Notched journal swap - due September 30

 Want to make a sweet and simple journal like this one Terrie made?

 

 

It's based on an idea she saw in the most recent issue of Cloth Paper Scissors "Pages" Magazine.

In the magazine, artist Wen Redmond re-purposed old greeting cards into a little booklet.  Terrie used painted papers she received in the MMSA swap.

Either way, the folded papers/cards are nested together and a little V-shaped notch is cut at the top and bottom of the spine, and a string is tied around the spine as a binding.  (the notches help hold the string in place and keep the pages in alignment).

After seeing Terrie's book and reading the magazine article, I had a go at making my own.

I chose 5 old greeting cards in various sizes, covered them with gesso, and I used my gelli plate to decorate them.

I cut my "notch" bigger than I needed to.  The book looks a little wonky when it's closed.  Oh well.

You can stack your papers any way you like, but Terrie and I both took the suggestion to put a smaller piece as the "cover" so that some of the inside pages show.

 For the purpose of the swap, you can add a little embellishment to the pages, but the idea is to provide colorful background pages that the recipient can then use as a jumping-off point, so don't make the pages too elaborate.

I added a little washi tape and some stenciled circles on my pages.

Here's another peek at Terrie's book.

(notice that her notches are more like subtle slits than the gaping triangles that I accidentally cut!)

Beautiful, no?

Don't you want to sit right down and make some?

Let's get swapping!

SWAP DETAILS:

• Create a notched journal using a minimum of 5 greeting cards/folded pieces of paper.  (for a minimum of 10 pages)
• Make sure the pages are sturdy (such as card stock if you're not using greeting cards)
• Decorate the pages anyway you wish
• The size of the journal is up to you - no limits on your creativity!
• Use any kind of string/twine/yard/fiber/thread to tie the pages together
• Sign the back of your book and/or include some information about yourself for your partner
• Feel free to make more than one.  You will get back the same number you send.

Mailing and Postage:

• Pack your journal(s) in a sturdy/padded envelope  (I will reuse this envelope to send your book(s) back to you)
• Include a mailing label with your address on it in the envelope 
• Send me enough postage to mail the envelope back to you. (Get your envelope weighed before you seal it.  Whatever it costs to mail to me is how much postage you should include.  You can put stamps or cash in the envelope, or you can send me money via paypal:  iamrushmore@gmail.com)

Get it in the mail by September 30th

Mail it to:

Karen Isaacson

PO Box 532

Shrewsbury, MA 01545