I love making books. Mostly blank books that I use for keeping notes, but sometimes little volumes for friends.
Having lots of books on bookbinding, they are separated by type, old-fashioned bookbinding that uses signatures bound together to create handmade hard cover volumes, and art and craft books that use a variety of binding methods like stab binding and accordion books.
Erin Zamrzla's At Home with Handmade Books : 28 Extraordinary Bookbinding Projects Made from Ordinary and Repurposed Materials is an arts and crafts volume, and fits all my personal criteria for a good one. If you're a scrapbooker looking for ways to make your own small books for personal use or gifts, this will have ideas in it. If you're a crafter or artist who is just developing an interest in bookbinding, this has fantastic instructions. If you're someone who loves recycled craft ideas for gifts or personal use, this is full of them.
My favorite project in the book is the booklet bookmark. To be honest, that's one that I wish very much that I'd thought of. More than just a corner note, it's a great way to keep notes while reading. I also love the 2 or 3 view picture, it is a folded book that stands on the folds. Depending on where you are in relation to the design, you see a different image. Sort of like a paper version of the ribbed plastic moving pictures. I know a friend who will love one for her birthday. The idea file made of small books is just perfect for my note taking habits. It also seems like a great way to journal things with your family. A few thoughts in each small book, marked with the day and who wrote them saved in a file would be a good way to remember for later if you enjoy making scrapbooks.
A lot of the projects can be made fairly quickly to use in place of cards to show a sentiment, or as gifts themselves.
The first part of the book is images of the projects, very nicely photographed. Each project has the page number you can find the instructions on. The instructions are very clear and well illustrated.
You can get this book directly from the publisher,
Shambhala
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