Paris Love Letters
16 - 21 November 2026
Ignite your own Parisian love affair and create a hand-bound book of letters.
Respond to the city of passion and light with hand-written inky missives, bound in envelopes created with paper selected from specialist boutiques.
Find inspiration and materials at the flea market and artisan shops. Fill pages with the love of Paris and all your discoveries.
Rachel Hazell shares her knowledge and experience with you over five full days.
Paris Love Letters: Half studio based, half out on location. Limited to five people.
*Please note this is the second date of 2026*
£1,695.00
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Day 1
Welcome
Meet for an evening drink at six, on rue Montorgueil (the foodiest street in Paris, great for people-watching).
We’ll share brief introductions to our small group, discuss plans for the week and check logistics. Lastly, I’ll show you where we’ll convene in the morning.
Day 2
Beginning
Familiarise yourself with your Parisian ‘studio’ and discover the contents of your goody bag!
A full morning of making – learn a variety of different book structures, and fold up some ingenious origami envelopes.
An afternoon excursion to one of Paris’ oldest bookbinding suppliers. Select a choice sheet of incredible marbled paper to use in your book, or pick up some ribbon or book cloth in any colour.
The legendary bookshop Shakespeare & Co is a must-visit. Wander around the shelves and pick a book, leave a message on the mirror and try to work out how many beds are hidden around the place…
Day 3
Paper Paris
A full day out: starting with a morning visit to a market devoted to paper! Find softly worn legal documents in fine copperplate, romantic postcards and falling-apart-books to repurpose, as well as other delectable ephemera.
There’ll be a well-earned café stop for lunch, to revive energy levels and see what treasures have been acquired. After hopping on the metro and a short walk, step into Japanese paper nirvana and try to resist buying every pattern in every colour.
Depending on group spirits, I’ll take you to more boutiques, (including the paperiest street in Paris) for inspiration, research and maybe more purchasing.
Day 4
Writing & Constructing
Using the materials provided, combined with the fabulous papers from yesterday’s excursion, you’ll design your main book project.
Mocking up ideas and talking through themes, cutting out envelope templates, experimenting with lettering styles – you’ll make good progress this morning.
In the afternoon, we’ll visit a small exhibition of letters at an archive, then I’ll take you for a drink, to recover from the sublime experience of calling in at a legendary pastel maker.
Finish the day browsing a brilliantly stocked stationery shop.
Day 6
Binding and Finishing
Today you’ll finish binding your love letters together, and add the perfect finishing touches to your book.
In the morning, we’ll venture out and visit an extraordinary rubber stamp emporium, via a very picturesque cemetery.
Return to the studio after lunch for final tweaks and embellishments. There’ll be an opportunity to share your completed works with each other, and make beautiful parcels of your books before fond farewells.
Day 5
Making
Today, you will continue to develop your main book project.
Lunch out locally.
Time to focus on details and contents.
We’ll punctuate the afternoon with a celebratory tea and exceptional patisserie.
Working with paper, ink and words from ten until four!
Please Note
Each day starts at 10am and finishes at about 4pm.
Accommodation and meals are not included. Please email for a list of suggested places to stay.
There is a LOT of walking – around 10,000 steps a day. Wear comfortable shoes!
Workshop drinks, fruit and patisseries are provided, as are basic materials. Although you may be tempted to augment your stationery and ephemera supplies during our excursions. For example. I recommend buying at least one sheet of marbled paper on the first afternoon, to incorporate into your main project.
Please bring: A small cutting mat, a metal ruler (30cm/12inches,) scissors, a scalpel and a glue stick. (If sharps are an issue, let me know.)
Itineraries are provisional and could be subject to change.
This course can be purchased as a gift. Please let us know the recipient’s details in the ‘additional information’ box at check out.
Please read the terms and conditions before booking and e-mail hello@thetravellingbookbinder.com with any queries.
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