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.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Books 291-292 - Recycled Countrer Top Sample Chip Notebooks-Ring Binding

I was in Home Depot the other day, looking for who knows what... but I always have my eye out for anything that might make a book. In the Kitchen department, there were these ~ 4"x5" sample chips for some kind of composite counter top made to look like granite. (Who knows what it's actually made of.)

I knew it would be perfect for a book cover, because it is both light and rigid and also pretty strong. The sample chips were hanging on pegs so they already had a hole at center top. So the logical approach was some sort of ring or wire binding.  The granite-y look was nice but a little bland, so I decided to add some kind of graphic to the front. One has a vintage ad for some sort of kitchen appliance, the other has a photograph I took of some funny yard art here in Chloride, Arizona.

I simply cut beige paper (because it looked more "rock-like") into squares the size of the chips, punched holes at the top and made a wire binding from medium gauge nickel wire.

Pretty simple and handy.








4 comments:

  1. You are so clever! I think you have book brain! ;)

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  2. Book brain! Hah! You are so right, Rita. I see them everywhere I look.

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  3. Thank goodness she has a book brain, or she would have run out long before now. Great job.

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  4. I have a bunch of those samples from when we were planning our kitchen remodel. I kept them with the thought I might make something some day... glad to see someone actually doing it!

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