Custom Memory Book- New Orleans City of the Dead

I wanted to start sharing some of my work on previous custom orders... 

 

 It's nearly impossible to explain in words all the work that goes into creating these special books. They are highly personalized for each individual and truly meant for them by the time I am done. I let my intuition guide me while I work on each order and I try to do one at a time so I am completely focused on that individual customer.

This was one of my first big memory books for a customer. She was looking for something special to document her trips to New Orleans and wanted to center the book around the darker side of New Orleans. She was kind enough to mail me a packet of some of her memorabilia, which I was able to scan and incorporate into her custom pages designs.

 

 Many of the pages are of my own art printed on old ephemera or pictures the client captured that I was able to digitally alter and include in the artwork. I love to include lots of hidden pockets, embellishments, and sewn on bits. The book was actually made by up-cycling an old recipe book. I found it at a shop one day and it was too beautiful not to bring home. I had it sitting on a shelf waiting for just the right person to come along... I also used a vintage brass drawer pull on the cover which coincidentally had a lot of meaning to the customer. That's the thing about making these books, they take on a soul of their own and I am there to put the pieces together.

 

I put together a short video of a flip through the book so you can get a feel for what a Smash Book style memory book is all about.