Another Handmade Journal inspired by the book Re-Bound by Jeannine Stein

Can you ever really have too many notebooks or journals? I don't think so which is why having a really good book on making them makes so much sense.

Re-Bound
Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials
By
Jeannine Stein

Re-Bound shows readers how to take every day materials
from around the house, flea markets and thrift stores, and
hardware and office supply stores, and turn them into
fabulous books. Instead of saying, What can I make a book
out of, readers will be thinking, What can't I make a book
out of? In Re-Bound, a vintage souvenir wallet becomes
a photo album. Last year's trendy sweater becomes a takealong
journal. Even potato chip bags get a second life as a
handy pocket notebook. This fun pursuit is economical as
well as ecological. A variety of attractive, uncomplicated
bindings, how-to instructions, and step-outs bring each
project to life.

Jeannine Stein (Los Angeles, CA) has been making
books for more than 15 years, exploring bindings,
mediums, and techniques. She has studied with
notable book artists Daniel Essig, Keith Smith, Kitty
Maryatt, and Charlene Matthews. Her work has been
featured in such Quarry titles as Pockets, Pullouts,
and Hiding Places, Beyond Scrapbooks, and 100 Ideas
for Stationery, Cards, and Invitations. Her projects
have also been appeared in magazines, including
Home Companion, Romantic Country, and Stamper's
Sampler.

Last month I did a tiny little book with window-screen inspired by the project from  Re-Bound posted here.

Well, I loved it so much I made another one:

It is made from:

window-screen or as I call it hardware cloth

recycled jacket bias tape

a soda can

recycled advertising post cards

Yarn 

2 binder rings

Here is how I did it:

First I cut the large area off the back of an old jacket.

 

Then I cut strips on my Simplicity Rotary Cutting machine (dreamy!) If you like to cut fabric up as much as I do this machine is invaluable. I used the straight cutting blade but it also has a blade that cuts pinked edges.

Then I ran the strips through the bias tape machine, (double dreamy!)

Then I stitched the bias tape around the raw cut edge of the hardware cloth screening. I should point out here that I didn't make true bias tape, bias tape is cut a a 45 degree angle to the grain of the fabric, but as you can see it still worked great!

I die cut a heart with wings with Sizzix die #655794 out of a recycled tin can and stitched it on with a bit of sparkly red yarn.

I used the red yarn with a chenille yarn to whip stitch around the raw edge of the back piece of the hardware cloth just to be different.

For the pages of this book I used a stack of advertising postcards. I just punched holes in them and linked it all together with binder rings. I plan to add a lot of dimensional things to this book so I used really big ones!

Today's question:

How often do you write or add to your journal/notebook? Do you have a system or how do you work it into your day?

As a thanks for sharing you are entered to win a free book!

Comments

[Meaghan (bonafyde)]

This book looks super inspiring! I have to tell ya, I love making my own books and get much satisfaction from doing so and even more afterwards while using them for my journaling purposes. There's something to be said for creating something from scratch and knowing it is your own creation! I have been rather sporadic in my journaling these days... sometimes going weeks/months full blown into it and then other times hardly touching it at all. My creative solution this has been to engage in a extremely inspiring online art journaling class that has us drawing out inspiration by the great artists that have come before us...it has me itching to get into my studio each day and journaling! It also had me creating a whole new book just to work off of this theme in! :) Good Times Indeed.