For 5 years, I worked at Hatch Show Print, a historic letterpress poster print shop in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, one of the oldest of its kind in the United States. There I cut my teeth daily on ink, wood type, Nashville history, good music, and production letterpress printing.

During that time I opened my own Etsy store (www.tomboy.etsy.com) to sell my own prints and handbound journals. In May 2014 I received an MFA in Book Arts at the Center for the Book at the University of Iowa in Iowa City and now I own and operate Crowing Hens Bindery in Nashville, TN where I make and sell luxury blank books, letterpress stationery, book jewelry, and decorative papers which can be purchased here on Etsy, Etsy Wholesale, and at www.crowinghensbindery.com.

Crowing Hens Bindery opened in the summer of 2014 after more than 3 years in the making. I believe there is no substitute for a strong work ethic and skillfully executed handmade products, be they books, stationery, jewelry, or papers.

When I design journals, notebooks, and account books I build them to last. I use bookbinding techniques that focus on the needs of a writer—books that are designed to be written in after they are bound, a characteristic that is woefully lacking in today's machine-made books. I implement bookbinding structures that have been developed throughout history to accommodate these unique demands to ensure that my books are a pleasure to use, and that they last for generations.

As a Nashville-based small business, I do my best to honor the heritage of art and fine craft that saturates my community and region. By providing high quality handmade products made from the best materials available and using sound historic techniques, I aspire to create beautiful, useful products and works of art that become a part of your everyday life.