Made it to the Front Page!

Just logged on to Etsy to check the shop and had a bajillion-quajrillion notifications. Turns out one of my journals made it to the front page (squee). Here's the treasury it was featured in. 

'Spring Day Out' by pohkoon

Hand knitted tricolor basket... Sudrishta $75.00	Samba rosa glace round Vinta... MODvintageshop $39.00	Casebound Journal - Covered ... MakingMyRent $30.00	PAINTED WOOD NECKLACE Hand P... totemcolorbloc... $24.00
Turquoise and tangerine obl... KireinaJewelle... $8.00	High Waisted Short Shorts in... Archella $92.00	BZR Ombré tights in Sunset BZRshop $50.00	glam gold leather earrings/ ... maddadesign $16.00
ChocoBrown and GrayNavy Canv... BagyBag $89.70	Arrow to the Heart Stud Earr... rareindeed $8.00	Red and White Striped Cotton... AdgLaMode $10.00	Two Toned HackwithDesign $56.00
Chai mihow $10.00	Pinup Girl Checkered Umbrell... Strazor $48.00	iPod / iPhone case - pink an... MariForssell $35.00	silver side lock frame pouch... thezakka $26.50

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio

A bit of Treasure

Here's a wonderful treasury one of my books was featured in. Such a beautiful collection:

'stripes' by latikasoap

black and white stripes

Black and White Stripes - Bo... Fr33na $11.00	Black white stripes button e... KooKooCraft $7.20	Red Black White Striped Cott... yystudio $179.80	Bella Noire black and white ... Agoraphobix $100.00
Wedding Mens Cotton Bow Tie ... speaklouder $40.00	Small Handmade Journal - Fre... MakingMyRent $15.00	Fabric flower brooch black w... Bunnys $20.00	Black and white stripe baby ... bedtimeblues $15.00
Ceramic Tile Coasters - Blac... littlecoasterg... $13.00	Real Butterfly Jewelry Zebra... SpotLightJewel... $21.95	2 Pillow Covers Black White ... MyPillowStudio $40.00	Black Mustache on Black and ... thehairofthedo... $19.00
Bakers twine, Charcoal Black... CraftyClementi... $2.50	Japanese Washi Tape, Masking... chickydoddle $4.25	Large Black and White Stripe... betsykirbydesi... $200.00	Black and white stripes cab... PeekABooCorner... $12.50

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio

The Spring Break Challenge

My sister and I never have overlapping Spring Breaks, so she came to visit last week though I was still busy with school work (and that damn essay). And at the end of her stay, we decided to make a bet: I said I could have 50 books in my shop by the end of my Spring Break, and, of course, she said I couldn't.

At the beginning I had 26 books in my shop. So I posted ten. Then I sold two. And I posted six. And sold  another. So now I have 39, and it doesn't look very promising. It's Saturday and I have a shopping adventure planned later today. Which means I have two days, still, to post 11 books. Will I make it? I definitely feel the underdog.

Here are some of the journals I've posted for the challenge:

On Negativity: A Rant

Be forewarned: this is a giant rant. A rant which you might not want to read as it's going to be lengthy and doesn't have any pictures to break up my whining.

Are you ready? Still here? Well, you should go away, because I might just be ranting about You.

This is your last chance.

I mean it.

Fine. You've chosen to stay. I hope you don't come to regret it.

Do you know what's nice about owning an Etsy shop? Basically, that I get reimbursed for a hobby, that I have a chance to cover myself entirely with glue, and that it's like the first day of kindergarten when they give you those crayons and tell you to color a picture of farm animals--as an assignment!

What I don't love about Etsy? Well, really, it's what I hate about myself: I'm not the most business-minded person alive. I'm that girl covered in glue, not the one giving power-point presentations about profit margins and gross-net-what's-it. Here's the truth: I don't naturally assign monetary value to things, especially not something I've made. Use and sentimental values aren't really that big on my radar either. So, most of the time, my natural inclination is to give it away for free. Unfortunately, I've come to rely on things like my apartment, food, water, and school books. That means I SELL stuff I make. That means I've had to learn to value my time and effort and craftsmanship. Granted it feels strange to me, but I have to do it.

