Custom order for a close friend

After Miner's Silver Ghost, i had a request to make a journal to a dear friend who is a writter here in Romania. He is an interesting character. A funny person, a intelligent one...a man who saw a lot of things. He had a complex life but never wrote anything about it. So ...we thought that this diary could be a good start for his autobiography. His name is Radu Tuculescu  and his initials you will find on the cover of the journal.
He is a simple man, and the idea for the diary was to make something according to his personality.
And this is what came out!

I have a lot of new things to show you ...but in time. Right now i have to start a new custom order, so i have to live you.
For questions regarding this particular diary, custom orders or info. regarding the bookbinding questions, please feel free to ask and i will answer you as soon as possible.

Have a great weekend my friends!

D.

Miner's silver Ghost

Well my friends i've been a little busy since New Year begin because i had a lot of interesting custom orders that i also share with you.
I will post every journal, in chronological order.
So this is one of the first journals made since my last post on this blog.
This is an exquisite journal, made for those who can appreciate it.
The story of journal:
The story of journal is based on a song with same name singed by Merle Haggard, I suggest you to listen it in time of watching on pictures, you will understand all: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uR75CFVCaNA

Now, about my nostalgic connection with it:
My both parents were employees on railways. My father being station chief on a small station near the border with Hungary, we lived in an apartment above the station so all my early childhood I've spent on the station platform. My playground was the railway station and my fellows were employees of the  station, train engineers, customs workers, border soldiers and local post policemen. At that time steam locomotives were still in use, especially for maneuvers on the first line. Playing in them steam was my favorite. There is not another safer place for a child than in a small railway station where everyone are like a family. I'd spent most of my time with workers, eating them meal and listening them stories and songs, all of them were my babysitters. My mother didn't had to worry where I was because a hundred eyes watched me, everywhere I was on good care. From that time I developed a big affinity for the common workers, they where my worm friends, I was never lost or hungry between them. For keeping me safe they invented a lot of ghost stories about the steam of locomotives or about the light of signals, like it was the eye of devil watching me... those stories was told to me to prevent my accidentally walk between the lines when a train has to come and worked very good. I even graduate railways highschool where I've made two years practice on repairing carriages..
After years, as student, because I was son of railroad workers I had free rides with trains. Because my father was station chief I had first class ride, but I always preferred second class. I often used to go in the station and wait for the next train, jump in it and travel for unknown destinations. I met many kind of people in the trains, it was a pleasure to listen them stories. When I considered that I just had enough I used to jump of in next station and wait for return train in station bar. There I met a lot of different people too. It is so easy and natural to talk with strangers in a station bar, especially in the night time. I still feel that the safety ground for me is railways stations or inside the trains and I think that this will never change. Maybe that's why in my soul I still remain an vagabond.
This journal is a tribute for all railroads employees and for unknown passengers.

This is what came out:

Until next time...i wish you all the best!

D.

A tale from Transylvania

Hello again,

I wanted to post a few journals i made, and a photo album, all in one list. But there are so many details and stories that i would have feel sorry if i have done that. So...i choose to post each one of a time.

So first, and one of my favorite, is a diary called A tale from Transylvania.

Large leather journal, "A tale from Transylvania", Gothic style, with 640 pages (counting side by side)and 7.9x11inch (20.5x28cm), in gift box.

For the journal block I used 80g white paper. The sewing of the journal block was made by hand and for end paper I used brown silk paper. As very important and catching detail, edges of book block was carved by hand, antiqued and treated to look old with brown and gold color.

I made the cover using genuine leather, tooled by hand. The walls from front and back covers was carved by hand in cardboard and leather. Also the window bars in Gothic style, the landscape of tree in front of moon was made in leather and special cardboard and colored by hand.

Color of leather and shiny effect was made by hand using traditional solutions based on alcohol. There is nothing modern or chemicals in it. All the procedures were traditional. The result is what you see, a beautiful book with an Gothic style.

The idea was to create the sensation that you, from outside of the journal, are inside of an old castle, in the middle of Transylvania, deep in the Carpathian mountains, at the beginning of November... Your exterior world is inside the journal. The short story would be something like this... imagine a big dark room, in a medieval castle, the only light being a fireplace and an old vampire, hidden behind curtains wakes his progeny: "Child, wake up, look at the window, the moon between the branches shows that is almost midnight, it's time to go. Yes, unleash the beast from inside of you into the world that is inside the journal, write something memorable. In that way you'll be the beast in the dark world kept inside the book and you could be a better person inside your castle, the real world. "

If it matters to you, I the artisan, I am from Transylvania with roots in the mountains... this book is a already a full story for those who can read it .

I hope you will like as much as the person who has it right now loves it.

 That is all for now. I will get back soon with more posts.

Please feel free to contact me is you have questions regarding this journal. And if you have a dream diary that you want and you think i'm the man for the job, please feel free to contact me on my e-mail: man_dragosh@yahoo.com.

That's all folks :)

Dragos

Chasing the Moon

Well my friends, it has been too long since I've posted some news.
It is time for me to show you one of my latest creations.
It has been made for a woman aviator who's incredible story motivated me to do this journal.
The metal pieces belong to her, and for the design, we've made quite a brain storming.
And this is what came up.

I love the phrase "Chasing the Moon", i think that it is one of the most inspired once i have ever heard.

Until next time (not too much time i hope), i wish you all my best.

D.