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.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Book 270 - "Mom's Favorite Breakfast" - Recycled Packaging Book/Journal - Long Stitch Binding

OK, I'm back! My little posting break is over and I'll be starting to upload some of my backlog of books little by little. And to begin, here's another blank book/journal made from recycled product packaging - Strawberry Toaster Strudel, my mom's favorite breakfast.

Would you believe I carried this flattened package all the way back from Oregon in my suitcase and have had it sitting on my worktable for weeks? At least it does make a colorful little blank journal. I cut the front and back off the box and another narrow strip for the spine. I used blue duct tape (ah yes, we're back to the duct tape) to make a hinge for the spine.  Then I glued a sheet of heavy dark blue card stock to the inside of the entire case to add some stiffening, boned the hinge creases down and folded it into shape.

The pages are regular white copy paper folded into eight signatures of 12 pages each. The binding is a long stitch binding tied together at the center of the spine. The stitching is done with red waxed linen thread. The closure is three strands of the same red thread braided together and tied to the stitching at the spine to keep it in place.

This book makes a very neat litlte package.

(BTW, something I have always wondered about Toaster Strudel--which you'll understand if you've ever eaten this stuff. What DO they have to put in that icing to keep it from freezing, so it's still soft and spreadable right out of the freezer??? On second thought, I probably don't want to know. I ate all my mom's leftovers while I was there.)







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