Useful Books is now Free Range Bookbinding

After almost eight years and over 1800 sales on Etsy, Useful Books is getting a do-over.  It's a little scary to make a change after such a long time and good success, but my new business name reflects the character of my work so much better.

So without further ado, please allow me to proudly introduce . . .

Like so many makers, I started my little Etsy shop on a lark, never imagining that it would become a full time job and such a huge part of my life.  When I began, "Useful Books for Putting Things In" had meaning for me.  The name was inspired by Winnie-the-Pooh's Useful Pot for Putting Things In.  (Pooh and I go way back.)  I love pockets and envelopes and planned to include them in every book.  Yeah, I'm still digging pockets and envelopes, which you know if you've followed me at all.

I started with a very Pooh-ish bunny . . .

And moved on to a slightly more sophisticated bunny . . .

The more my work evolved, I realized that my dear bunny and I needed to part ways.  (It's not you, it's me.)  I had a dear friend create a new logo . . .

Now in 2015, I'm making a whole new start, and embracing a new critter . . .

Here's the definition of free range: adj. (1) permitted to forage rather than being confined to a small enclosure; (2) produced in natural non-intensive conditions.  What I like best of all is finding cool things, old and new, and using them in books in unexpected ways. Why stop with book board, cloth and paper when there's a million other flat things in the world that can be a book or part of one?  Coupled with creating in my sunny home studio in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains and my lighthearted approach to the whole thing (restore your precious family Bible? no thanks), the definition fits me perfectly.

Come visit my new home on the web at FreeRangeBookbinding.com.    I'll be posting in both places for a while, but will be transitioning over there by the end of the year.  

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Wandering into the Wedding Forest

I've been thinking for literally years of developing some wedding guest book designs. It took someone asking me to make one for them to spur me on to actually do it.  A local friend wanted something for a simple, rustic wedding, preferably with a tree design, maybe to use for photos as well.  So this is what I made for her: 

I made it with an expandable spine so that added bulk from photos won't make it splay open.  Since it grows to three inches in width, there's plenty of space to add up to 80 photographs, one on each side of the 40 heavy pages.  

The book will lay nicely flat for signing or adding photos.  I've used my luxurious heavyweight Italian Velata for the pages, all hand torn of course.  It will work great for mounting photos or writing.

The design is printed directly onto book cloth I made from simple unbleached muslin.   It has a rustic elegance that I really like.

I'm offering these made to order in my Etsy shop.  I have some other tree motifs, as well as sea shells and a few other fun things to use if a bride prefers.  You can see it here if you like.

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The Happiest Place on Earth

Last month, my sister and I spent a week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina. This was my second trip to the Folk School. The first was four years ago when I learned to make BOOKS! This visit was more of a sister trip than anything else. And what a wonderful sister trip it was.


We heard the Folk School described as "a little cruise ship in the mountains" and "a corn pone Brigadoon" among other things. Set in the idyllic Smoky Mountains, far from any place in particular, the Folk School transports you to a world where music, art and storytelling are the things that really matter. For all its down home feel, it's a big place with some state of the art teaching facilities. (Don't judge it by my photos! Go visit them at their website.)


We were there during music and dance week so everywhere we went, musicians serenaded us. The folk music of choice here is thoroughly American, rooted in these mountains, but it resembles Celtic music more than the bluegrass you might associate with the deep south.


My sister took a raku pottery class

.

I learned a smattering about screen printing and surface design.


We ate like kings,


made cool stuff


and enjoyed every evening watching the fireflies flickering in the woods and listening to the birds' evensong.


We hated to return to the harsh world of televisions and road noise. But we came back refreshed and more in touch with each other and things that really matter most.

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I'm getting published! Twice!

I told you a month or so ago about listening to April Bowles-Olin's "Achieving Your Creative Dreams" talk from the Etsy Success Symposium in February. She really inspired me to set some higher goals for my creative business. I told my accountability partner the very next week that I wanted to be published in 2011. It seemed kind of an outrageous thought to me. Like many other creative types, I discount my own work and have a hard time seeing myself as a "real artist." I just make books. But I decided to go for it and committed to submit a book to GreenCraft, a Stampington & Co. magazine that focuses on art made from recycled and reclaimed materials.

But just a few days later, before I'd even started on my GreenCraft project, I got an Etsy convo from a woman at Lark Publications asking me to submit two of my books for a book they are publishing next year about handmade mini-books. Out of the clear blue sky, just four days after I had spoken my goal aloud to my friend! I was completely blown away. I ended up submitting five books, and two were selected. Not the two she had originally requested but two different books. They chose one of my little record books made from a transparent red 45 record. You'll be familiar with these if you've followed my shop for long.


And also a small variation on my versatile travel journal. What a blessing! The book won't be out until April of 2012. I'll blog about it again when it comes out.


