365: Make a Book a Day: fan book

A Book a Day? What's Up With That?

Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

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.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Book 142 - Bookmark Fan Book, Handmade Book with Little Indian Girl

Really taking it easy here tonight with this little bookmark fan book. This was another idea that came up by wandering through our store. We sell a lot of these little laminated bookmarks with historical photos--mostly Native American. I've always loved this one. The little Indian girl has so much personality!

For the text pages, I chose a peach-colored paper that blends nicely with the sepia of the photograph. I cut it to the same size as the bookmark. For the back, I cut a piece of mat board to size and glued a piece of cardstock on the back. The stock is a two-layer scrap-booking paper that you can tear/fold/sand to reveal some of the under color. I sanded this piece for interest and to make it look "distressed" and add to the historical flavor.

After neatly stacking the front and back covers over the block of text pages, I clamped the whole thing together and drilled the top whole with a 1/4" bit. Then I connected everything with a 1/4" nylon binding post from Home Depot.

This little book fans out beautifully At 2" x 6", it would make a great notebook to keep in a pocket for quick notes and to-do lists.