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 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 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 259 - Gray Leather Journal with Yellow Belt Closure-Long Stitch Binding

Yet another leather journal today...  This one was inspired by the cool retro-style yellow elastic belt I found in a thrift shop. I knew right off it would make a great closure. Then I just had to find a piece of leather in my stash that was in a good color to go with it.

I came up with this piece of warm gray cowhide and I love the combination. The journal is a standard long-stitch binding journal, also called the medieval limp binding. I used yellow waxed linen thread for the stitching to compliment the yellow belt, with a pair of sewing stations near the center of the book to hold the belt in place.

The pages are 24 lb classic laid paper in cream, 112 pages in eight signatures. For the end paper, I used a gray plaid print paper that seemed a good match for the gray leather.

I think I'm going to be looking for more of these elastic belts on my next thrift shop run...

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...

Book 238 - A Classic Black Leather Journal w/ Long Stitch Binding - Elegant

Today I've gone for classic simplicity and elegance. This blank book/journal is made of beautiful, smooth black leather with a nice weight to it. When I was deciding where to cut the leather, I saw that the natural edge was just off straight with a very gentle curve and when wrapped around the book made for a very nice front flap closure. I decided I didn't want to do anything to ruin the clean line and simplicity.

The book block is made up of six signatures of five folded sheets each for a total 60 pages (120 both sides). The paper is Arches Text Wove, a simply wonderful art paper that is both thick and soft. It has a wonderful tooth that makes it a joy to touch as well as write or draw on.

I bound the book with black waxed linen thread in a simple but elegant design. The black on black gives it a finished look. To keep the book closed, I put a 1" square of Velcro on the flap. I used the self-adhesive kind, and the bond seemed quite strong, but just to be sure, I added a bit of epoxy adhesive at the edges. These are not coming off any time soon.

I just love the cleanness of this book. It's a great journal size, or would also make a great diary or travel journal. This book has class!

Book 235 - Black Leather Mini-Journal with an Asian Touch - Long Stitch Binding

This little black leather mini-journal marks a departure from my recent obsession with making books out of wallpaper samples (if you love them, don't worry, I have a few more in the works. If you hate them, sorry 'bout that.)

This is just a classic little leather journal with a long stitch binding -- also known as a Medieval limp binding because the leather is, well, limp. This black leather is not terribly thin but it is very soft (i.e. limp). It has a nice pebbled texture on the front - softly sueded inside. The Asian touch comes in the use of red leather as an accent in the thong tie, red waxed linen thread for the binding and the Chinese coin as a closure.

This little book measures 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" by not quite 1" thick. It has six signatures and a total of 60 pages (120 both sides) of really nice, thick hand-torn Arches Text Wove paper It makes for a nice fat book. This great art paper will take pen, ink, marker, pencil, charcoal and light water media, so this would be a great pocket sketchbook or art journal.

Book 228 - Brown Leather Blank Journal w/ Obsidian

Here's another of my long stitch binding leather journals. (This binding is also called the medieval limp binding.) I found this nice piece of leather in my sister's stash. Then I found a box of polished chunks of mahogany obsidian that I knew would look great with the heavy pebbled brown leather.

I used the natural shape of the leather skin for most of the right side wrap-over and cut the cover fore edge clean. For the stitching, I used a light moss green waxed hemp thread. I wanted to try a new pattern. I planned to leave all the exposed stitching straight, but when it was done, the very long stitches worried me. It seemed inevitable that they would catch on something and pull--or even break. So I added a center stitch that brought all four rows together and created the sort of elongated starburst design. And I decided I really liked it.

After I cut a long thong to tie the book shut, I covered the top of the roughly teardrop-shaped chunk of beautiful mahogany obsidian with epoxy, then wrapped the end of the thong around it and tied a knot. Then I added a bit more epoxy. This baby is not coming off.

The paper is a really nice 70 lb. felt finish cream paper. A very nice journal, definitely good for a man.

Book 222 -A Blank JOurnal with Wooden Covers and Leather Spine - Longstitch Binding

Scrounging around the studio, I found these pieces of birch plywood and decided they'd be great covers for a leather-spined blank journal. I sanded the edges smooth and slightly beveled the edges and rounded the fore edge corners. Then it was time to play with the surface.

First I watered down some mossy green acrylic paint and applied it with a piece of old T-shirt fabric, then rubbed most of it off. The color was OK but it needed some punch. So I mixed up some coppery-bronze Pearl-X powder with acrylic medium and sponged some of that on, wiping most of it off. It took more color than I expected, but that turned out to be OK. I could still see the grain, which I wanted, and the color was livelier.

For the spine, I glued on a piece of really nice green leather. I wrapped the book block in a piece of gorgeous green decorative paper with a fern pattern embedded in it. The pages are Arches Text Wove paper, hand torn to size. I stitched them through the leather spine with a longstitch binding with a diamond pattern in the center.

As a final touch, I epoxied a small door knocker-style embellishment at the front edge.

This is really a lovely journal. Since it opens flat, it would also be a great guest book.

Book 219 - Pigskin Wrapped Journal/Blank Book- Long Stitch Binding

Back to working with leather with this wrapped pigskin journal. I like pigskin. Besides being very affordable, it's thin and very soft. You do often have to work around scars and flaws, but some of them are OK; they give your book character.

For this blank book/journal, I cut the leather in a roughly cross shape so I could wrap the book like a package. The pages are hand-torn Arches Text Wove, a wonderful heavy art paper. The liner is a decorative paper in a bronze swirl pattern. The longstitch binding is sewn with waxed linen thread. I tied a carved bone ring onto the end of the wrap-around thong tie.

Pretty straightforward, really. I like the way it wraps up like a neat little package.

Book 210 - A Twinkies Book! Recycled Packaging Blank Book-Journal

More sweet tooth junk here. First pink snowball, and now this time it's a Twinkies box that called to me. I will say, Twinkies are one of the few true junk foods we sell that I NEVER want to eat.

This blank book/journal/notebook is pretty straightforward. Though it may fly in the face of the idea of "recycling," I always feel like I need to line these covers made of pieces of packaging. They just feel too flimsy otherwise, and the back of the package is often a little ragged looking from glue. So... I lined this one with more of my favorite pearlescent cardstock, in pink this time. I also added a second narrow strip of that stock to further reinforce the spine.

The journal is stitched with a long stitch binding in pink hemp cord, six signatures stitched into three sets of holes/sewing stations. And that's that.