So in March, I followed through and hopefully packed up one of my creations to send to GreenCraft. The submission guidelines said they get thousands of submissions, you might not ever hear anything and they may keep submitted work as long as a year. So I was SHOCKED when I got an email a few weeks later that they had selected my book for the August issue! I'm happy that I'd snapped a picture before I sent it off. It's not a great picture, but it's something!

I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to get my work out in a whole new way! I'm excited for what this year will bring.

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Dark Roasted Guest Book

A young friend of mine asked me to make a guest book for her graduation out of a Starbucks gift bag. Another excuse to play with kraft paper! I prepared the bag by fusing tissue paper to the back with iron on adhesive so that the glue wouldn't bleed through. I was pleased with the way the bright green stripes lined up on the spine and edges. It turned out to be a rather elegant little book to hold well-wishes from her many friends as well as some photos of a special day.

I love using Starbucks bags because of the invitation they print right on their bags to reuse in any way you can.

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A Special Special Order

I don't do a lot of local work in my small town, but a friend recently commissioned me to make eight journals for a group of friends who are going through the book "One Thousand Gifts" together. One of the challenges of this book is to write down literally one thousand things that God has given you for which you are grateful. Good, bad, easy, hard, painful and pleasant. It's quite an undertaking with the potential to totally transform a life.


So these are the books that will hold each ladies' 1000 gifts. They're made from my "better-that-leather" material made from painted, stamped, printed, glazed, distressed kraft paper layered with Tyvek and more kraft paper. Layered vintage images are printed onto heavy paper for the cover adornment, which is layered over more kraft paper (I love kraft paper) and anchored with snaps on the corners. They're stitched around the edges, and the cover wraps around the text block and fastens with a closure so they can be carried safely tossed in a bag.


I printed various verses and phrases related to gratitude on the covers as well. I'll eventually have some of these for sale in my shop. Let me know if you'd like something specific.

Thanks to my friend who took these beautiful photos.

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A Book Review and My Elephant

In February, Etsy broadcast a success symposium featuring speakers talking about various aspects of creative business. I particularly enjoyed April Bowles-Olin's "Achieving Your Creative Dreams." (You can still see that talk if you like here.) She spoke in part from a book called "Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard" by Chip and Dan Heath. I highly recommend this book! Though it has a somewhat "business-y" slant, I took away some great personal application that has really made a difference in how I approach my business and other areas of my life as well.


This very engaging book is a study of change, why it's hard, why we fear it and what might be done to make it easier in multiple contexts. A metaphor the authors use throughout has stuck with me. They suggest that in order to make successful change, we must have our Rider (our rational side) and our Elephant (our emotional and instinctive side) working together to make progress on the Path (the environment where the change will happen). If my Elephant isn't on board with my goals, my tiny little Rider won't be able to keep him on the Path. Which is why you will eat that cookie even if you're "on a diet" unless your motivation is very strong. There must be a strong "why" that motivates on a deep level. We have to engage our mind, will and emotions and tweak our environment to make positive change happen. Of course, there's so much more than that! Read the book.


Here's my Elephant as he was: Old Mossback George. Half asleep, rooted to the ground, not exactly nimble and lithe. Having worked with him for a few months now, he's getting much more lively and engaged in the business at hand. We've been able to set some ambitious goals and actually accomplished some of them! More on that soon . . .

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The Big Brother Travel Journal

**January 2013:  I have retired this design for now, in favor of the Expandable Journal you can find here:    Expandable Travel Journal.   

I've had several requests over the last few months for a larger version of the versatile expandable travel journal. After chewing on the possibilities for a while, I've created its big brother!


At 9-1/4 x 6-7/8, this journal is sized for an epic trip or multiple smaller journeys. It has 52 pages (104 front and back) and lots of pockets and envelopes for all the little bits you collect along the way. It lies flat for easy sketching and writing, and the luscious Italian paper I used is acid free and heavy enough for art, collage and holding your precious photos.


As with the smaller version, the front cover has a window cut in it. This one is about 3-1/2 inches square. Any photo, artwork or text you affix to the first page shows through and becomes your cover design.


The accordion structure of the original journal really doesn't lend itself to a large format book. So I decided to build this journal on a concertina spine. Made from substantial 200 gsm paper, the concertina allows for room for some including by providing heavy tabs between each signature. Two of the four tabs have been left open and can be used as is or cut lengthwise or crosswise to allow for taping or gluing in postcards, itinerary and the like.


I've used the other two tabs to sew in some envelopes for more tucking away of treasures. Here two business size envelopes form four 4-3/4 x 4-1/4 pockets, perfect for ticket stubs and other small items. The reverse of the envelopes inside the fold also form a nice surface for writing or art.


The other group of envelopes starts with a 9 x 12 clasp envelope cut at the bottom and folded in half to create two 5-1/4 x 9 envelopes. Inside is stitched a 6 x 9 envelope, also cut and folded to make two pockets. I used a piece of linen tape to attach a coin envelope alongside for the smallest inclusions.

They all fold together, nestled inside the flap of the outer envelope, and fasten with a button and string closure made from circles punched from maps fused with kraft paper and tyvek to make them substantial enough for the purpose.


One last pair of pockets is made from folding and closing in an extension of one of the pages of heavy paper.


Now about that paper. I've used my favorite Velata paper in two different weights for the text block. If paper matters to you, you will find this to be really special stuff. It's produced at the Cartiera Magnani mill on the banks of the Pescia River in Italy. Among the oldest in the world, the mill dates back to the 15th Century and counts Napoleon Bonaparte and Picasso among its past customers. This subtly-textured, ivory paper is a delight for both writing and art. Out of the 52 pages, 22 are from the heavy 200 gsm paper I used for the concertina the book is built on. This paper is almost like watercolor paper and is strong enough for pretty heavy collage work. In fact, I use it with watercolors in my own art journals. It curls a bit if you really soak it down, but it dries flat, and there's never any bleed through. The remaining 30 pages are from the lightweight version of the same paper, identical in color and texture but not as thick. It is still excellent for most purposes, including all of the markers I have personally used and even watercolor and acrylics if you use a light hand. I have a number of artists who return for my books time and again just because of this paper. Of course, the pages are all ripped by hand to provide a the texture of a lovely deckled edge.


 

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Happy New Year!

I am so excited to be entering into 2011! I admit, I'm a sucker for a new year. I highly resolve many things in January. Since I actually got a start last fall on a few of my biggies, I'm hoping they'll stick!

One thing I resolve to do is design NEW books so I don't get stuck in the same old ruts! So here's my first offering for 2011.


I'm on an envelope kick these days, so these tiny little books are made from coin envelopes folded in half.

I've cut the tiniest bit off the bottom so that the envelope actually forms two little pockets that I've slipped some little blank notes from coordinating scrapbook paper into. The teensy text block has 8 pages made from scraps of ivory drawing paper left from versatile travel journals.


The covers feature copyright free vintage images from PeggyLovesVintage on Etsy. I love images from the 40s and 50s! They're so quaint and kitschy. Peggy's got loads of really nice ones.


Once filled with all your little love notes, a red ribbon ties the little book neatly at the back. Another another envelope, embellished with a circle cut from the same design, holds it perfectly for giving.

These are available in my Etsy shop here. Hoping to see more of you here and on your blogs this year! Happy 2011!

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A Christmas Gift for Generations

I had the privilege of making a very special book recently. A customer wanted a book for her elderly father-in-law to record his stories and memories for his grandchildren. He has lived in a small town in Nebraska for his entire life, so she wanted a map of his home state on the cover. She even had a title for it. I cut a window and placed the words on the title page so they would show through the cover.


She and her husband presented the book to him at Thanksgiving, and he was very touched by it. What a treasure that journal will be to the next generation! It was a gift to him this year but will be a gift to those who love him for years to come. My mom passed away in 2000, and we still thumb through her old journals every year when we get together.

Remember what's important this holiday season and spend some time listening to your aging loved ones.

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Happy Birthday to My Dear Sis

As usual, the first breath of fresh fall air is bringing me back from my annual summer blog hiatus. Unlike many creatures, I hibernate in the late summer, when the heat becomes unbearable and we southerners need gills to breathe. But the leaves are turning now, and the days are delightfully cool. Windows open, I'm ready to re-enter the blogging world!


My sister has just celebrated a birthday this month. No need to mention which one. Let's just say it was a milestone. And as ever must be pointed out, she always remains older than me. Skies are her favorite thing in all the world, as I noted in a previous blog entry. So I made this book for her in celebration of the night sky.

She actually asked for this journal on a clear night last fall at our father's house. He lives in the middle of nowhere in southern Alabama, and with no street lights or homes nearby, there are more stars visible there than anywhere I visit. "That's what I want on my journal! Stars!" After a few false starts, I was so happy to send her this as a gift. Happy birthday, Barb!

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Class Over

I finished up Laure Ferlita's Artful Journaling Foundations class this week. This scan is kind of the "first fruits" of my class. I discovered a wren on my screened porch yesterday morning and got such a great picture of captivity and freedom in watching his struggle to get out. Six weeks ago, I would have been frustrated in my attempt to illustrate my insights, but I was able to sit down and quickly make this page.

Here are the last couple of pages I did for the class itself:

I highly recommend this class for anyone who is drawn to a certain type of art journaling. It's far more precise than a lot of things out there right now. It's not the deeply layered, collaged type of journaling where it seems you just let the page take you where it wants to go. She teaches the foundations of drawing, presents super helpful video lessons on the basic principles of watercolor and walks you through borders, backgrounds and planning a layout for your pages.

I wasn't sure how I'd do in the class, but soon discovered that I had more drawing and "seeing" skills than I'd given myself credit for. Again I know this is not great art for publication or anything, but this is exactly what I had hoped to be able to do. I have a long way to go, but Ms. Ferlita has given me a place to start. I definitely plan to take the followup course in the fall.

Thanks, Laure!

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