Handmade Coptic Bound Art Journal

Look at my new art journal!!   I am so tickled with it because it is exactly "me"!  The perfect color, fabric, patterned paper, etc.  That is because I made it myself!!  My good friend Kim and I don't get to craft together near enough - in fact, a couple years back when she owned Serendipity and I taught at the store we didn't get to craft together at all!

When Kim asked if I wanted to try my hand at making an art journal with her I jumped at the chance - first stop was Blick to pick out the perfect Lineco Book Cloth (Linen).  An indispensable tool  is the teflon bone folder that I bought at The Paper Source about a year and a half ago - it was a huge splurge at the time but I use it every single time I craft!!

Here are my finished covers!  Used my most favorite paper (Roni - I only have 3 sheets left - YIKES!) - Cloud 9 Design, Hannah's Story Collection - Botanical Garden.  I so wish I had bought an entire pack of that particular design before it was retired!!  The front cover is enhanced with a quote that I cut down from a greeting card.

Here's my favorite part - the binding.  I've seen handmade journals in lots of books but never thought to try it out myself.  It was SO fun!!  I love how the Coptic binding looks just like a chain stitch in crochet.  This type of binding allows your book to lay flat when it is open and you can make it as thick as you choose (I used 5 signatures).

Kim printed out some botanical prints for me on vellum (she knows me so well) and I was tickled to layer them throughout my journal.  It adds a pop of color and whimsy here and there.

sigh. . . don't ya just love ferns?  Anyhoo - I love my  new journal so much that it is intimidating to me right now - not sure I'm ready to mess it up with my scribbles just yet and the binding bug was still biting me so I

cut up some old Little Golden Books and played more!  My boys are way too old for these children's books but reusing them allows me to still have the memories but in a practical way.  In fact, I am using the Tickle Me, Elmo book to store recipes in - the ones that you write on scraps of paper.  I have gobs of those and they needed a home.  (BTW - are you as creeped out as I am that "exercise Elmo" looks like Richard Simmons? I never noticed that until now).
Linking up to Artists in Blogland Show and Tell Saturday #15 -