153834802010-01-11T20:50:00.000Z2010-01-11T20:50:40.625Z

Bucharest is a great place to go on trips looking for vintage stuff. That’s what I’m doing while here, and look at the treasures I found this Saturday at the flea market!

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-5628765987400902012009-12-30T08:10:00.007Z2009-12-30T08:48:47.561Z

This winter I came to Romania to visit my family and while here I discovered that me and my sister have a lot of materials which we don’t use, accumulated due to our greediness for supplies over time… So what better thing to do than to open a supplies store and sell them on Etsy? We buy our materials from various sources, sometimes fairs or markets, so some may have small irregularities here

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-11475644092188436192009-12-24T12:10:00.001Z2009-12-24T12:11:09.443Z

I wish you all Merry Christmas and a successful, Happy New Year! May 2010 be your best year to date!

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-16804694424592002002009-12-10T13:40:00.007Z2009-12-10T14:07:19.380Z

I'm happy to introduce you to my brand new photo lightbox. I just got it from my dear sister who is a photographer and it seems also an electrician when in need. I’ve always had troubles photographing my books such as lack of skills and lack of light. There were rainy days when my poor books were waiting for the sun to come out so they can get into my shop. I hope the suffering is now over.

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-41706321505746527082009-11-28T15:51:00.002Z2009-11-28T15:56:26.479Z

Today was a funny day at the fair. It seems that some people don’t care for books anymore, while others go so far as to dig them up from the garbage container :)

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-82140539067412700442009-11-24T15:02:00.004Z2009-11-24T15:06:14.860Z

Last week I went in a very short trip to Lisbon. The weather was awful but I was really excited by the trip as I wanted to buy bookbinding supplies (very hard to find otherwise) and to go to my favorite fair from Portugal: Feira da Ladra. That is the fair I went to every Saturday for almost three years, before moving to the north of Portugal. Saturday was raining, at the fair people had

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-42902959713395792082009-11-22T22:03:00.006Z2009-11-24T15:09:19.519Z

Today I made it to Etsy's Front Page! And that is a huge thing :) I think I was really lucky lately, perhaps with the Christmas coming... I was featured in 4 gift guides and made it to the front page two times this month, thanks to the sweet Amy from Ponder & Stitch and now to Etsy. Thank you guys! A day later: Update ... and in the Storque, where it sold immediately :)  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-57381035097115160882009-11-12T16:05:00.005Z2009-11-24T15:08:50.488Z

I just noticed what a cute family I put together: the father, the mother and their two sons with their wifes :)

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-76996750251216863482009-11-06T15:24:00.004Z2009-11-24T15:08:39.058Z

Yesterday I finished one more book. This one is so dear to me. I made it for my Etsy shop but this is one of those books that are just so hard to let go :)  

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-24143830725722189762009-11-06T14:57:00.006Z2009-11-24T15:07:58.815Z

Since I started to make books I developed a passion for antique keys: to find them, buy them, use them! I think they go great together with my miniature books. So last week I finally adventured on eBay, and found that it’s like a wonderful universe of everything your heart desires (yes, I know, I’m probably the last of my species that never shopped on eBay till now). I felt like I was going to

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-4411502596682075582009-11-02T23:03:00.006Z2009-11-24T15:07:31.338Z

Today I finally finished a journal that has been waiting in my studio for a looong time. I've been playing with ideas for it since a few months but I liked so much this leather that I wasn't quite sure how to get the best out of it. I think this might be the first journal I make that looks somehow romantic, doesn't it?

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-48746911405341443192009-11-02T21:37:00.001Z2009-11-24T15:07:05.495Z

Yesterday was the Chestnut Fair here in Portugal. Traditionally, we cook chestnuts and drink 'jeropiga', which is a strong sort of wine. We cooked ours in the fireplace :)   They got a bit burned, I must say :)

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-15097329987037568702009-11-01T01:12:00.011Z2009-11-01T17:56:00.349Z

Saturday is the most exciting day of the week for me: the day of the Flea Market!! In Portuguese, Feira da Vandoma, from Porto. I love going there each time I can, it’s really like lottery! Look at my finds from yesterday: A very vintage tool bag which I bought to use the leather for my next books but now I'm not sure anymore, it really looks great just the way it is. An interesting agenda

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-16763544930032074452009-10-31T17:17:00.012Z2009-11-01T00:17:38.684Z

Last week I got the most fabulous surprise from my boyfriend: three books from the 18th century! I just love their bindings. They definitely need conservation treatment, they are in such advanced state of degradation that I was almost afraid to open them. All three are bibles printed by the Plantin-Moretus in Antwerp, a publishing house established in 1555 that has survived to the present.

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7890011630244255076.post-9047842965516309342009-10-15T18:02:00.001+01:002011-01-19T21:02:21.137Z

Today I finally decided to start my own blog... I’m not sure yet what shape it will take as blogging is really a whole new world to me. But I am really excited on the idea of sharing with everyone my work and studio experience. My name is Teo, I am a freelance artist and I live in Portugal. I come from a family of painters, so my love for arts and crafts has been with me since childhood. I have

Teohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14015404264517416012noreply@blogger.com3