You must not ever stop being whimsical. - Mary Oliver
These are photos of a journal I made for a fun exchange with a friend (Teesha). We each made our own book without discussing the format. Once they were done we set about sending them back and forth with new journal entries. At times we have been on a roll and exchanged weekly, at others times, many months go by. It has been a fun experiment in play.
To make my book I used an old record album called "Inspiration"...I thought that was fitting. I gutted the book and was left with just the covers and spine. To cover it I sewed scraps of fabric together, embellished it, and attached with brads in the 4 corners. I sewed a length of velvet on the front and back to tie the book closed. On the front cover piece I sewed on a pocket from an old apron and gave it a flap with a button closure that says "come in" with words from an old childrens' primer. Inside the pocket I made two little paper dolls using photos of us. On the inside cover I sewed a crepe paper edge to music paper which I then glued down. I sewed on a pocket that holds the "dance card" which is what we used to sign in each time we worked in the book.
The dance card and an old picture from a how to dance manual are attached with an old rhinestone earing. Although I loved this book when I made it, and am still fond of it, it turned out to be less than ideal for a journal exchange through the mail. It seemed fragile and awkward to work in. So, after many months it has been retired, replaced by a book whose contruction is much more pleasant to play in. I'll post photos of that one another day.
Front cover:
Back cover:
Inside cover:
Paper dolls:
