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.

Book 274 - Sorry" Board Game Notebook/Journal - Single Needle Coptic Stitch Binding

This notebook made from a recycled board game was fin to make. I love making books from old game boards, and I especially love this board from the game "Sorry." I love the symbolism of the "Start" and "Home" graphics. I often find these games at thrift stores, and I don't feel terribly guilty about cutting them up because the games are often missing parts.

For this one, I cut the large pieces from the game board and used them for the front and back covers. Because there were raw edges where the board was cut, I needed to cover those with something. I used washi tape, a kind of decorative masking tape from Japan. It comes in lots of colors and patterns and is a perfect solution for this kind of situation. Since the board back and edges were a light blue, I covered the cut edges with a medium blue washi tape and burnished it down very well.

This is a large notebook-sized journal. I folded signatures from 11"x17" paper and trimmed it down slightly to fit the boards. I poked holes in the sigs and drilled corresponding holes in the boards, then bound it with a single-needle coptic stitch.

I'm finally beginning to feel quite confident with this stitch. Guess I finally "own" it.

This is a nice notebook, quite sturdy, it lies completely flat and would be handy for all sorts of things.

Book 181 - "Conspiracy" - A Hemp Cord Spiral Bound Notebook

I'm late posting this spiral-bound notebook done with hemp cord stitching. I'm finding that keeping the blog up to date--what with taking photos, resizing them, uploading, and writing the post is harder than actually making the books!  This offbeat little notebook has been sitting around for two days now, occasionally calling out "Post Me, Please!"

So I finally answered the call. While wondering what book to make the other day, as my eye wandered around the room, I saw the box for the board game I used to make the book trio a few days ago. The game title "Conspiracy" was emblazoned across the front of the box in big yellow and red letters and just called out "pick me! pick me!" (Hmmm, Am I getting completely batty here? Why are all these things yelling at me?)

I cut the top off the box cover and cut the giant word in half. I backed the pieces with black textured card stock. Then I printed out words for all the "conspiracy theories" I could think of--the more far out the better--and added them to the covers and the insides of the covers. I sure hope this comes across as really tongue-in-cheek as I mean it. Because I do think all this stuff is just plain silly.

The finished book measures 8 1/2" long x 3 1/4" wide with approx. 100 pages of white text paper. The spiral binding is done with loosely wrapped black waxed hemp cord. On the whole, a pretty silly little book, but making it was fun.

Book 179 - Recycled Children's Book/Journal - Winnie the Pooh

I'm loving making these recycled children's book journals. This one has a single-needle coptic stitch binding. The cover boards are very sturdy and that made stitching it and keeping it flat a breeze.

This one is a Disney version of "Winnie the Pooh & Tigger Too," another thrift store find. I carefully removed the book block and cut the cover down the spine, trimmed the raw edge, folded it over and glued it, then clamped it to dry. The book block is made up of six signatures of six sheets-total 72 pages (144 counting both sides). To the first page of each signature, I tipped in a full-page illustration from the original book. I also added the original end papers back in.

Nice little hand-made journal.

Book 171 - An Elegant Smooth Leather Journal with Turquoise

This is a really elegant journal covered in smooth beige leather, another medieval limp binding. The exposed long stitch binding on the spine is threaded with small round turquoise beads. They really look nice.

The leather is split cowhide so smooth it has a slight sheen. The inside is suede. I've used a patterned turquoise paper for an end paper. The pages are very heavy ivory colored art paper, 48 pages (96 counting both sides). It's a good size, 8" x 5 3/4".

This is a beautiful journal I'm proud of.

Book 169 - a Cardboard & Duct Tape Recycled Blank Book/Journal

Going a little grungy today. Here is a blank book/journal recycled from two pieces of cardboard cut from a case of Arizona Iced Tea. The backs and edges are covered with acid green duct tape (my faithful followers know about me and duct tape). The 6 signatures of 5 sheets each of creamy colored recycled paper make 60 pages (120 both sides) inside the journal.

