Book 364 - "She Works Hard For the Money" - Work Gloves Book of Working Women - Accordion Fold/Concertina

And now for something completely different.

I've had these work gloves sitting on my bench for a couple months now, waiting for me to make magic with them. Finally, I realized I wanted to use them to point out how much work in this world is done by women. According to a Report by Richard H. Robbins, called "Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism," women do two-thirds of the world's work, receive 10 percent of the world's income and own one percent of the means of production. I had a theme.

The book is an accordion fold/concertina fold book with 16 images of women working. From Rosie the Riveter, to seamtresses in a 19th-century sweat shop, from African women carrying baskets to soldiers, cops and crossing guards, Oprah Winfrey to Judy Garland, a Muslim Wal-Mart clerk to a doctor, PBX operators to Hilary Clinton, these women are the workers of the world.

To make the structure, I painted the insides of the gloves with several coats of acrylic medium to stiffen them and keep the fingers together. I left the thumbs unpainted for flexibility. I folded a long strip of Arches Text Wove paper into accordion sections and glued the printed photos to the pages. Then I glued the first and last pages to the palms of the gloves, under the thumbs.

I stitched the gloves together at two points with a chain stitch cord in two colors of cotton thread to match the color of the gloves.

OK, so I think this book is pretty damn cool.

Book 334 - "Chloride Days" - Accordion Fold Miniature Book with Tile Covers - Coptic Binding

Going small again tonight. This little tile cover miniature accordion book is similar to the book I did a couple weeks ago about San Miguel de Allende, the home of my heart. Puttering about in the store today, I noticed that some tile magnets we had were about the same size as the ones I used on that book.

I knew I had some nice photos I've taken here in Chloride, Arizona in the last couple years. So I thought why not do another tile cover accordion book.

First I had to pry the magnets off the back of the tiles, but that was not hard. I covered the back and edges of the tiles with brown lokta paper and painted over it with PVA glue to make it stronger. I sized and printed out all the tiny photos. Then I tore strips of Arches Text Wove paper 1 3/4" wide and accordion folded it. I needed one join in a valley fold of the accordion to make it long enough for all the photos.

After folding it up, I glued the photos to the pages. I designed and printed a first page plus a last page colophon. Once I had glued the tile covers to the accordion, this little jewel was done. I do think it needs to go under some weights. It tends to want to lay just slightly open.

Some of you have probably picked up on the fact that I'm not all that fond of Chloride. But this little book (about 2" square) makes it look not so bad. So I guess that's a good thing.

Book 330 - The Iowa Caucuses - Silly Season Begins - Concertina Book

OK, so I know this book is being posted late. With the presidential primaries, we're already on to South Carolina. But I made it over a week ago... just wasn't able to post it then.

This book was sort of a no-brainer. All I had to do was watch a few of the debates leading up to the first caucuses in Iowa to realize what must be the only proper response. I'm something of a politics junkie, and long-time followers probably have a good clue as to my political leanings, but I defy anyone, whatever your party or beliefs, to watch more than a bit of this nonsense without breaking out in guffaws. The waffling, the "oops" moments, the twisted history, the "facts are not really facts" arguments of this year's crop is simply too brilliantly twisted to take seriously. Besides, if you did, you'd have to pound your head against the wall or go running through the streets crying "IS THIS really the best we can do?"

OK, off my soap box. Let's talk books.

This is a really simple little thing. I just found a county map of Iowa online and an image of the Republican elephant and printed them both out to size on good heavy satin finish photo paper. I backed them with white card stock for extra strength. Then I laid out the pages for the accordion book in my desk-top publishing program, printed them out, folded them into the concertina folds and glued them to the insides of the covers. Voila!

Please don't tell me I'm now going to have to do one of these for every primary. I don't think I can stand it. (And feel free to copy the idea for the political nonsense of your choice. The year will certainly offer plenty of fodder.)

Book 319 - "I'd Rather Be in San Miguel" - Accordion Fold Miniature Book with Talavera Tile Covers

Here's a miniature accordion fold book about my favorite place in the world - San Miguel de Allende, in the state of Guanajuato in central Mexico. I lived there for 10 years and it will always be home. I WILL go back.

For now, I use the hundreds of photos I've take of San Miguel to slake my thirst for it. So when I found these tiny 2" square talavera tiles made in a town very near San Miguel, of course they had to be a book, and of course it had to be about San Miguel.

I first covered the backs and the edges of the two tiles with dark blue mulberry paper and painted more PVA glue over the paper for durability. Then I chose 22 of my favorite photos I've taken in SMA and cropped and sized them down to under 2" then printed them out. I made the long accordion fold out of Arches Textwove paper and folded it into the accordion, then glued the photos to the pages. Finally, I glued the end pages onto the backs of the tile covers.

This is really a precious little book. I think I have more of these tiles, so perhaps I will make a small edition of this miniature book.

Book 286 - "Duke" - Leather Wrapped Accordion Book for John Wayne

Finally, something just a little different. This leather-wrapped accordion book is a homage to John Wayne, "The Duke." Actually, I'm not all that great a fan of John Wayne, but I had some quotations from him that were just too good not to use. Quotes like:


Life is hard. It's harder if you're stupid.
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.
Nobody ever saw a cowboy on the psychiatrist's couch.
And, of course....
A man's got to do what a man's got to do.

