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 357 - Western Pulp Fiction - Classic Images Reversible Notebook/Journal

This reversible notebook/journal uses some classic imagery from 1950s pulp western fiction.

I have long loved pulp fiction imagery. It's just so immediate. It pulls you right into the moment of action, like good writing should. So I love using this imagery in my books.

For this 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" notebook/journal, I used two images and I reversed the one on the "back" so that the journal essentially has two fronts. You can use it either way. After printing the double image on heavyweight matte photo paper, I sprayed it with an acrylic surface spray to protect the finish. I needed a slightly rounded spine fold to accommodate the thickness of the two signatures, so I scored the inside center of the cover three times, about 3/16th of an inch apart on each score. Then when I folded it without boning it down hard on the creases, it was a bit rounded

I folded two signatures of 70 lb cream paper and stitched them both through a single set of sewing stations in the spine with a five-hole pamphlet stitch using a heavy waxed linen cord that feels almost like leather. I left the ends of the cord long enough at the center hole that I could wrap it around the book and tie it shut.

Nice notebook for a man, I think.

Book 336 - Leather Journal with Turquoise - Long Stitch Binding

Time for another pretty leather journal. This is a really nice piece of leather, like a good quality purse would be made out of. It's a pale beige with a smooth finish, enhanced, I think, by a couple of natural markings in the leather.

For the pages, I used a rich, heavy cream-colored paper with a very subtle multi-colored fleck in it. The paper has just a slight tooth that makes it nice both for writing and drawing. A leaf-print paper in tones of green and gray makes the end papers.

The eight signatures are bound to the cover with light green waxed thread in a long stitch binding. I staggered the holes to give the binding an attractive pattern, and added beads. The top and bottom rows of stitches have small turquoise glass beads. In the center of the spine is a large turquoise nugget. It makes for a fairly dramatic spine.

This is really a luscious journal I'd be pleased to write in myself.

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 318 - A Blue Leather Journal/Blank Book w/ Button Closure - Long Stitch Binding

Back to the leather journals today. This one is made from a really beautiful piece of leather in a deep royal blue with a surface that has been polished to a soft sheen. To complement the blue leather, I used light blue waxed cotton thread for the stitching. I also used a step pattern when I punched the holes for the sewing stations to create an interesting pattern on the spine.

After I folded and punched the signatures, made of 70# Neenah Sundance paper in ivory, I wrapped a piece of blue mulberry paper with newsprint flecks around the block for end papers.

The back cover wraps around the front where I attached a pretty hand-made ceramic button. Then I added a thong of the blue leather to wrap around the journal then wrap around the button to close it securely.

A pretty, useful, and salable book.

Book - 306 - Blue Pyramid - Recycled Packaging Mini-Book/Notebook/Jotter - Long Stitch Binding

More upcycling, this time another little mini-notebook/jotter. I've been hanging onto this piece of a Pyramid Cigarettes carton for ages, knowing I'd use it sometime. I do like that silver and blue logo.

To make this little pocket notebook/jotter, I cut the carton up and backed the pieces with nice thick card stock for body. I creased the cover with my bone folder to make the spine and reinforced it further with a strip of bright blue duct tape. I sewed the signatures to the spine with a long stitch binding. Pretty simple. Another go-to book when I need to get something done.

I have a lot more of these Pyramid brand cartons (it's the cheapest cig we sell). I've got them in red, green and blue, so you'll probably see more of them before I'm done. I've been thinking about cutting the pyramids out and folding them up somehow into little pyramid-shaped books. Still working it out.

Book 288 - Pink Leather Fat Journal w/ Glass Dangle - Long Stitch Binding

I like really fat journals. And this one is fat. and I love the pink with black details... reminds me of the '50s, when pink and black were IT. This long stitch  bound journal -- also called the Medieval limp binding--is smallish, just 4" x 5" by almost 1 1/2" thick. It has 8 signatures of heavy artist paper, 96 pages worth (192 pages front and back).

The end papers are a yummy bright red Asian paper with gold brushstrokes. The long stitch binding is done with black waxed linen thread and the book closes with a black leather thong.

The dangle on the end of the thong is really beautiful fused dichroic glass (and a thank you to my friend Shannon for the gift). Not only does it close the journal, but it can also act as a nice place marker.

A simple, pretty and really nice little fat journal/blank book.

Book 281 - Mmmm, M&Ms Recycled Packaging Journal-Slit Spine Long Stitch Binding

It was candy restocking time in the store, and there was this empty M&M's Peanut box.... I guess you can imagine what came next.

Out came the scissors and the x-acto knife. I cut one large piece from the top of the box, glued on some heavy raspberry pink perlescent card stock to the back for looks and strength, scored it well with the bone folder and folded it at the spine. I then covered the spine with bright red duct tape and cut slits across the spine for the sewing stations.