I joined the front and back of the book with folded strips of the green duct tape taped down inside then stitched the signatures over the tapes with a longstitch binding with red hemp cord. It's really quite colorful!

This is pretty much a quick and dirty, grunge-look thing, but it qualifies as today's book.

Book 165 - A Harley Slotted Spine Journal - Handmade Blank Book

Here's another attempt at the slotted spine book. I obviously need more practice on this handmade book structure. I still have trouble getting the stitches evenly spaced on the spine and keeping the tension right. This is not awful; it's just not as clean as I'd like.

Sometime late last January or February, I was in the bookstore and noticed that all the 2011 calendars were marked down 75-80%. I grabbed a bunch of those 365 day desk calendars with cool pix on them. I'm not sure exactly what I had in mind at the time, probably the idea of using the images to make greeting cards to sell on etsy, which I might still do. Anyway, yesterday was organize-the-studio day, and I found the pile of them. One was a Harley Davidson motorcycle calendar and this book cover comes from the box the calendar came in. I reinforced it with some black cardstock on the inside and covered and strengthened the spine with black duct tape. For the back, I cut a piece of an Arizona map showing part of Route 66.

The slits in the spine were a bit difficult to cut because of the stickiness of the tape. That made them not super neat. The six signatures are made from orange and white text paper and are stitched with white waxed linen thread.

This wouldn't make a great pocket or purse journal because of the front Harley logo extension. More of a desk book, I guess. But cute.

Book 162 - Green Cowhide Leather Journal-Handmade Blank Book

I wasn't up to thinking too much tonight, so fell back on my stand-by. Here's a very pretty green leather journal in a medieval limp binding with a longstitch. The paper is gorgeous 70 lb cream velvet finish paper with hand-torn edges. There are 8 signatures of 6 sheets (12 pages) each for a total of 96 sheets (192 pages both sides). It is sewn with medium brown waxed linen thread.

This leather feels wonderful to the hand. It is fairly thick but very soft. When the cover of a longstitch journal such as this is soft and "limp" it's called the medieval limp binding. I may come back later and add some kind of closure to this, since the leather is not stiff enough to stand up on its own. On the other hand, I like the clean look of it with no strap or closure. We'll see.

NOTE: For those of you who follow me regularly and sometimes comment, I often leave replies to your comments in the specific thread. If you've asked a question or made some other comment of note, I might have answered you there. Please check.

Books 158, 159 & 160-Tootsie Pops Trio Recycled Packaging Blank Journals

A triple treat today! Since these recycled packaging journals seems to be my new signature style, I thought I would see just how many books of different types I could make from one candy box. And this great Tootsie Pops box came available today.  (This also serves the purpose of playing a little catch up since I missed a few days toward the beginning of this challenge.)

The first book is my favorite. It makes such a neat little package. This slotted spine longstitch binding is easier in some ways than a regular longstitch with holes in the spine. But it can be harder to keep the threads just where you want them. For this one, I covered the spine and the wrap at the fore edge with red duct tape (I do love me some red duct tape!) The cover is lined with a pearlescent cardstock in a raspberry color. The eight ivory paper signatures are sewn with white linen thread through the slits in the spine. I finished it with a purple flourite bead and a hand-looped chain cord for wrapping around.

The second book is also a long stitch but with holes. And I did not use one long thread to sew all the signatures together as well as to the spine, like I usually do. Each of the five signatures is sewn to the spine with a separate thread. I left a long tail on each thread at top and bottom. When all the signatures were sewn, I braided the five threads at the head and at the tail and finished each with an Italian glass bead and a small tassel. Inside the cover is lined with gold pearlescent cardstock and the paper is white text paper.

Book three is the simplest and smallest (and the fastest to make). It is a simple perfect binding book, much like a note tablet. Three colors of text paper (red, emerald green and purple) are cleanly cut and stacked for the block. Then one edge is glued with padding compound glue while being tightly held together. It's clamped to dry, with at least two coats of the special glue. Finally, I wrapped the spine with more red duct tape (hmmmm..) and called it finished.

Quite a haul from one little throw-away box of Tootsie Pops.