I matched up photos of Wayne to go with the individual quotes and laid them out in my graphics program. I printed them on nice heavy satin finish photo paper, cut out each page and backed each one with copper-colored textured card stock. The result was a series of nice heavy, stiff pages. I cut an irregular strip of really nice soft brown leather, spread it on the floor and laid the pages out. After marking the positions, I glued the pages to the leather, folded it up in an accordion fold and wrapped the extra leather around the whole book. I cut a long strip of the leather to wrap several times around the book and hold it together.

Even though I'm not that crazy about "The Duke" himself, I do like this book. I see more like it in the future.

Book 207 - "Muhahaa!" - A book of Laughter - Accordion Book

Tonight I felt like laughing, so I made a little book about laughing. I've had the vintage image of the laughing man for some time and really wanted to use it. It was perfect for this little accordion fold book that features a quotation from Kurt Vonnegut:

"Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion. I myself prefer to laugh, since there is less cleaning up to do."

I printed out the quotation on a hand-torn 24" long sheet of Arches Rive art paper (wonderful paper), then folded it and glued it into covered boards. The hardest thing was trying to figure out how to get my printer to print a sheet 24" x 3 1/8". But now I know and next time it will be easier!  Cool thing... I learn something new on just about every book I make.


One of the reasons I wanted to laugh today was because of something Allen said to me. He's a morning person. I most definitely am not. He goes to bed early. I usually stay up late and make my daily book after he is asleep. Then I leave it on the table for him to look at in the morning.  Today he was talking about how there is always a surprise and a discovery for him in the morning. Then he added, "I'm like a farmer with one hen, who lays a single egg every night and leaves it in the nest for me to find."

Or, I added, like someone with the cat who leaves a dead mouse on the floor as a "gift."

Anyway... fun little accordion book.

Book 201 - A Card Accordion Book to Honor Ella Fitzgerald

This card/accordion book is pretty much a direct copy of a book posted this week by Susan Gaylord Kapuscinzki on her bookmaking blog. Every week she does a "book arts Tuesday" post featuring a different book. This week she made this structure as an herbal with nature prints. I wanted to do something different with it.

Some of you probably realize by now that I love to use quotations in my books. In fact, I love quotations so much, I actually have a website full of them. You can see it at www.inspirational-quotes-cafe.com. For this book, I chose a quotation I love from Ella Fitzgerald, something she said when she was presented with an award. I think it captures what "Mama Jazz" was all about in one sentence:

"I guess what everyone wants more than anything else is to be loved. And to know that you loved me for my singing is too much for me. Forgive me if I don't have the words. Maybe I can sing it and you'll understand."

The structure of this little book is quite simple. I think you can understand it all just from the photos. I used card stock and printed some lines from the sheet music for "God Bless the Child" on the accordion folds.

Book 185 - A Piano Hinge Split Double Accordion Fold Book

This split double accordion book with a piano hinge over a piece of bamboo slat was a bit of a challenge. The paper piano hinge has to be precisely cut to work. So do the slits in all the accordion fold pieces. Then they have to be very carefully fitted together. But when they are done, you have a beautiful little book. It will be fun to make this structure again with the added challenge of adding text and deciding how to lay it out.

I should know the name of this paper--I've used it before, many times--but it escapes me at the moment. Suffice it to say, it's beautiful and lovely to work with. It loves PVA glue, and it molds itself perfectly to the board. This was a joy to work on.

STUDIO REPORT: I am getting a new 5' long hardwood workbench as a birthday present! So I have spent much of the last couple of days cleaning out and reorganizing the studio to make room for it. It's amazing what I found hiding in there! It is going to be SO cool to have everything organized, right where I know to find it, within reach, and clean! And a proper table to lay things out on. With an oversized cutting mat on top! Heaven! I'll try to take some pix once it's all together. And be on the look out for some... different... books as soon as it's all up and running again. Gotta use all the wonderful stash stuff I found!

Day 183 - A Snake Fold Mini-Book--How Do I Love Thee?

Today, a pretty and romantic little snake-fold book.

But first, a treat...

Today, I passed the half-way point on this year-long challenge. 183 books. It's been a tad more than 183 days (I think I'm about 3 days behind, but I will catch up in the next week or so). I am inordinately proud of myself. You sort of have to know me to fully understand what a big deal this is. I'm creative, I'm interesting, I'm sometimes funny. What I'm not is disciplined at sticking with something till the end. So yeah, I'm feeling pretty good. And I have no intention of quitting. On to 365!

OK, today's book... This is a little, 2 3/4" square accordion book that is a snake-fold, all nine pages made from a single sheet of 8 1/2"x11" card stock. The trickiest part of this folded book is getting the text laid out right so it's reads correctly when it's cut and folded.

The two cover boards are covered with decorative paper. The front cover has three hearts added, cut from three different colors of metallic finish paper. The cover is then sponged with gold Pearl-Ex. The text is Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous love poem, "How Do I Love Thee?" The whole book is held closed with a silver stretchy tie that slips over the corners.

A sweet romantic little book--it would be a good Valentine's or Anniversary gift.