Meet the Maker
Hi! I’m Chiante, the face behind the Bundle Bee Bindery!
I’ve been bookbinding professionally since 2017; I worked in a library bindery where I learned so much about the craft and art of bookbinding and repair.
I loved the work so much that when my husband and I moved from our rural Saskatchewan town to Ottawa in 2023, I knew I wanted to turn the Bundle Bee Bindery from side hobby into a business!
I’m a self-proclaimed bibliophile. I love books in all their forms! I love reading them, writing them, admiring them, and, of course, binding them. I love the history of books and cherish the traditional craft of making them and feel honoured to join the ranks of so many talented bookbinders of the past, present, and future.
That passion for books fuels my work and my desire to create journals that speak to the creatives and artists who appreciate the value of traditional, handcrafted work.
Below I share more about the heart of The Bundle Bee Bindery.
The Heart of
The Bundle Bee Bindery
Traditional.
Handcrafted.
At its core, the Bundle Bee Bindery is about making journals by hand using the traditional bookbinding techniques that have been around for centuries.
Every journal you buy from the Bundle Bee Bindery has been carefully and thoughtfully made by hand because we know that handmade is better. Our books are designed to endure, drawing from the skills of bookbinders from hundreds of years ago whose books are still around. You’re not buying just another journal pumped out by a machine in some factory. You’re buying a journal made in a studio bindery, assembled and sewn by hand.
Repurposed.
Low-waste creation.
From withdrawn library book covers, to thrifted leather coats, at the Bundle Bee Bindery, we emphasize using repurposed materials. The materials dictate the look and feel of the journals we make. Each book is unique, touched by the weathered cover of an old book cover, or the seams of a leather coat.
While not everything we make uses these types of materials, we strive to be intentional and conscious of the “new” materials we select, aiming to use each item to its fullest potential.
Not only do we love giving new life to materials that might otherwise be discarded, we also purposely use the leftovers and scraps from our projects to create unique and one-of-a-kind projects with the aim of producing as little waste as possible. We are always looking for ways to expand our use of leftover materials in new ways and for new kinds of products.
History. Heritage.
In our projects, we aim to remember and honour the past by presenting or preserving it in new ways.
Whether it is giving an old book cover lined pages for renewed use, or repairing a family bible worn and torn from love and use, underpinning the work done at the Bundle Bee Bindery is a love and respect of history. It is a joy to bring those materials, books, and memories into the present for our customers to enjoy today.
Our value of history finds its fingerprints in all aspects of our work. It is a love of history that drives us to make our journals by hand using traditional (historical!) techniques. It is a love of history that draws us to use “old” materials, allowing us to show the beauty of those materials for new use. And it is a love of history that guides our repair projects, giving those cherished memories in books and journals continued preservation for years to come.
