BOOK 365!!!! A FULL YEAR OF BOOKS!

I did it! This is book 365 in my year-long book-a-day challenge.

OK, I will admit right here that it took me just slightly longer than 365 days. I am 6 days over my exact year. But I am trying to be easy on myself here. I am celebrating anyway. I hope you will celebrate with me.

This final book is a leather journal for my friend Michael (because he called dibs), who I've known for over 40 years. The base leather for the book is a putty-colored cowhide. Around that, I have wrapped another piece of leather that I think is ostrich. I can't be sure because I pulled it unmarked from the scrap bin at the leather store. I saw it an pounced. It's a rich deep purple.

The pages are Neenah Sundance 70 lb paper in crushed cream, a lovely paper for writing or sketching with pencil, pen, ink, markers.

The journal is bound with a long stitch binding (also called a Medieval limp binding) with medium brown waxed cotton thread. It makes an interesting stitch pattern on the spine. The unusual closure is made from a found object I picked up at a flea market. I think it might be some type of faucet handle. A thong of the purple leather ties through it and around the journal to keep it closed.

This is a rich, elegant journal and I hope Michael lives it.

Book 356 - "Motor Boys" Recycled 1906 Book Journal - Coptic Binding

This recycled book journal is made from a fabulous find--a 1906 novel for boys called "The Motor Boys in Mexico" by Clarence Young. It was part of a whole series of books about the Motor Boys, apparently playing off the idea of the then relatively new motor car as a source of adventure. Apparently there were a whole bunch of these series of boys' books--the back pages of this book had ads for many of them. In fact, I liked those pages so much, I incorporated several of the ad pages inside this journal.

As usual, the covers were sliced off the book, the spine carefully removed and the raw edges tape bound. I lightly waxed the cover to preserve and improve its finish--although it is in wonderful condition for being more than a century old. I punched holes for sewing stations, folded sigs and punched holes in those too and covered the spine fold with the same green tape as the spine edge, incorporating a few illustrations and other pages from the original book. The book was bound with a chain stitch binding--a single-needle coptic stitch--with white waxed linen thread.

I made a bookmark from the book's spine by folding back the cut edges and covering the entire backside with green paper tape.

This is really a lovely journal.

Book 353 - Dick Tracy - Recycled Vintage Book Journal - Coptic Binding

The other day, walking home from the post office, I popped into the antique store across the street to see if they had anything new--well, old, but new to the store. Looking through the racks of vintage books, I struck some gold.

I came home with several treasures to make into recycled book journals. And one of the best was this old Dick Tracy book. Printed in 1943, the novel was based on the square-jawed detective's exploits people already knew from the cartoon strip.

This was a cheap novel in its time and the paper shows it. It was badly discolored and quite brittle. In face, I debated whether or not to include any of the pages from the original book, because of the brittleness of the paper. But the illustrations were just too cool to leave out. I had some text paper almost the same yellow as the unintentionally yellowed original pages, so that became the text block.

The covers were pretty dried out but not badly cracked or scratched, so I went over them with a light rubbing of beeswax to lubricate and seal them then buffed them with a soft cloth till they actually looked not bad at all.

I cut the illustrations from the book as carefully as I could. After cutting off the cover boards, I bound the cut edge with washi tape well boned down. Just for fun and to brighten it up, I used a green and gold diamond pattern tape on the edges and the folds of all the signatures, to be seen at the exposed spine.

The single-needle coptic binding was stitched with black waxed linen thread. The spine of the book became a book mark.

I've been making a lot of these recycled books because I plan to sell them, online and off, after the challenge, and I need to build up some stock, as well as perfecting my technique.

I do think Dick Tracy will sell.

Book 340 - Colored & Textured Amate Paper Guest Book - Blank Book - Japanese Stab Binding

I always love using amate paper, the bark paper made in Mexico. It can be picky, because it often cracks if you crease it, but I love the look and feel of it.

The piece I used for the cover of this guest book-journal was textured/sculpted into a design while the bark was still wet. Then, when it dried to form, it was painted with natural pigments. I bought this paper in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico last year.

For the back of the book, I used another piece of amate paper in a light color.

The guest book's pages are 80 lb cream-colored paper with a slight fleck. The top and bottom edges of the pages are hand torn for a more natural look.

The binding is a Japanese stab binding done with two colors of waxed cotton thread. At the top, I left the threads hanging and tied on two cylindrical carved bone buttons. I think they are the perfect complement to the paper.

I will always be looking for ways to use this luscious bark paper. It takes me back to Mexico and gives anything I make with it a rich, rustic, earthy feel.

Book 332 - "The Ghost of Windy Hill" - Recycled Hardcover Book Journal-Coptic Binding

I love the look of this recycled children's book journal. As soon as I saw the book in the thrift shop, I grabbed it. The Ghost of Windy Hill was written in 1968 by Clyde Robert Bulla.

Making it was the usual drill: Cut off the spine, fold the cut edges back and tape them, this time with green patterned washi tape to pick up the green of the type on the cover. Bone the tape down very well inside and out. Fold the signatures; in this book there are eight.

