Book 341-342 - Six Pack Series - Inning Two - Recycled Beer Packaging Books - Coptic Bindings

Inning 2 in our game of recycled six-pack container books. Today's inning features two blank journals bound with the single-needle coptic stitch binding.

The Alaskan Amber journal was actually the first beer six-pack book I made. I loved the ship graphic (an ice cutter, I assume) and the bright red background. I cut the largest part of the six-pack, the front and back panels, trimmed them and then backed them with some gold metallic textured cardstock with a nice weight. That makes the cardboard stiff enough to bind well.

The Budweisser six-pack is a lot more familiar to most people. Bud is one of our best sellers (and this one is a slight cheat since it's from a 12-pack, not a six). I lined the trimmed cardboard with more of the heavy metallic-finish card stock, in silver.

The pages for both books are a camel-colored text weight paper folded into signatures. I bound the Alaskan Amber book with red waxed cotton thread. For the Bud journal, I used doubled thread, one strand of red and one of black.

Nifty little journals. And two more down.

Book 304 - Sculpted Mexican Amate Paper Guest Book/Journal with Single-Needle Coptic Stitch

This is more-or-less a repeat of a book I did when I was in Mexico, but I love this sculpted amate paper so much I decided to do another one.

Because of the cut-outs in the amate, I glued it onto a shimmery orange backing. For the back, I used a piece of Davey bookbinders board covered with dark maroon lokta paper and backed with more of the shimmery orange paper.

I used more of the orange paper, cut into strips, to cover the folded edge of the signatures where they would show at the spine. The pages are white text paper with hand-torn edges. Finally, I added sheets of brown amate paper at the front and back of the book block as fly leaves and punched the stitching stations.

The book is bound with a single-needle coptic stitch with a dark purplish-brown waxed linen thread. The book measures about 8"x 8" and would make a lovely guest book on an entry table. Also, a journal or sketch book.

I do love this book.

Book 234 - Another Housewarming Gift/Guest Book - REcycled Wallpaper Book w/ Long Stitch Binding

OK, it's more wallpaper, the same townhouse border I used in the last book. But this welcome journal - guest book - housewarming gift is a different style. This time the border strip of townhouses is not die cut. I glued the whole strip onto a piece of dark blue textured wallpaper and lined the whole cover for added strength with another piece of paper in a cloud pattern.

This is a larger book than I usually make -- notebook size. I used 11"x17" gray text paper folded into signatures for the pages. Four signatures and a total of 40 pages (80 counting both sides). I printed out the word "Welcome" in dark blue ink on wheat colored paper and glued it to the bottom left corner of the cover.

The guest book is bound with a long stitch binding with blue waxed linen thread. The guest book feels a lot more substantial than you'd expect from simple wallpaper.

I think this would be way cool on an entry table for guests to sign their names and comments.  A nice remembrance of friends and family.

Book 233 - A Small Guest Book/Housewarming Gift - Recycled Wallpaper Blank Book

Here's yet another recycled wallpaper book (I seem to be enchanted with the idea, don't I?) I think this little cutie would make a great housewarming gift. It's the perfect guest book for an entryway table.

For this one, I used a cute die-cut wallpaper border of a row of townhouses with palm trees. To make it stronger, I lined the strip with a piece of burnt sienna wallpaper and cut out the roofline edge. The book has three signatures with a total of 54 pages (108 counting both sides). I used a pale gray text paper for the pages. All three sigs are sewn in a pamphlet stitch through a single set of holes with blue waxed linen thread. The thread is knotted at the top of the spine with a small key charm attached.

I actually think this little guest book is quite precious.