Beginners Bookbinding with Becky (me!)

In a couple of weeks I am holding my first Beginners Bookbinding Workshop at Craft Central!
I would say go on over to the Craft Central Bookings site if you would like to sign up, it it seems to be fully booked! How exciting.

If you're reading this and you're one of the CC members/non-members that signed up, see you soon!

Press Release

Craft Central Bookings

the London art book fair 2011

This weekend was the annual London art book fair, always a favourite event of mine, guaranteed to give me lots of inspiration and make me want to spend too much money.

This years favourites included book art from Andy Malone. I think he is a lecturer at one of the Kent UCA campuses (I should have talked to him really!) and the only examples I can find of his work are on the LMNOP shop website. He collects small observers books, mostly nature related, and cuts around the images on each page.

I haven't made any books for so long, having a few withdrawal symptoms!

Mini Di

It was my birthday a couple of weeks ago, and my best present by far was a Diana Mini! The packaging she came in was amazing in itself, with a cute little book full of Lomography inspiration. I popped in my first film and snapped away at my birthday celebrations. However this analogue photography business needs practice, as I found out when the film was developed. I guess it didn't help that I was using the wrong film...

But anyway I was proud of my first Diana photos, even if they were blurry and dark. So I made them into a little concertina book.
I've started my next film, this time taking photos outside, experimenting with different settings and using a tripod, second time lucky?!

Autumn Fanzine

Last week I was given a one day brief to create a Fanzine on anything I wanted. I decided to go for an autumn theme as the day before I tad taken some photos of leaves which were the most amazing colours. I went through my box of stuff and dug out anything that was remotely autumny. I used a combination of illustrations and prints that I had already made but not used for anything, the photographs I took of leaves, and some images taken from an autumn issue of vogue. I liked the idea of bringing nature and fashion together.
I really enjoyed making it and was happy with what I made in a day. I have been making so many books lately but I was excited to make something with a theme and content to put inside. I am now thinking about making other issues for the other seasons!

London Art Bookfair & John Dilnot

Last week I went to the London Art Book Fair at the Whitechapel Gallery. I had been looking forward to it for a while and it didn't let me down! I really enjoyed it and felt like I could have spent forever there taking everything in. Upstairs was the best as that was where all the unique and handmade publications were, I didn't spend much money but could have easily! However I did write down a few names of books for my dissertation research.

My absolute favourite bookseller was Ruth Martin who made some amazing little books and products. The illustrations were adorable in themselves but the unconventional formats for her books were really clever, together with fun stories and jokes. Books about biscuits and sweets are always sure to be a winner! I really wanted to buy something from her but all I could afford was this card with a custard cream on it!

I then made my way to the Rebecca Hossack Gallery to see an exhibition by John Dilnot called Natural History. This was only a small exhibition but I absolutely loved it. He makes amazing 3D scenes in wooden boxes of birds and maps. They cost a fair amount each (thousands) but it's understandable given how much detail and depth there is to them.
My favourite boxes by him have real branches in them, where the birds sit, but i equally love the birds that fly over different maps. Who am I kidding, I love them all!

So altogether I highly inspiring day, so much so I felt a little sick (in a good way).

who wants a moleskine?...

...when you can make your own! 
I have spent this morning and yesterday afternoon making this journal. I will probably use it when I go back to Uni in September. I used spare pages from an un-used Moleskine cahier and 1m card and book cloth for the covers. I also managed to teach myself how to add decorative inside covers and an elasticised fastening!

Excitement!

I'm off to Paris on Monday for a few nights, and I can't wait! I've been once but barely remember it so I'm expecting myself to take hundreds of photos. I made (ok customised) this little book to take with me as a kind of travel journal. The cover is vintage French wrapping paper with little stickers that I found in Accessorize. There's some cute stationary in there at the moment!

Back in a few days with a million photos of the Eiffel Tower no doubt!!

New big book

This week I supposed to be on Jury service, but I was only needed for 3 days! So I've been trying to keep myself occupied...I made a new book! 
It's the biggest I've ever made, just smaller then A4 and is quite thick with 60ish pages of plain cartridge paper. 
I want to use it as a scrapbook for all the little random bits and bobs that I pick up or make, that get shoved away in my drawer or a box and forgotten about. I'll let you know how that goes!!

Handmade button sketchbook

I'm going to Scotland tomorrow so I made this sketchbook to take with me for my 3 1/2 hour train journey. Inside it has plain cartridge paper pages and an embossed button on the cover. + a ribbon bookmark.


I also took some photos of all my handmade books together, I'm so pleased with them! I want to start making books with an actual context.

New book - mini notebook

I made this little book whilst procrastinating over my contextual studies essay! It's a little pocket notebook with found paper pages and bird cage paper cover. + a ribbon bookmark.

Book making workshop

Today I took part in a book making workshop run by Mette-Sofie D. Ambeck. I had learnt book binding before but was so excited to make my own hard back book. 
It was a busy day with lots to take in, but I am so happy with the outcome of my first hard back book! I decided to go for a map/envelope/travel theme...