Becoming Reaquainted with a Lost Love

Before I was a glass beadmaker, I was a papermaker and book binder (among other things). I have not spent much time on the bookmaking in many, many years. Lately however, I've had a yearning to get back into it. I love books and reading so much that I almost cannot be without a book within reach or physically on my person at all times. Sometimes I even fall asleep with them, and both sides of my bed are flanked by floor to ceiling bookshelves, the nightstand is stacked with books, and there's another pile on the floor that belong to someone else that I need to read. Thank goodness for my Kindle, where at last count I had over 500 books. It has cut down on the weight of books that used to be in my purse.

So I've been trying to combine my "vices", and I've spent the last few days reacquainting myself with various book binding skills.



Initially, I have made "little" books, more accurately categorized as "miniature" books by the book arts community. They are approximately 1.5 x 1 inch when closed. Since I really don't like being without a book on my person at any time, that concept provided the impetus for my little books. They can easily be incorporated into jewelry or other adornment. All are blank and awaiting owners to personalize them in some way. I'm working out how exactly to combine the books with my glass art, but for now I think I'll just enjoy the book binding separately since it's easy these days to burn out on the beads. I've made 4 each of 3 slightly different kinds. The top picture is a closeup of one of the leather books. The three pictures on the left are groups of 4 little books of a kind (don't ask me why 4 of each, but it is kind of bookish in that each sheet in a signature-bound book has 4 pages, so one tends to think in multiples of 4). The top photo are books that I made of upcycled material, mainly packages and paper bags, with an exposed longstitch binding, decorative endpapers, and ribbon and bead closure. I added an anodized aluminum jumpring to the top of the spine for hanging on a necklace or something. The second picture shows the leatherbound version, with same exposed longstitch binding, little folders built into the endpapers, a leather tie closure, and jumpring. The bottom picture is a group of leather clad japanese tortoise shell stab binding books with decorative endpapers. I made a special wireworked hanger for each, and then crafted a leather button and braided ribbon and bead closure.

I must say I'm enjoying myself immensely, and several more ideas have sprouted as is usually the case when I'm working. It's one of the laws of artmaking -- the more you work, the more you want to work. I think my next step will be in making 1-, 2-, or 3-signature books in a size that would easily fit in a pocket -- maybe a size similar to the moleskins I like so much. Also, I discovered a really cool binding that combines an accordian fold spine with origami and a very clever way to hold in sheets without glue or sewing. And even more cool is that the sheets can be removed or moved to other places in the book. Since I'm constantly changing my mind, this might just be the perfect book. I'll keep you posted!

Edited to add labels.

An Unpremeditated Day Off

When you're self-employed the relationship between bill-paying and working is very direct. No work-ey, no money. Moreover, I enjoy my work. Because there's a good variety of tasks available, I seldom get bored. Trying to tame the ever-present piles of paperwork, online work, and the actual making of the product keep me pretty busy. I thought when I "went full-time" into the beadmaking, that I would have hours and hours of uninterrupted time to make beads. Not so, I was to discover. So because I generally like all the facets of what I do, I rarely take a day off, and often when I do relent, the day off is a total surprise.

Yesterday, I had finished filing about 6 months worth of little sheets of paper, made breakfast (my favorite meal of the day, which usually occurs around lunchtime), and I was petting Joey and flipping through the channels on the TV trying to get an update on Haiti, when I got up, went into my bedroom, picked up the book I was reading, and read until about 1:00 am when I finished the book.

My days off tend almost always to be surprises to myself. Sounds odd, I know, but my plan at that moment when I got up off the couch was to walk directly to the studio.

Wow! How nice! I'd forgotten how much I liked to spend all day reading a book. And something about unplanned free time is one of my most precious commodities. I probably could count on one hand the number of times I do this each year.

My bedroom is pleasantly sunny during the day. I'd been reading for a while when my friend Deborah called from Colorado, and we had a nice long chat while I was lying there all warm and comfortable, soaking up the rays that came into the window. Then more reading; a nap, something which I can't remember the last time I did; more reading (by that time the rain had started); leftovers and tea late, around 9:00 pm; small dialogue with Marc about the silliness of the Conan/Leno thing and why can't they find anybody like Johnny Carson; more reading until I finished the book. Brushed my teeth, took my vitamins, went to bed for good to the sound of the rain.

After a day like this -- and Saturdays "off" are even more rare for me because I'm usually out of town trying to sell my beads on Saturdays -- I always say to myself that I will do this sort of thing on a regular basis. That it's helpful and important to my well-being, that it's part of the balance I've been looking for and craving deeply since I started this beadmaking living.

I spend so much time in the studio (thinly disguised as a garage) that I forget how nice the house is to be in.

Regarding my book: I had started reading "Twilight" several days ago. I checked it out from the library because every time I looked at it in the bookstore I just couldn't get into it. I'm a big Anne Rice fan, and I couldn't possibly fathom anyone coming up with anything better or as interesting as her first 5 vampire novels (her later 3 or so kinda suck). But after reading Twilight, I think there is something there, and I'll be checking "Moonlight" out from my little library if they have it. I'd like to say it's never too late to fall back in love with your library, especially in this economy.

So at this moment today, I have a driven boss who enjoys her work, has a pretty solid work ethic, who's looking forward to a nice block of studio time. I've got five movies from the library, and I'm ready to go I think. We'll see where my feet lead me when I get up...because I can't remember the last time I took a whole weekend off, and Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" is waiting.