Oh! the Horror, the Horror!

Unbelievably, I'm not really accident prone. (When I am, however, I do so dramatically.) I fractured my ankle once while dancing (horribly); I cut my arm from wrist to elbow climbing on a lego bucket to get something (I'm very short (5'1")); and once I tried to remove my cat from a precarious position (without her permission) and ended up with a gauzed arm for a week. Still, in my 23 year life-span, three not-really-so-serious accidents deserves bragging rights at least.

So, you can imagine my consternation at being injured while bookbinding (not the most dangerous of hobbies ever). I made a tiny book to put in a tiny bottle, and while the book might have been okay with me stuffing it in, the bottle protested by SHATTERING INTO MY HAND. 

I had several stab wounds, which have mostly healed now without much difficulty. It's lucky the miniature glass bottles came in a two pack. The second much more willingly accepted the little book. Now I can legitimately say my blood, sweat, and tears go into my work (though not literally, because that's just gross). 

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

Quote the Raven

I made an Edgar Allen Poe necklace last night while my sister and I watched Transformers.

I tea stained the portrait and used ModPodge to glue it to the brass frame. The best thing about ModPodge is that it glues clear and can texture the surface so it looks almost painted on.

I hope this little necklace finds a good (if Addam's family-style) home.

This little guy is listed in my shop, here.

Artist Feature: Pat Sweet of Bo Press Miniatures

I have the spectacular pleasure of featuring one of my favorite Etsians and bookbinders: Pat Sweet. She owns the Etsy shop Bo Press Miniature Books and makes wonderful "books of curiosity, mystery, humor, and delight." Be sure to click on the hyperlinks interspersed to discover amazing resources for bookbinders, or to find more details about her work!

Here's the interview: 

What first interested you in bookbinding?

Two things: reading and dollhouses. I'd always been a reader and collector, but had never heard of miniature books until I decided to make a dollhouse. Naturally I wanted a library in my little house, but a search of the Internet taught me two things: if I wanted to fill library shelves with real books (hand-made, with content) it was really going to cost me. Miniature fake books were cheaper, but disappointing. I'd been a craftsman all my life, making theatrical costumes, so I thought, “How hard could it be to make my own?”

This leather covered book, Grisbourne, features
actual content from an Australian writer Prue Batten.

How/where did you learn the techniques you use?

I'd call myself self-taught except that I depended almost entirely on Internet tutorials to learn the basics of bookbinding, primarily the excellent tutorials by Garry Harrison of Indiana University Libraries, the clearest and best illustrated of all the many bookbinding sites on the Internet. I also got lots of insight on binding miniature books specifically from Peter and Donna Thomas' More Making Books By Hand. Everything else has been experiments of varying degrees of success.

 What inspires your work? To what extent do you base your books on historical books?

My first criterion for the books I make is this: will it make the reader feel curiosity, wonder, humor and delight? I want to recreate that moment every reader has felt in a bookstore of taking a book off the shelf and experiencing a coup de foudre of astonishment and recognition that doubles her over with the lust to own it.
           

As for historical books, only superficially, as far as binding is concerned. Eventually I'll learn bookbinding properly,with all its historical forms, but for now case-binding is about as far as I go. Content, on the other hand, is something else again. I love playing with historical layout and design, and especially turning them on their heads and to odd purposes.

Why mini books?

Because they're irresistible. Miniature books automatically have that aura of magic about them that we associate with things that push the boundaries of reality. And it lets me create my own content with no more effort than that of a term paper, rather than having to write a whole book. Saves a lot on materials, too. 

Many of your books are printed; do you create their content? If so, what is your process of creation?

Usually, yes. I illustrate all my books with Photoshop collage in a style that will express the purpose of the content, using public domain images. Like this, for example, an illustration I did for a book on dragons. I wanted to show them in a sympathetic light, away from their St. Georges, so I combined several ideas and let them play with each other: dragons, paintings, frames, gallery, and escape. And this is what I got.     

Sweet uses public domain images and transforms them into
illustrations for her books. Her Grisbourne book (pictured above) uses
large ornate letters from a 15th century manuscript,
The Macclesfield Alphabet Book.

I'm fond of concepts like this, especially when they break the fourth wall, as this one does. I've done a book that illustrated in itself how a book is made, and have done a book about books that appear in other books as books inside a book inside a book-shaped box. It's called This Is Not A Book. Other books are straightforward illustrated versions of poems and songs, or maps of imaginary places. I did a book about flea circuses that demanded to be made as a pop-up.

Sweet's Flea Circus pop-up book is only one
of the many imaginative books in her Etsy shop. 

