Book #071 - Lucky Again

I made another one of the "Lucky" books from a couple of days ago. This time I retrieved my foil papers and made the five little books as originally planned. I like the way it turned out, but have forgotten that special scanner setting that eliminates the weird stripes when scanning metallics. So the book covers aren't really all stripey like that. The needle threader is just part of the image as scanned. It might be a good place to attach a four leaf clover charm, if I can find one.

Book #069 - Lucky

A simple idea whose execution turned out to be more complicated than expected. The cover is a scan, (two scans actually) of the outside and inside of an old needle case. I printed them separately - so far so good. Then I cut them out individually - not hard. Then I put them together back to back - also not hard once I realized that the thing isn't quite symmetrical and the pieces have to go together a certain way.

The original plan was to create 5 tiny books using images of the red and green foil needle holders as covers, and to glue them in their designated places. Well, foil is just too hard to scan and print; it looked gross. I have some nice foil papers - at the studio. But I was working at home. So I decided instead to make the white pages you see in the picture. That went fine until I stapled them to the inner piece of the cover (so that the staples wouldn't show on the outside, right?) and then tried to assemble the whole thing. The thickness of the %@#?! staples threw everything off and I mean everything. The pages didn't fit in the inner cover and the inner cover didn't fit in the outer cover. So I tried to trim it just a little...and then just a little more...and of course things just got worse and worse.

Well, that's the story of today's book. We haven't seen the last of it; I'm going to make another one using the tiny books with foil covers. And I'll gather 5 little stories about luck. I'd love to hear your story, if you have one to share.

Book #066 - Mountains, maybe

Mountains? Clouds? Layers of...something? This occurred to me while I was looking at some pictures of misty, foggy places. I think it has a lot of potential; it would suggest a totally different story done in shades of brown, wouldn't it? Or the ragged edges could be at the bottom - like curtains, or veils or tattered petticoats. So simple, but I like it a lot.

Book #062 - Pink

This is the kind of book that happens when you are sitting around in the studio visiting with friends. It's made from some of the nifty paint samples that have four different shades of a color separated by nicely perforated lines that fold very well. It's a concertina (accordion) of sorts, but the pages have been glued shut so they are more "page-like." Did I mention that the different colors are also different widths - thus the different sized pages. It needed a little something, and besides, the two cards had to be joined somehow, so I punched holes and wound telephone wire through them with a bunch of pink and pink-friendly beads and buttons.

Do you know how many things the word "pink" means? Neither did I. It is: a color, a flower, a pointy edge, a poke, a hunting jacket, a pair of pants, a boat, perfection, a town in Iowa, a Communist sympathizer, a fish, to pierce with tiny holes...and a few more that are obsolete words. I suppose that is what this book should be about someday. Or maybe about places and/or people named Pink.

Book #057 - Matchbox Doll

A little book in a matchbox, a matchbox covered with origami paper and with a little doll inside. I cannot tell a lie -- I didn't make the doll today, I already had it. I had made the book in the box and that reminded me that years ago I made little dolls in matchboxes for Valentine's Day; I scoured around and found a few.

There is a book/doll set...

OK. I went off to double check the title of the book/doll set that I had in mind. It used to be for sale through the Metropolitan Museum catalog, but that's not important. What's important is that I ended up at the official website of Dare Wright, the author and photographer who created The Lonely Doll. I was blown away by the story of her life, and you might be, too. Here.

So long until tomorrow.

Book #055 - Post Binding

Post binding (aka post and screw, screwpost, screwpost binding) is often seen on manufactured scrapbooks and albums. There are two parts, the screw and the post (big surprise), and they come in a variety of lengths. Well, the post comes in different lengths; the screw is the same for all of them. This post is 3/8 inch long. Anyhow, you push the post through holes in your pages and covers and then whirl in the screw and that's that. This little round book has covers of painted cardstock and pages of heavy white paper, all 2" in diameter and cut with a big Fiskars punch. The copper colored dot in the screw is a bead added for decoration - the screw itself has a recess there.

I get these at the University Bookstore in Seattle, where they are sold by the set, so you can buy a single screw and post for about 20 cents. They have only the plain aluminum but you can find colored aluminum or plastic if you look around online.

