Oooh, Shiny!

Eyelet Bound Journal

I got this bookbinng kit from Quietfire Designs because I was intrigeud by the construction, with the eyelets and the exposed thread on the spine.  I've bought several of her kits over time; I like her aesthetic and her use of interesting stitching techniques. And on this particular kit, the blue cover option immediately made me think of my pal Donna.

Now that it's in her hands, I can post pictures of it without spoiling the surprise.

The cover is made up of three separate pieces for the front, back and spine. The front and back covers have eyelets inserted, and linen thread is laced through them to capture the spine piece.

Here's a slightly closer view on the eyelets:

 And here's how it looks from the inside:

I ended up making my spine piece a little too wide, so that's a note for next time. I think this binding could be interesting with a supple but still firm cover material, like the laminated Tyvek I have used in another project. A great characteristic of this binding is that it will open and lay very flat when you are working in it - really nice for a sketchbook or journal application.

Breaking the Logjam

I spent most of 2007 in a bit of a spin: there was a lot of adjusting to do after moving to a new city and getting used to the rhythms or working at home all the time. We also had to get used to the additional responsibilities of taking care of a house, and all the new interior and garden projects that came with it. For most of the year, I felt like I was in suspended animation in terms of my creative pursuits.

In 2008, I have determined that I will bust through that, and get back to being productive in my non-work life. We've settled into a pattern for our days, and we have started making friends here in town. My overarching goal for this year is to focus  on working through the projects that are in progress, or that I have bought materials for. There are a few impulses behind this:

1. If I finish projects in progress, I can get piles off of my work table (and desk and floor), return tools to their home with related items, and generally enjoy a less cluttered and chaotic environment.
2. I would really like to feel a little bit more sense of accomplishment. I am always busy, but because I nibble away at so many different things I often feel like I never get anything finished.
3. One of my least favorite aspects of my personality is that I let myself get stymied when I hit an obstacle. Instead of working through it, I have a strong tendency to put it aside and start something else. Net result: I feel guilty about projects that have been sitting too long
4. I've noticed that when I am busy, I have a pronounced tendency to buy materials for a new project as a substitute for actual creative time. This only adds to the guilt produced by point #3, and compounds my clutter and storage issues.

We're almost two months into 2008, and so far so good. I've bought stuff for one or two new projects, but I have been on  a roll with getting things finished - or at least moving again. I'm going to work on chronicling some of these things here.

Let's start with a couple of handmade albums I made in January, during the "playtime" week I took off after Christmas. They're an example of a project I bought the materials for quite some time ago.

I've had a longstanding interest in bookbinding and other paper arts for as long as I can remember, although I don't spend as much time on it as on other hobbies. In theory, it dovetails nicely with my photography, and these albums are intended to house portfolios of my photos when I get them together (another 2008 project...)

I started with album kits from Paper Source. Oh, I could wax lyrical about my love for Paper Source, but I will save that for another time. They sell great little kits for postbound albums that take the hassle out of making them: the parts that are tedious and require specialized equipment are done for you, leaving the fun parts. The two below are the Medium White and Medium Black album kits.

The kits include board for the covers, and pre-cut, scored and punched pages. You choose the cover and end papers, and the bookcloth on the spine edges. I got the cover papers from them as well.

Postbound albums are great because they can expand to hold the photos that you put in them, unlike most bound books or albums.

I can only hope that one day, Paper Source will come to Santa Barbara...