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.

Book 121 - La Tiznada - Screwpost Envelope Book

A hand-made screwpost book - I found these fabulous contemporary Day-of-the-Dead style Mexican "loteria" cards today in the "Mercado de Artesanias" here in San Miguel de Allende. It's a wonderful market with dozens of shops and stalls selling every kind of Mexican handicraft imaginable. It's a real treasure trove for artists looking for materials and inspiration.

The card I used on this book is a "calavera" or skeleton/skull with Frida Kahlo eyebrows and style. The name, "La Tiznada," comes from the Spanish verb "tiznar," which means to debase or stain the fame or reputation of another. Here it's used in the feminine, so it means a woman who has besmirched someone else's name--i.e. Frida's (At least that's my mid-level Spanish take on it. Someone else might know better, and I hope they'll tell me if I'm wrong.)

The pages of the book are made from manila money envelopes, the kind a lot of employers still use here to give employees their pay in cash. The hand-made book covers are made from mat board covered with light blue text paper. And the binding is a pair of aluminum screw posts.


Cool!