Reaching for the Moon

reaching for the moon. photo taken in my back yard.

Today...

I am reaching. Reaching for answers and inspiration and direction. 

I am loving a sweet message that arrived just when I needed it. (thank you, Marilyn)

I am finding inspiring souls who blog their truth.

I am trying to be patient about upcoming changes.

I am thankful for welcoming friends who say, "yes, come see me!"

I am thinking of a friend who is fighting one of the toughest battles possible.

I am feeling a little lost but very very blessed.

♥

How I Make Them

In the post "So, what are these books you make?", I talk about art journals; what they are and what you do with them. This time I am going to answer another question people ask me quite often, "How do you make them?"

I make several different kinds of journals. Most of them are bound one of two ways, either coptic stitched or wire-bound.

Coptic stitch is a form of bookbinding that attaches groups of pages, called signatures, to a front and back cover using waxed linen thread. Coptic stitch binding allows a book to lie open flat so you can create/write on each page with ease. It's a pretty binding technique and gives the book a real handmade look. Below is a close-up look at a coptic stitched journal.

coptic stitched journal

A wire-bound journal is made when several pages, along with a front and back cover, have holes punched uniformly along the edge and then a wire binding is inserted. Below is a picture of a wire-bound journal. (this Nancy Drew journal is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.)

wire-bound Nancy Drew journal

Inside the journals are blank pages I have added. These pages can be made from drawing paper, sketch paper, card stock, colored or patterned paper, canvas paper, water color paper, and ledger paper. Sometimes I will even include old paper and ephemera.

Most of the journals I make have covers from vintage novels or children's books. The children's books are probably my favorites to work with. Most of them are worn around the edges which to me shows how much they were read and loved. Imagine a book that's been around for 40+ years, telling stories, at bedtime by a parent or being read under the covers with a flashlight (I used to do that). I buy most of the books from used book sales or estate sales. Many are destined to wind up in the garbage because they are old or torn or written in or falling apart, I don't shy away from the extremely "used" books. I've used many that are falling apart when touched. I remove the covers, save the old pages for other projects, and insert the new blank pages. Sometimes I leave some or all of the original story pages in the book.

I like to think that I am giving the book a new life, a new purpose. I hope someone takes this new book and creates or writes all their dreams and thoughts in it...and maybe it will last another 40+ years to tell their story.
♥