Allison of Igloo Letterpress and I have been doing some more cross-country collaboration lately. This time we’re working on a Bookshelf Series of handmade journals. This first set is called “Brownstones”—one of my favorite types of houses, and a recurring theme in my drawings.

I’m so lucky to work with Allison—despite the distance, and the fact that we haven’t seen each other for two years, I feel like I we’re on the same wavelength. I love the fact that we can trust each other to make independent creative decisions, and have faith that they’ll come together into a harmonious whole. But my part of the project is finished when I send her black-and-white illustrations for printing—since I can’t exactly pop into her shop whenever I want, I really have no idea how the finished product will look until she sends it to me.

So imagine my delight when a package arrived containing four beautifully-bound hardcover books, with my illustration splashed on the cover in gorgeous color—

—and printed right onto the book cloth, no less!

I did a little hopping dance around the living room after that.

Here’s the best part, and a flash of Allison’s brilliance: not only do the books fit together thematically, but when they stand together on a bookshelf, the spines line up to complete the picture!

Since these are so labor-intensive to make, I think Allison is binding them in very small batches, and only offering them for sale as they are ordered. But they’ve already been a big hit in Ohio, so I’m sure there will be more in the future. If you’re interested in ordering a set, drop her a line here.