A Book a Day? What's Up With That?


Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Book 154 - "Welcome Home" Keys Book-Rubber Band Binding Handmade Book

Even though it is very simple, I like this book. I just think the whole rubber band binding concept is clever and cool.

I still have some of that really lovely hand-made paper with leaf inclusions I found in Mexico at--surprise!--Office Depot. The cover of this book is one sheet of that paper, 8 1/2"x11" cut in half. The text pages are some pale green speckled recycled paper, also found in Mexico.

I've had these old skeleton keys lying around for quite awhile, waiting for the exact project to come up. They were perfect for this book. Each rubber band comes up through two holes from the back of the book and loops around the one of keys, holding the pages together.

This would make a lovely housewarming gift or a guest book for one's home.




4 comments:

  1. Love the keys! That kind of handmade paper with plants/flower petal inclusions you used for the covers is one of my favorites. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Did you really use rubber bands? I tend to use that elastic that comes on gifts so that it lasts longer as I've had rubberbands disintegrate. Elastic comes in colors too! It's a great idea with the keys.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Allen, my guy, just pointed out the disintegration possibilities with rubber band this morning. I may redo them with the elastic you suggested. Or I may use some pretty ribbon I have that would go well with the paper. Thanks for the suggestion.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I was thinking about disintegration as well as soon as I read rubber band but it is a neat concept. I hope you do redo them so that they can last and last!

    ReplyDelete