Now we come to the crux of this rant. And that is negativity--especially as regards either my pricing or the quality of my books. Let's start with the pricing.

I've heard a lot of competing views about pricing, and about mine in particular. Many on Etsy say to keep your prices high, because it denotes the true worth of your object. Depending on what book I'm making, it can take anywhere from a few hours, to a few days to complete. Since I've been on Spring Break I've had the opportunity to spend a lot more time on bookbinding, and I just finished the Tyrion Lannister journal an hour ago. It took me through an entire Ocean's Eleven marathon (all three movies) and the first Twilight movie to complete. That's nearly 8 hours, a full work day. If I'd worked a normal shift, earning as much as I did for a glorious summer job I had a few years ago ($10 per hour), I'd have made 80 bucks (minus taxes, of course). Now account for the cost of my materials: leather ($14), thread ($2), PVA glue ($1), davey board ($1), artist paper endpages ($3), sketchbook paper ($5), cord ($1), and kraft paper ($1), that comes to $28. So, this book should cost about $108. (Oh and this does not even take into account the time I take to photograph, edit, and post information about the book on Etsy, or how much time I spent learning the techniques needed to do it in the first place).

The real problem, though, is that I need to sell this book to earn rent money (hence the name of my shop) and often I'm plagued with the idea that, oh yeah, no one wants to buy a book for $108. So, I end up reducing my prices hugely. This one I'll probably list for 60 or 70 dollars, despite the fact that, even then, people will still see it as not worth that. Goodness it's frustrating.

I suppose that if people think my work is too expensive, then they just won't buy it. But nooooooooooooo. That's not all they do. Some friends and customers (who you'd think would be supportive enough to say I need to increase my prices instead of lower them) have put me down by saying that my books are too expensive. It's one thing to say that you don't have the money; it's another to say that they aren't worth it. I understand that not everyone wants a journal that costs so much, if they even want one at all. I get it that there are other, less expensive alternatives, which still look awesome. And to those who want such journals, I say "go buy those and stop complaining about mine" (read "f#*k off").

Here's the truth: I'm not a press. I'm not a manufacturer. I don't make things whole sale. I bind each book individually. I don't have a tool more advanced than an awl or needle. My entire process occurs at my 3'x2' desk in my 10'x12' bedroom. I sleep a few feet from my glue collection. I'm the epitome of small-business.

So, if you want something cheap, made by machines, wrapped in cellophane so that the first human hands to touch it are yours...by all means, go to Barnes & Noble and buy one of their lovely mass-produced journals.  In the mean time, I will continue with my absolutely unique, one of a kind, imperfect journals that have my cooties all over them.

Manifesto for the Ethical Treatment of Mini Books

I've been making a lot of mini books lately, despite their unpopularity. Actually, probably because of their unpopularity. I guess mini books are the geeks in the pantheon that is book-high-school.

Since mini books are natural minorities, I'm going to write them a little manifesto:

1. Mini books are just as cool, and should be held in equal esteem by bibliophiles.
2. They might be small, but their size has several advantages: they can fit into a pocket or purse, they travel well, can be hidden easily, and they're just darn cute.

3. Mini books have been popular for 4,000 years (see photos below).
4. They are more economical since they are often much less expensive to make and purchase.
5. They are more environmentally friendly, because they use less paper, and inspire you to write smaller.

This was a short manifesto, but I'll be continuing my rant in further posts. Until then, here's a picture of the little recipe book I made for myself this weekend.

For more information on the history of the mini book, go to the Lilly Library's online exhibition, here. And here are a few more pictures on the history of the mini book:

Mini Manuscript: "Book of Hours, Bruges?, Belgium, ca. 1440." from the Lilly Library

Also from the Lilly LibraryCuriosities of the Tower of London, Vol. I. London: Printed for Tho. Boreman, 1741.

Prayer book in French, 1881 from Etsy shop: LucieTalesVintage 

Miniature French-English Dictionary (1961) for sale in sinstuff's Etsy shop.

If you're interested in making your own mini accordion book, go here for a picture tutorial: http://www.bookbindingteam.com/2011/11/mini-book-photo-tutorial.html

Also: found this just now; the miniature book society: http://www.mbs.org/