Meandering books

This book, made from one sheet of paper, is called a "meandering book" because of the way it unfolds and can be displayed. 

Either side can be the "outside". 

I added content to this one ...

I love making these books, decorating the papers and creating the structure. Sometimes the structure "dictates" the content. In this case there were roughly 11 pages on one side, my granddaughter is 11, so a page per year worked perfectly. I haven't yet decided on the content for the top one.

3 more books

Still making books from one sheet of paper. Folding and cutting techniques to create different structures.

French Door Book. 

Painted, stamped and doodled paper.

the "french door" is in the middle

here you can see the backside of the paper which has a light wash only.

No content yet ... however, thinking of following the graffiti theme and adding photos of graffiti I've taken on various travels, mainly in Europe.

Meandering book.

Painted and stamped paper both sides

Front view

top view

inside page view

Again, no content yet. Thinking of making it a "map" of my granddaughter's years.

Accordion Book with Pockets

Scrapbook paper 12x12. Folded to create pockets

I created a "belly band" with a complimentary scrapbook paper.

 backside

inside view with pockets which I filled with tags

This is for my son for father's day.

I absolutely love love love making books! Hope you are having a creative day!

One Page Wonders

I'm taking a class with Kiala Givehand. We are making books from one sheet of paper. I'm taking the class because Kiala is a wiz at bookmaking and her videos are good quality. 

This is the first book, an "X" book or 6-page book. You can choose to glue pages to create a book like this or you can leave pages unglued. I wanted to show the back of the paper so I created pockets by just gluing sides and using my circle punch.

For content, I added small photos of flowers and call it "Small Wonders". I also rounded the corners which adds a nice touch. It's quite small 2 3/4 by 4 1/4. Not sure what I'll add to the pockets, perhaps quotes about flowers tucked inside. I'm not happy with the title on the cover (don't like the black on the dark green) ... so I'll be switching that out.

Kiala is not only teaching book structure but also teaching a variety of paper "decoration" techniques. This is using tulip fabric paint to create a sort of "tie dyed" effect. 

Taking this class supports one of my 2015 art goals - to make 50 books. Having a lot of fun with this!

Travel Journal

I recently visited the East Coast and made this travel journal to hold memories. 

I used a Pennsylvania/New Jersey map to create an accordion style book, folding the bottom to create pockets.

The pockets contain photos and ephemera. Some photos have journaling on the back. Washi tape reinforces the borders of each spread. I wouldn't use a map again as it's too light weight.

I love how interactive the book is. However I watched my husband "read" it, holding it in his hands like a real book. It was not "natural" for him to pull things out of the pockets. My daughter, on the other hand, immediately laid it on her lap and knew how to "read" it. It's always interesting to observe others open and "read" books that are interactive.

The cover is a heavy piece of scrapbook paper. There is a sheen that you can't see here. I glued the front and back "pages" to the cover, so it doesn't really open as an accordion.

A bead from my stash and waxed linen creates the closure. I really like the way it turned out. It's a fun structure to capture memories. Thanks to Kiala Givehand and her BIAD series for the inspiration.