Ars Libri Designer Bookbinding and Book Restoration Studio

10/07/2023

Two Oxford panel bindings for a book collector, Italian vegetable tanned leather with blind tooling. I think they look rather handsome and elegant:)

04/23/2023

April 23 - World Book Day. Have you ever visited The Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto? It is a library in the University of Toronto, constituting the largest repository of publicly accessible rare books and manuscripts in Canada. The library is also home to the university archives which, in addition to institutional records, also contains the papers of many important Canadian literary figures including Margaret Atwood and Leonard Cohen.

We take you behind the scenes at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library in Toronto, Canada, which houses over 700,000 volumes - including Shakespeare’s first fo...

12/09/2022

Five “customers”. Nice looking people, very friendly, asking lots of questions about my line of work. No, they didn't buy anything, but they promised to come back the next week. After they left, I glanced at the display, because it looked somehow empty. Leather wallets of total value of $650 were gone. The thefts are happening more and more often. It's hard enough as it is to run my Studio in this difficult times, and I don't intend to support thieves. I had to make some decisions to protect myself, so from now on, as sad as it is, the Studio will be open only to customers that make an appointment by phone or by social media. Ph: 613.876.4093 Please leave a message because working with adhesives, leather dyes, etc., sometimes I can't answer the phone right away.

10/08/2022

Restoration of the iconic Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management. Photos show the condition of the book before, during and after restoration. It was a huge job as every page, particularly folds, had to be mended and a new cover constructed. I prepared myself the cloth to match the original color and texture.

04/09/2022

Am I a cute bookbinder?
Today I had a good laugh. A couple of students, little drank as it is Friday, were passing by my Studio. One of them pointed at Pimpush sleeping on the window display and said: Look, that's the bookbinder:)

03/25/2022

https://www.visitkingston.ca/meet-the-maker-ksenia-kopynstynska-of-ars-libri/

By healing damaged books and creating one-of-a-kind pieces, Ksenia has created a unique chapter in Kingston’s own story.

03/17/2022

A beret on my head makes me look fashionable:)
Sunshine in my eyes can make me cry.
Sunshine on the water looks so lovely.
Sunshine almost always makes me high.
Spring: a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.
Just for the spring - new leather berets. If you want one, just let me know your size and I will make one for you. $175

03/17/2022

A little something:) Hand stitched coin purse made from snake skin.

03/15/2022

Oxford International Dictionary of the English Language - before and after restoration.

03/07/2022

Just finished restoration of bible from the end of 19th century. Here are the photos before, during and after restoration. I took me ten full days of work to achieve the desired condition. Restoration is a very tedious and time-consuming process, but I think you will appreciate the result.

12/06/2021

I think I underestimated the power of Instagram:) Today when I got to get my lunch a few people on the street let me know that they saw photos form my Studio on Instagram. It was a surprise. Thank you Elise:) I hope you will enjoy the pink leather bag. It definitely has your name on it!

12/05/2021

Thank you