My favorite, your Baba Yaga book features a case made with chicken leather (which is ingenious!). What other exotic or unorthodox materials do you use?

The Baba Yaga book comes with it's own case--which is covered
in chicken leather and the same Japanese printed paper as the book.
Both show off Sweet's unique blend of invention and adherence to
classical case bound styles. 

When I was planning Baba Yaga, one of my blog readers wondered if binding leather could be made out of chicken skin. One Google search later,  tanned chicken leg skin was on its way to my door. The joke is, of course, that Baba Yaga's hut is perched on chicken legs.

The Masked Ball also comes in two additional bindings,
one half-bound in black lace and one trade bound. 

I've bound a book about the Commedia delle'Arte as the back of a theatrical flat, with tiny lumber, muslin, and corner blocks. I've bound a book about heiroglyphs in papyrus. I bound a story about a supernatural masked ball in black lace and a slipcase containing a shadowbox containing a miniature golden bead-and-lace-trimmed mask.

Do you have a favorite type of binding?

Even though it's the only one I really know, case-binding really is my favorite. Although I recognize Japanese bindings as beautiful, I've never been tempted to learn to make them. One thing I must learn, though, is tooled leather bindings.

Many of your books have accessories, like your chained libraries. Do you hand-make those as well?

I do. I started making little boxed pocket globes, since box-making and book-binding go hand-in-hand.This led to tellurions and orreries in little glass vitrines, and I finally got up the nerve to tackle woodworking, using wood that I'd bought for the (now abandoned) dollhouse.

Inspired by 15th century chained libraries, these miniature versions
are just as precious and perfect for any collector. Also check out these books
which come with hand-made accesories: a Chained Library, a Box of H.P. Lovecraft,
a case of Miniature Summer Cottage books, and a Mini Traveler's Book Case. 

Do you have any advice for bookbinders who've just started?

Learn by doing. Don't wait till you know how to do a technique, figure it out by trying it. Don't try to re-use waxed paper, it's cheap. Thread is not your friend. Single-edge razor   blades are your friend. Get thin leather for miniature books from old gloves at antique   stores. Your cleverest ideas will come from trying to work around mistakes. Start selling your books immediately, on Etsy or eBay. Not so much for the money at first, but because you will meet the most wonderful and friendly people. There are plenty of people out there who care passionately about miniature books: join the Miniature Book Society!

Any resources or trade secrets you'd like to reveal?

          

Buy paper from:

                        Hollanders,  PaperMojo,  Fine Art Store,

Buy equipment especially for miniature books from:

                        Wren Haven Tools, Tony Firman, and Talas, of course

Marvel at other people's miniature books at:

                        Bromer Booksellers, Vamp & Tramp Booksellers, Peter andDonna Thomas,

                        Robert Wu, Bo Press Miniature Books, MGBooks, and the MBS has links to all its members' websites.

Also check out Pat Sweet's website, her Etsy shop, and her profile. 

Third Giveaway!

Last night I finished the first of this new technique I'm trying--a faux cord-bound hollow-backed quarter-leather (what a bunch of jargon!). Basically, it's a normal book, with decorative cords rising out of the leather on the spine. 

It's so pretty, isn't it? Reminds me of Cecily from The Importance of Being Earnest. 

Anyway, I'm giving this little beauty away to one of my fantastic readers. Here's how to win, do one or more of the following:

(Note: if you've already completed the following in one of my previous giveaways, you're still eligible to win!)

1. Like my page of Facebook, here.

2. Follow me on Twitter @MakingMyRent

3. Follow my blog.

4. Purchase something from my shop. 

5. Favorite my shop on Etsy.

6. Follow my pinboard on Pinterest here

7. or write a comment on this blog post detailing which list items you did. 

All my best luck to everyone, and may the most devout follower win!

In other news: I've begun renewing some sold books as made to order, so if you missed one you loved, there just might be a chance for you yet! 

Also, the Tax Refund Sale's still going on. Enter the coupon code GOTMYREFUND for 15% off anything in my shop.

Lastly, and most importantly, I'll be doing an Artist Feature of the lovely miniature bookbinder Patricia Sweet soon. She's answered my exhaustive questions about her work and about miniature books in general. Keep a look out, but in case you're too impatient, find her shop here.

B.E.S.T. Book Swap

On Etsy, I'm a member of the Bookbinding Street Team and we occasionally do a swaps, since we're AWESOME. And it's free.

This is the book necklace I'm giving to TheOrangeWindmill.

Check out our Team blog!

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/

First Giveaway!

