I'm a journaling nut, and what I usually do to journals via paint and all kinds of mixed media puts serious stress on whatever poor book I am working in at the time. I like Piccadilly blank books for their size and their hard covers, but they are getting harder to find, and moleskines just don't seem to have the same stability. It was time, I decided, to learn to bind my own journals. As intimidating as it seemed, I loved the idea of being able to customize papers and create the feel and flow of the book before I even put anything into it. LK Ludwig's new art journaling book, Creative Wildfire, was just the push I needed- there's lots of good instructions in it, including one for this binding-super easy, amazingly flexible, and just about perfect for whatever journaling you want to do, since it lays flat. It was also fun :) So much fun, I am seriously thinking about making a bigger one! About the book:
This 5.5 x 7 journal has a " sewn over tapes" exposed binding, and I used fairly strong linen which I frayed before binding and gluing. The covers are actually 7 gypsies book boards that I already had, but I think I will be using rescued boards for my next one. I wanted the book to look old, frayed, and much loved, as the title and theme of it is Journeying. So covers, page edges, and tapes were all aged and scuffed with sanding, walnut ink, some weathered wood ink from Tim Holtz, and several layers of matte medium and glue. I used Hollander's bookbinder's PVA as a resist in patches on the covers to give them a worn look. Sealed with 3 coats of varnish, sanded in between to cut down on stickiness. The hand beaded decoration on the cover is a vintage piece from India. Ridiculously excited about how this turned out :D Especially for a first attempt. And really pleased with LK Ludwig's instructions on crafting your own journal- she made it doable and very non-scary!
This 5.5 x 7 journal has a " sewn over tapes" exposed binding, and I used fairly strong linen which I frayed before binding and gluing. The covers are actually 7 gypsies book boards that I already had, but I think I will be using rescued boards for my next one. I wanted the book to look old, frayed, and much loved, as the title and theme of it is Journeying. So covers, page edges, and tapes were all aged and scuffed with sanding, walnut ink, some weathered wood ink from Tim Holtz, and several layers of matte medium and glue. I used Hollander's bookbinder's PVA as a resist in patches on the covers to give them a worn look. Sealed with 3 coats of varnish, sanded in between to cut down on stickiness. The hand beaded decoration on the cover is a vintage piece from India. Ridiculously excited about how this turned out :D Especially for a first attempt. And really pleased with LK Ludwig's instructions on crafting your own journal- she made it doable and very non-scary!
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