Book #047 - Tags and More Tags

Here's an assortment of little books made from shipping tags. From the top, going clockwise:

1. three tags taped together to make an accordion (or a screen?)
2. two tags with a paper spine glued on the short end, a small signature stapled in last
3. three tags tied together with one string - about as simple as it gets
4. the pages are stapled in the fold at the left, the other end of the tag makes a flap, and theres a button holding it shut through the hole
5. just like #2 but with the spine on a long side

center - tag folded in half, pages stapled in at left fold and the whole thing tied shut with the ends of the string

The strings can be used in a lot of ways: to hold the things shut, to attach embellishments or just to hang there and make it look tag-like.

Happy Presidents' Day.

Book #031

Well I thought I'd wrap up the month with a big, wild party of a book. It is Saturday night after all. This was made with all the junk mail I've accumulated this week, plus some free postcards that I picked up at Diva Espresso when we went out for coffee this evening. And I threw in a couple of candy wrappers and other ephemera that were kicking around.

There are 7 signatures, each with between 3 and 7 pieces of something in them, sewn together with a 4-needle binding. My favorite pages in the book are the window envelopes from bills and advertising; that's where I put the free postcards, candy wrappers, etc. It's always a surprise to see how accidental combinations of things can morph into something unexpected and way more entertaining - see a couple of details below. This was one of the most fun books so far. I guess junk just really speaks to me.



Looks like I have some threads to trim. The four needle binding is the first sewn binding I learned. It is a very simple concept and easy to understand, a royal pain to keep under control while it is the works and very satisfying when it is finally finished.

Book #027

I'm getting Valentine Fever. We'll probably be seeing a lot of red and pink and flowers and maybe some not-so-flowery books over the next week or two. This one starts with a big square for the pages. (The 12" square sheets of paper that are 16 cents each at JoAnne's this week are great if you happen to have some on hand.) Fold it crosswise both directions, and diagonally both directions. Unfold it each time - you are trying for nice crisp and precise folds. Then open it up and smooth it out. Cut from one corner just to the center. Now, fold it back and forth on the creases you've already made, starting at one of the cut edges, like you would fold a fan . It's another version of the accordion fold. You'll end up with a triangular block of pages. Cut two covers (you can use your pages as a pattern, or measure) from something heavier than the pages, embellish as you please, and glue one to each end panel of your pages. This will make sense when you see it. You can leave it as is or glue some strips of paper across the spine to make a hinge. This makes your book a little stronger. (Glue only to the front and back covers, don't get glue into the folds or the book might not open properly.)

As you can see, you end up with six triangular pages (plus the inside covers) to embellish or fill as the spirit moves you, and they open up into a big inner area for...something else. Now, this is where you might want to throw away that idea of the paper from JoAnne's, because you can choose your page paper with an eye toward that inner area. How about a map? Or a page from an old book? Or some special wrapping paper, an old Grateful Dead poster (like you'd cut that up), a collage of your own, or a photocopy of...something. Collage up an 11 x 17 inch wonder and then make color copies. Yes, you'll only need 11 x 11, so fill the other six inches with something else. Then there are paper bags, wallpaper, sheet music, magazine pages or covers...what can't you use?

Book #008

Little notebooks all dressed up - these are simple and a good way to use up scraps, especially long skinny strips of offcut. Start with a few (maybe 5 or 6) narrow scraps for pages, then cut some odds and ends in the shapes of gowns, tunics, nuns' habits...whatever you want to call them. In the examples all the different color pieces are separate. Fold all the pieces across the top (shoulders) then layer them in order and poke two holes in the fold. Thread a piece of string through the holes, tie a knot to secure and another knot to make a loop for hanging. They make really special tags on gifts, or little gifts all by themselves. Make them any size you like; these are about 6" long, finished length.

Book #006

Well, I had an interesting evening in the studio. Today being the first Tuesday of the month, I was prepared for drop in company, then about 6:30 the power went off. (It was windy in Seattle today.) I thought about going home but it was quiet and peaceful, and I had a good flashlight, so I decided to wait it out. I hung the flashlight on the coat tree next to the table and made this little book in the semi-dark. The lights came on after about an hour or so, and I was a little disappointed. I'd been having a good time.



The book is fashioned like a matchbook, but a little bigger, about 3" square. The cover is a piece of a collage that I received in a raw materials swap a few years ago. I don't remember anymore who sent it to me, but it worked out great -- so Thank You to whoever.(If you recognize it please let me know who you are!) It is sewn together at the bottom, where a matchbook would be stapled, and embellished with a pink glass button. The pages unfold to either side -- I think it would be a good place to print or write or collage a poem.