Five Pounds: The Possibilities

So after experimenting with a few different book making techniques I've decided to stick to the beautiful simplicity of a small hand stitched note book, made from carefully selected materials. Each little notebook feels like an individual piece of artwork and I enjoy making them just that little bit more.

I've also had my first sale, whoop! A friend really liked the miniature notebooks so she bought 5 for £5 which I'm really pleased with. We have a mutual love of notebooks and so I know they are going to a good home. This also put me in the dilemma of what I do with the £5?  Do I ...

- Splurge on a bottle of wine to celebrate?
- Buy some more materials to make more books?
- Put the money towards a table at a fair?
- Frame it.

My favourite option is putting the money towards a table at a fair. I have no idea how much fairs cost but I've already got lots of materials to get making with. In fact that seems like a good challenge to set myself: See how many elegant little books I can make with the materials I already have!

Better get to the studio!

(note to self: research fairs and prices.)

Trying a New Technique

I've made myself a book press to try out a new bookmaking technique. The process looks really nice and I'm happy with the results, but I miss the delicacy and intimacy that comes with a hand stitched book.

I've used a V&A carrier bag for the cover and some floral sticky back paper I found in Lidl of all places, I quite like the idea of using reclaimed materials. The cover has worked really well and the A7 size is perfect.

I have seen a video of a different bookbinding technique that I'm going to try next, lots more stitching, watch this space...

Walkers (Elegant) Journal

I am hoping to do my Mountain Leader training this year and go out walking a lot but I find it really hard to record the walks we do. The log books that the Mountain Training England provide are practical but not inviting, especially when bound in a cumbersome clip file. As a result I recently ended up with a quick list on my phone as the only record of the walks I had done in the past six months.

I decided to solve the problem with this elegant little notebook. It's a lovely item that I don't mind taking away on holiday with me, it can be easily slipped into a rucksack to fill in on the hill, or can be kept safe in the tent or camper van to fill in with a glass of wine at the end of the day. It has named boxes that make it easier for you to remember the details for your Mountain Training log book or it can just be used as a reference for future walks.