I just posted this up on eBay

It’s one of my standard journals, 180 pages, leather cover adhered to a fun paper (the cave art paper I lvoe so much!) flap and thong.

I’ve been pretty incomunicando the last coouple of days. The day job has been, rather interesting. I’ll leave it at that. I’ll leave the negativity there and think happy thoughts. It has rather brought home the idea that Robert Genn and several of my art professors have said and written- the day job is a trap. Sure the benefits seem nice but there is nothing like being on your own and making art all the time. Genn puts it a little more supportively than that, more like “You can do it.” The idea is the same.

The last few days have really stresed the importance to me of getting out of the rental trap and buying a home someplace affordable- a place where I can concentrate on my art.

I know that if I am to ever get away from the day job, I won’t be rich, but at the end of the day i won’t come home and just lay on the couch comatose. Or if I do it will be happy kind of comatose.

Enough negative thoguth, happy thoughts. Books!

I have a custom order andit involves me distressing leather myself and lines! I’ve never done lines. I don’t know how I’m going to like it. We’ll see.

Bed calls me.

I’m working on a potential custom order. I am trying to decide if the leather will support the journal the girl/lady/woman wants.

She’s looking at a fat tome for writing. We’re talking a 600 to 700-page journal. I have no doubt that I can bind such a journal inthe proper sizes the question is if the leather can support that many pages and if I can bind such a journal without the spine warping all over the place. I know that it will take serious support under the leather and backing paper, with perhaps a spine “sheet”; a piece of heavy paper sewn between the cover and the book block. Usually when I use these it’s to hold an envelope in the back of the book or as an accordion folded pleat to hide the rough edges of the eyelets or to provide protection for the paper. I always forget that they have a real purpose that isn’t just decorative and that’s to support the spine and help to keep it from warping.

There are a few things to think about while making a book of this size:

Spine warp

Leather tearing

Awl versus punch: what to use

What style of sewing?

And I’m sure there are a hundred other things I’m not thinking of.

I called my roommate at work to see if they had any old magazines that I could do a test bind with. I plan on making a 700-page book with magazine pages. It will be pretty interesting. Magazine paper isn’t the same weight as the paper I would be using for the journal but it will give me a feel for the biding process for something so large.

The last time I bound something with magazine paper I hated it. The paper is very slick and tends to slip all over the place, as I’m sewing. I’ll figure out a method. I’m cutting and folding the signatures tonight.

So today I finished the customer order for the large size sketchbook. Things went pretty seamlessly on the actual journal. I encountered none of the issues I had with the smaller size and the other journal I made. I reinforced the spine with tyvek AND 80lb drawing paper. I then used eyelets for added strength and durability. I love how it looks. It’s also very hefty. 9×11 inches is a big sketchbook. It has 144 pages in 9 signatures. Hopefully the woman who ordered it is as happy with the results as I am.

Here are some pics:
The last 2 are of the cover and the eyelets without any pages or anything else.
The rest are of the finished product.

I just put this journal up on eBay

It is a 9 signature 180 page journal with light blue strathmore paper. The spine is reinforced with tyvek and I used eyelets to reinforce the station along the holes. I used my typical envelope flap and thong for the closure. I used an alternating long stitch forthe spine. The sewing is done in natural linen.

The leather is black and pebbly textured. I used a lightweight hand made marbled paper for the inside. The leather is soft and wonderfully textured.

If Iwere to put this up on the website it would be priced in the $24 to $29 range.

Check itout on eBay

I managed to get many things finished this morning. I had my business stationary printed and I was going to get the cards printed but they didn’t have the color paper I wanted. In fact the color I wanted my stationary printed on was no longer available. I had it printed on a mottled dark ivory color, which was almost close enough. They had no card stock so I headed to several stores to find the color I wanted. No one had it. So I went to Michaels and found only 3 sheets in a similar color. So I bought a couple of sheets in a color that can only be described as coffee colored. After I had printed out the kraft and coffee color, I liked the coffee color better.

I printed the cards cut 3 of 4 edges and hand tore the other edge, so it has what looks like a deckled edge. The cards are pretty basic but enjoyable. As for the stationary, there isn’t anything special about it, same information as the cards, just on a full sheet.

Instead of going to have the stationary printed I’m going to see if I can find a ream of kraft colored paper, or kraft sheets and just print it off myself.

Not exactly bookbinding related but, it’ related to eBay sales and all that fun stuff. I managed to snag a ton of little sheets of bubble wrap from work. Not to worry, I’m re-using not stealing. They came on these cute little vases I ordered for the store. I had saved a few of them before and they were the perfect size for wrapping books for shipping. So I saved ALL 24 sheets this time. I don’t’ know where I’m going to store them, but I’ll store them somewhere. Shipping supplies are always good to have on had. Speaking of that, I need to pick up 2 sizes of Ziploc Baggies and envelopes. I’ve been using the giant manila envelopes my Mom gave me- she gave me a dozen or so of these giant 10 by 14 inch envelopes. When I ran out of the “normal” size I started to use them, thinking I’d only use one or two. Yeah right! I’ve used most of them. I have 2 left. I’ve done a lot of shipping in the last 2 weeks.

I’ve cut and folded all the paper for the large size sketchbook I’m making. Today I’m going to cut the leather to size and get it ready for backing. I haven’t heard from the lady who is purchasing the book so I don’t know what style of inside she would like. I wanted to have most of the book done today so that I could ship by Tuesday. I feel like this project has taken too long. I like to have a turn around that is a little speedier. I like to get all the discussion and design work done in week one and week 2 should be spent making the book and sourcing materials. This project has taken closer to 3 weeks and I want to get it done.

I’d like to make a form so that people can fill it out and really let me know what kind of journal they like, but it seems so impersonal. I like the personalized emails or phone conversations that get the heart of what someone wants. They let the person interested know I’m a real person and I think it gives people a little more value in the finished book. There are always those people who want something less personal but still handmade.

The other thing I need to work on is my business cards and perhaps stationary. I used to have it, and I think it would be good to print off everything on Comfortable Shoes Studio stationary and to be able to include business cards with everything. I used to do that, and it was great if people were giving the books as gifts. So I need to work on that today too. (As well as clean the house and studio- mess mess mess!)

This is also of my new stock line of journals. I think that I like this one most of all. I think that i like the non-alternating pattern on the spine better. Mostly because it makes a thick chunky mass of black on the spine.

It is also on eBay
HERE!