Book 230 - A Long Stitch Bound Blank Journal from Cork Paper & Leather

This cork paper journal is so pretty. I'm having so much fun rooting around in all my sister's wonderful papers and leathers. This paper is really different. The paper backing is metallic gold. But then the top layer is pieces of cork bark bonded to the metallic paper. As pretty as it is, it can be hard to work with because when you crease it or even bend it too much, the cork cracks. So if I wanted to use it for a soft-cover journal--which I did--I knew I would have to cover the spine with something.

I decided on leather and found this piece of very soft dark maroon calfskin. Since the cork paper was pretty light, I lined it with a piece of textured cardstock. I also added a 3/4" wide strip of leather to the inside of the spine to help it keeps its shape. The book block is 48 sheets of Neenah Sundance 70 lb felt finish paper, making 96 pages. The end paper wrapping the block is a nice maroon with some grassy inclusions.

The blank book is bound with a long stitch binding with lavender waxed cotton thread. I really liked the "starburst" stitch pattern I devised the other day for the brown leather journal so I used it again with this one.

There's quite a lot of this nifty cork paper here in the studio. I think I need to figure out another use for it before I go home.

I'm not getting as much catching up done here as I'd hoped. Caring for my mom takes much more energy and time than it did a year ago. She's got an infection that makes her a little disoriented and needy and every time I'm out of her sight for more than five minutes, she rings the buzzer that hangs around her neck. So most of today was spent sitting beside her watching about 6 episodes of "Planet Earth" and three or four more of "The Human Planet." Gotta love those koalas and narwhals. Tonight I'll be sleeping in a lounge chair beside her bed. I think tomorrow will be better.