I've been promising a giveaway for a while now, and I'm hoping all this waiting around has inspired a bit of excitement/impatience...maybe someone's even queued up for a chance to win? Well, here's your chance:

I've made two Where the Wild Things Upcycled Journals, and since they went so quickly, I've decided to offer a mini version as the prize this time.

Here's some stats for you:
- 220 pages (both sides) of Strathmore Sketching Paper
- 3 1/8" tall
- 2 3/8" wide
- 1 1/4" thick
- coptic stitched with black waxed (by me with this wax here) thread
- may contain monsters, but those with nut allergies are perfectly safe

Ways of Winning This Giveaway:
1 point  -  favorite one item from my Etsy shop
1 point  -  favorite my shop on Etsy
1 point  -  comment on one of my blog posts
2 points -  follow my blog (or convince someone else to) *Edit: if you follow me with some other method than blogger and/or your picture doesn't appear on the sidebar, let me know and I'll make a note of it*
2 points -  add me to your circle on Etsy
2 points -  like my facebook page
3 points -  purchase one item from my shop

For each point you receive, I will enter your name once into the drawing. The first three listed above can only be used once apiece...meaning, you can't favorite 12 items in my shop for 12 points. However, multiple purchases do count!

This giveaway ends November 31, when I will be doing the drawing. Best of luck to everyone! If you, for some reason, don't take a fancy to this journal, you can wait around until the middle of November, for my next giveaway. And here are more photos to drool over:

Book of the Week: Gwendolen Fairfax Journal

Every week I want to showcase an item from my Etsy shop--in which i'll describe my inspiration, what went into it, how it was made, etc. This week, the first, I've chosen the Gwendolen Fairfax Journal I made a few months ago that's really become the symbol of my shop. 

A while ago, my sister and I were watching the Importance of Being Earnest (the one with Colin Firth and Rupert Everett) and I was enthralled by Gwendolen's line: "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train." 

And that idea really stuck with me. (Actually, her tiny little journal was one of the reasons I started doing a collection of mini journals too.) But it was also the idea that a journal should capture the spirit of the person who writes in it. Gwendolen's journal, I thought, should be completely feminine, and immaculate--as if one had to be a real lady to simply keep the dirt from getting to it. So I used flowered paper and white-cream colored bookcloth to cover the journal inspired by her. 

From that idea, many more journals arose. I've done ones based on Pinocchio, Wendy Darling, Marie Antoinette, Teddy Roosevelt, and more. And really, that's become the central idea of my shop. Make books that will reflect their future owners, if not by style, than by the characters that inspire them. 

Interested in this book? Find it for sale: here. 

Or find something else that inspires you here. 

My First Sales

Tomorrow I'm sending the first books I sold on my Etsy shop away to their new homes, so for now, I'm going to write them a little farewell.

This little burlap covered book is landscape oriented and filled with Strathmore sketching paper. The pages are hand torn and the endpages are upcycled brown paper. The feeling I was going for was completely natural, and transforming the mundane into art.

The next book is a bit different than any I'd made before. It's covered in weathered leather, and bound in the traditional Coptic Stitch, which bares the spine. The spine itself is hand-sewn with waxed thread. Inside there are white sketching pages and beautiful Florentine paper which I glued to the wrong side of the leather with archival bookbinder's glue. To finish it off, I attached an ornate nameplate on top to allow it's new owner to designate it's use.

The third journal I sold, is one of the best hard-back, casebound books I've made, which was themed in Jane Eyre. Jane is this quiet, staid, and very Victorian heroine, and I tried to capture her character in the muted, neutral colors incorporated throughout the journal. However, the cream filigree of the cover paper is still very feminine and beautiful. On the cover, I placed an artist's rendering of the final reunion between Jane and Mr. Rochester, salvaged from a reader's digest edition that was falling apart. 

I used traditional binding techniques to make this journal: by hand sewing the signatures of Wausau stationery with bookbinding thread, and using PVA (bookbinder's archival) glue. It's finished with white headbands and camel colored cardstock for the endpapers.

The fourth book I sold was my all-time favorite. For this mini leather journal, I was inspired by the scene from Disney's Pinocchio when he carries a belted stack of textbooks to school. I wondered what kind of journal Pinocchio would carry, and I decided on this smooth tan leather with black leather straps to incorporate the belted look. 

Each page is hand-torn Wausau Astroparche writing paper with an antique parchment finish, which are hand-sewn in the limp binding method with waxed thread. The end papers are hand-made turquoise paper with a bit of a sheen. 

Well, more to come later. I will surely miss all of these beauties, but I'm sure they're going to good homes!