minibook mania!

ok, so everyone knows my favorite thing to make is cards! and lately, my other favorite thing to make is pages for paper adventure. but my other *OTHER* favorite thing to make is mini-books! look, here's one now:

(patterned paper: my mind's eye, bengali newspaper; flower clipart: anahata katkin; rub-ons: daisy d's, american crafts, making memories, lil davis, american crafts; ghost butterfly: heidi swapp; cardstock sticker; wild asparagus; other: foam tape, colorbox inks, plaid acryllic paint, papier glass finish)

this particular book is my third volume of "three beautiful things". (i started keeping a 3BT journal last july, inspired by clare grant's fantastic blog i've talked about the idea generally, and volume one and volume two in other posts, which you can read by clicking the links in this sentence.)

now i have nothing against store bought mini-books--there are loads of nice ones out there, just waiting for to be customized. but sometimes you can't find just the right one for a particular project, and anyway they are SO easy to make! this new book has covers which are 5 1/2 x 5 1/2" partly because i wanted to work in a square format and partly because i had a whole stack of 5 x 5" glossy black cardstock offcuts leftover from making nephew matthew's birth announcements in october, and this seemed like a good way to use them up! :) (3BT1 was a 7 gypsies swatchbook, 2 1/2 x 7"; 3BT2 was 4 x 6" and made by me; i also made my paper adventure journal from scratch, it's 5 1/2 x 8 1/2")

i started out with two nice thick squares of chipboard, painted the edges, glued on squares of patterned paper and sealed it with papier glass finish (similar to diamond glaze) for extra strengh and a little bit of shine. i've made books with sewn or spiral bindings, but for daily journals i like to hold ‘em together with book rings (you can get a variety pack at staples for about $3) so that i can add, subtract or move around the pages. i punched the holes with my crop-o-dile, but a fairly sharp hand drill (like for woodworking) is also an easy way to get nice neat holes.

i tend to stock my little books in advance with about half as many pages as i think they're going to need. i use scraps of cardstock and heavy paper in the requisite sizes, and add more pages in as needed. most days i decorate one page, write my “three beautiful things” and i’m done. but some days i have more time, or ideas to try out, or i just feel like playing, so i will occasionally decorate “extra” pages which can be used when time or creativity is at a premium. i have also found these little books to be of great value as a sort of “design lab” to try out ideas seen in magazines or online…to experiment with new techniques…and to use up my scraps and break in the cool new supplies i cannot wait to use.

i’ve also found it’s a really good way to “warm up” before starting to work on a larger project or idea. this is has totally surprised me, even though art journalers have been saying so for YEARS, but somehow--perhaps stubbornly--i didn't really believe it would hold true for ME! “why,” i would ask myself, “would i waste time, energy and materials on something that no one else is ever going to see?!” but it turns out the nameless and numerous “they” we are always hearing about were TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY RIGHT on this point: this process doesn't sap your creative energy, it actually DOES revive and envigorate it! who knew?! (ok, clearly everyone except ME, but thank you very much for not rubbing my nose in that!) :)