Title: Food Rules
Structure: Double Scroll
Dimensions: 12 x 1 1/2 (closed)
12 x 13 1/2 (unrolled)

Video of my process.

Well it was another week where I almost didn't make the deadline. Coming home from a two-week trip over three states was a little mind numbing. But alas, I found a way to push through and get the book done. 

This double scroll was super easy and quick to make.  I tried to stay true to the idea of a scroll with original handwritten text, but in the end, that was my least favorite part of the book. But I'm not sweating it, I think it works for the amount of time I had to get it done.

When I think of a scroll, I think of the town crier unrolling the scroll and setting forth some decree. That's why I selected the four food rules that my husband and I try to abide by when it comes to our health and the way we eat. 

The food rules we follow are: 
1. Eat only when hungry. (that 3-meals-a-day thing is bogus)
2. Eat only enough to no longer feel hungry.(portion control is key)
3. Eat only what's meant to be eaten. (real food not processed food)
4. Eat to live, don't live to eat. (our lives should not revolve around food)

Now I could break these down even further to explain what we mean by each one and how we actually put these into action, but that's for another time :-). 

I'm looking forward to what this week brings. Stay tuned! 

If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site.

Title: Postcards From...
Structure: Japanese Stab Binding
Dimensions: 6 x 4

Video of my process.

Of course I knew it would happen -- I'd have to make a book while away from home. It was inevitable and I tried to keep the process as authentic as possible. For example, I only took the basic supplies in my book making/art journaling travel kit and I tried to keep the book simple as well. I think I managed to pull off simple pretty well. 

This book of postcard poems reminded me that making a book does not need to be complicated. If the content is simple and the structure is simple, you can make a book away and using just about anything. 

For the content, I wrote epistolary poems on each card and addressed them to myself. This is something I've been doing for years. Every time I travel, I send myself a postcard from wherever I am and write myself a little note about something I want to remember about that particular trip. It could be anything, from the name of a person I met to the kind of sheets on the hotel bed. I usually get home before the postcard arrives, so it's like getting a postcard from my past self. I love it. 

We are still on the road, so I'll keep this post short and sweet. 

I'm looking forward to what next week brings. Stay tuned! 

If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site.

Title: K
Structure: Mock Midori Traveler's Notebook
Dimensions: 6 2/8 x 4 2/8

Video of my process.

After years of wanting the Midori Traveler's Notebook, I finally decided to make my own. The honest truth is that I just can't bring myself to pay that much for the real thing. Even when I have the money to do so, it just seems excessive. Maybe one day I'll be in a weakened state and buy it on impulse :-). 

But for now, I'm happy with my version of it. It's not leather and it doesn't function exactly the way the original does, but I LOVE it. The leather-like cover with the satin inside makes me smile each time I open it. 

Then, of course, there are the three small books on the inside. One for sketching, one for art journaling, and one with black pages that I can create on using my white and metallic pen collection. What more could a gal ask for? 

It was a really fun book to make and super simple. I actually made one for my husband for his birthday! His holds the larger notebooks and has his name on the cover, but everything else is the same. 

If I were going to make another one, I'd likely make the cover a wrap around cover. I like when my books are enclosed. Something about that makes them feel safe and secure if I want to throw them into my bag/purse.

I'm looking forward to what next week brings. Stay tuned! 

If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site.

Title: I Am Blank
Structure: One Page Book
Dimensions: 5 x 5

Video of my process.

So if you are like me when it comes to learning mixed media techniques and art journaling, then you have heard of Teesha Moore's Amazing 16-page journal. If you haven't, head over to YouTube to watch her video. It's a blank art journal that she makes from one sheet of paper. I've seen the video several times over the past couple of years and so when I needed something simple and easy to make this week, I thought of her book and decided to make my own version but smaller (hence the 5 x 5 square size). 

Teesha Moore's book has 16 pages. Mine has 20 pages because I cut my sheet down in smaller increments than she did. I like the 20 pages and will likely make another book like this one using watercolor paper so that it can be a small art journal. 

It's been a long week, ya'll, so I'm keeping this one short. 

I'm looking forward to what next week brings. Stay tuned! 

If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site.  

Title: Write Now
Structure: Hardcover Blank Journal with Strap
Dimensions: 8 x 5 2/8

Video of my process.

Book 22 is absolutely one of my favs so far. It's the elastic strap that does it for me. I've been wanting to make my own books that have the elastic strap and so I'm really excited about this book. In fact, I was so excited, that I made two!!

For this book, I used book board for the covers and then covered those with a really thin and beautifully soft Japanese paper that I purchased from Flax Art and Design in San Francisco (one of my favorite places to shop for art supplies, and one of the most dangerous on my wallet). 

This book is a blank journal for writing, but I could have used watercolor paper just as easily and made this an art journal. In fact, I probably will make a hard cover art journal using this structure. There's so much potential. 

I'm looking forward to what next week brings. Stay tuned! 

If you're watching the videos, I'm honored! If you're making the books, I'm intrigued, so please share here or on the Giving Hands Creative Community site.