I wanted to include some of the illustrations from the original book, lovely black-and-white ink wash illustrations by Don Bolognese. I tipped one in at the front of each signature, using more of the washi tape to hold them in and wrapping the tape around the folded edge of the signature to create the color pattern on the exposed spine.

I stitched the book with a single-needle coptic binding in light green waxed cotton thread.

I took the narrow spine I'd cut off the book, folded the cut edges over and taped the back to create a book mark for the journal. Nice.

Book 325 - Recycled Nancy Drew Mystery as Journal - Single-Needle Coptic Stitch

Another recycled hard-cover book as a journal. I was a huge fan of Nancy Drew mysteries when I was a girl. Looking back, I think they played a really important part in my love of words, and books and in finally becoming a professional writer. So I was thrilled when I found a few copies of vintage Nancy Drew books in a thrift store not long ago. Here's the first, "The Bungalow Mystery."

Like most of my recycled book/journals, I cut out the book block and slit the covers down the middle of the spine, then removed the book board on the spine. I folded the spine edges in and glued, then taped them down. The insides of the covers were nice and clean, so I didn't need to glue down other end papers.

I folded seven signatures from white text paper and bound the book with a single-needle coptic stitch binding, also called a chain stitch binding. I used bright green waxed cotton thread to pick up the green of Nancy's dress on the cover.

A neat little book that brings back happy memories of reading under the covers at night.

Book 321 - Gingko Leaf Guest Book or Journal - Stick Binding w/ Bamboo

I love gingko leaves and I love this paper. As soon as I saw it in my sister's paper cabinet, I knew I wanted to use it. It was a natural to pair with the piece of bamboo stick that was originally part of a placemat I took apart.

I covered two pieces of Davey bookbinders' board with a base paper, then a piece of the gingko paper in brown. For the front cover, I added another piece of gingko paper in black, layered on a light piece of smaller print gingko paper and finally added a cut out of a single gingko leaf. I love the final effect.

For the binding, I drilled two holes in the covers to match the holes that already existed in the bamboo stick. With beige twine, I stitched the covers to the bamboo stick.

I think this is one of the prettier books I've done recently.

Book 320 - Green Leather Fat Journal with Silver Clasp - Long stitch binding-1

Another leather book today, a fat journal. I like fat journals, myself, so I find it hard to make them skinny--though, of course, they would be faster and cheaper to make when making them for resale. This is fatter than some, partly because the paper is a nice thick artist's paper, like printmaking paper. There are 80 pages (160 counting both sides) of this rich paper perfect for writing or sketching with pen, pencil, charcoal, or colored markers.

The leather is a rich dark green with a lightly pebbled surface. The journal/blank book is bound with a long stitch binding with pale green waxed linen thread with a diamond stitch pattern showing on the spine.

The clasp is silver-colored metal and works by turning the flat center bar, then lifting the left ring off the clasp. I think it gives the book a very classy look.

A standard, but I love making these leather journals. I'll never stop.

Book 295 - The New Topical Textbook Journal-Recycled Textbook w/ Bookmark - Single-Needle Coptic Stitch

A slight change from altering and recycling children's books... here's a recycled/upcycled vintage textbook. I cut the covers off The New Tropical Textbook. This time, I was careful to cut it cleanly enough that I could also use the spine as a bookmark.

I wrapped the raw cut edges of the front and back covers with maroon washi tape and boned it down very well. I glued maroon card stock end papers inside both covers for a clean look. I folded and trimmed to size seven signatures of white text paper. Once the pages were nested, I covered the folded edge of each signature with the same maroon washi tape used on the spine edges. I knew this would give me a clean, uniform look to the exposed spine.

I punched holes in the sigs and the covers and bound the journal with black waxed cotton thread in a single needle-coptic stitch binding.

Finally, I took the separate spine I'd cut out, glued the cut edges inside and then covered the entire inside with the maroon washi tape.

This is not a super-creative journal, but it's a nice little book.

Book 289 - "Splat" - A Recycled Fly Swatter Flip Book - Stab Binding

Well, I promised you something different... Here we have a recycled fly swatter. Found it in a thrift shop. I kept staring at it, wondering what to do with it. Then poof... the idea appeared full blown.

This is a flip book. When you flip the pages smoothly and fairly quickly, the image on the pages appears to move, like a movie. The image shows a housefly flying left to right, arching up, turning its body down and diving to the bottom of the page. And then... "splat." No more fly. Well, that is what fly swatters are for, right?

Once I'd figured out the images, I printed them out on beige paper, arranged them in order and poked a row of holes along the top for sewing stations for a stab binding. I laid the book block on top of the screen mesh of the fly swatter and stitched through the punched holes and the mesh, so the book is completely attached to the mesh.

At the very back of the book, I added an image of a dead fly that can be seen from the back of the book, through the mesh.

This book makes me laugh. And it made me feel creative again after weeks of just getting by.