I folded six signatures of white text paper, poked the holes and stitched them with a long-stitch binding through the slits I had cut in the spine.

Unfortunately, when the spine was folded I realized I had scored it a bit too narrow, which made the journal not want to close flat. So I made the strap from a double layer of the red duct tape to wrap around the book and closed it with a piece of industrial strength Velcro.

Mmmmmm.......

Book 278 - Hair on Cowhide Journal - Long Stitch Binding

Here's one of my great stand-by books - a long-stitch bound leather journal. And not just leather, but hair-on leather. This is from a full cowhide I bought and cut up, in a wonderful brindle color.

I probably shouldn't tell you (though if you've been following me awhile, you've surely dropped to this already) but these leather journals/blank books are my fall back position. When I just can't seem to be very creative, don't have a single idea what to make, am too tired to think much, am sick, distracted or just plain being lazy, I can always make a leather journal and fulfill my commitment to make a book that day. I've made so many of these that they are almost automatic. The only real creativity is in picking the leather, the thread and the end papers.

For this journal, I picked a soft-focus camo design end paper. I wanted to make it more masculine, since so many of my books appeal more to women. The long-stitch binding is sewn with black waxed Irish linen thread. The pages are 70 lb Neenah Sundance paper in ivory with a felt finish. Very nice paper.

Book 270 - "Mom's Favorite Breakfast" - Recycled Packaging Book/Journal - Long Stitch Binding

OK, I'm back! My little posting break is over and I'll be starting to upload some of my backlog of books little by little. And to begin, here's another blank book/journal made from recycled product packaging - Strawberry Toaster Strudel, my mom's favorite breakfast.

Would you believe I carried this flattened package all the way back from Oregon in my suitcase and have had it sitting on my worktable for weeks? At least it does make a colorful little blank journal. I cut the front and back off the box and another narrow strip for the spine. I used blue duct tape (ah yes, we're back to the duct tape) to make a hinge for the spine.  Then I glued a sheet of heavy dark blue card stock to the inside of the entire case to add some stiffening, boned the hinge creases down and folded it into shape.

The pages are regular white copy paper folded into eight signatures of 12 pages each. The binding is a long stitch binding tied together at the center of the spine. The stitching is done with red waxed linen thread. The closure is three strands of the same red thread braided together and tied to the stitching at the spine to keep it in place.

This book makes a very neat litlte package.

(BTW, something I have always wondered about Toaster Strudel--which you'll understand if you've ever eaten this stuff. What DO they have to put in that icing to keep it from freezing, so it's still soft and spreadable right out of the freezer??? On second thought, I probably don't want to know. I ate all my mom's leftovers while I was there.)

Book 269 - A Simple Blank Journal w/ Hidden Longstitch Binding - Cased In Book

Here's a simple blank journal similar in construction to a few I've made before. It's like a cased in codex except that the book block is not stitched the same way. I basically bind it with a long-stitch binding onto a strip of strong material (in this case, a piece of the same recycled vinyl wallpaper I used for the spine).That block is then glued into the prepared case with the stitched spine strip acting as a hinge between the outer case and the inner end paper. That's what holds the block firmly in place.

For this one, the covers are made of Davey board covered with a beige flowered decorative paper. This was another experiment. I used scrapbooking paper because I wanted to see if it would hold up to the gluing and folding at the edges and particularly at the corners of the cover. It did all right, though you do have to be careful. It will tear in the turning process with any rough handling at all.

The reason I wanted to see if it would work is because there is really no craft store (a la JoAnns or Michaels) or decent art supply store within 75 miles of me and prettily patterned scrapbooking paper is the one thing I CAN find in the local WalMart. It comes in those big "stacks" of various papers at a reasonable price. So now I've learned I can use them if I need to, but I still prefer better paper with more strength and flexibility.

The spine looks like leather in the pix, but it's really another piece of the recycled wallpaper samples I picked up in Oregon. The pages are hand-torn Neenah Sundance 70 lb paper.

I made this book last night, but it definitely needed to spend several hours under heavy weights if it was ever going to lie flat. I think the block is still set just a tad too far into the case, because it wants to open just a bit.

Anyway, I will do more of these. I like the structure, and I need more practice in getting the block glued in perfectly.

Book 258 - Red Cowhide Leather Journal-Long Stitch Binding

Found another scrap of nifty dark red leather from the scrap bin for today. This is almost certainly cowhide, embossed and dyed. The scrap had a nicely angled cut on one edge, so I used that for the wrap-around at the fore edge.

This little journal has eight signatures of 24 lb parchment-like cream paper. There are 104 pages (208 both sides). For the end paper, I used a leaf print paper in a gray/maroon color. I wanted something pretty but not so feminine that a man would not want to use this blank book.

The long stitch binding or medieval limp binding is done with black waxed linen thread and the journal closes in front with a circle of industrial weight Velcro.

A decent example of an everyday journal...