Category Archives: Reading

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Linkity cut short by drowsing off while typing

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Reading Update
Art Escapes: Daily Exercises & Inspirations for Discovering Greater Creativity & Artistic Confidence by Dory Kanter. This one’s focused mostly on using watercolors in an art journal, with a little bit about collage. I found some of the watercolor information to be extremely helpful – the author provides detailed information on specific watercolor brands and shades for primary, secondary, and tertiary colors. And although the book was published 13 years ago, the paints are still available.

“I don’t care that it’s nearly 90F, Mom – you should still have our fleecy blanket over your lap so me and the big kitty don’t have to huddle here by your foot instead!” -Mayhem

*sigh* -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

That week in which there was actually linkity!

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Reading Update

Eco Books: Inventive Projects from the Recycling Bin by Terry Taylor. This has some very clever and unusual projects in it, including making books from old cassette tapes, egg cartons, and mouse pads. Not sure how well a beginner would do with some of the binding instructions, though. And I think that a book about using unusual and extremely non-archival materials should at least mention paper acidity.

“Just passing through, following the sunbeams!!” -Mayhem

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And suddenly, linkity realized it was summer

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Reading Update
Handmade Books for Everyday Adventures: 20 Bookbinding Projects for Explorers, Travelers, and Nature Lovers by Erin Zamrzla. More clever ideas for small bookbinding projects using Japanese binding techniques. Two of the more intriguing (to me) projects were the fold-out map book and the waterproof book.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

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In which there’s no linkity because bookbinding

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No linkity today because I am on vacation/staycation and finishing off an intensive bookbinding class at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts! But I did finish a few books last weekend before my class started…

Reading Update
Life on the Autism Spectrum: A Guide for Girls and Women by Karen McKibbin. While I as a female Aspie am supposed to be part of the target audience for this book, it didn’t feel that way as I was reading – it felt much more aimed at parents of Aspie girls. The “case study” used throughout the book, presumably to humanize topics and make them more relatable, had the opposite effect and made it harder for me to get into the book.
Journal Your Way: Designing and Using Handmade Books by Gwen Diehn. Very good book that uses a “select your own bookbinding adventure” style to help you put together a journal perfectly suited to your requirements. Recommended.

“You have been gone every day, Mom. I do not approve of such behavior.” -Chaos the Crabby

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Linkity is so looking forward to the holiday Monday off

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Reading Update
Cover to Cover 20th Anniversary Edition: Creative Techniques for Making Beautiful Books, Journals and Albums by Shereen LaPlantz. Bless this book for introducing me to the concept of spacers, which will solve a major dilemma when binding books to use as art journals. My very own used copy is on its way to me right now.

“What are you DOING, big kitty?” -Mayhem

*staring fixedly at absolutely nothing on the wall* -Chaos

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That week of Linkity when Bookity got really out of hand

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Reading Update
At Home with Handmade Books: 28 Extraordinary Bookbinding Projects Made from Ordinary and Repurposed Materials by Erin Zamrzla. Interesting look at Japanese bookbinding techniques applied to interesting and unusual materials, from tea bags to shipping tags. The bookmark accordion book would be a great gift for a reader and is really easy to make.

“Hey! You kids get off my blog!!!” -Chaos

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Linkity is very behind on emails and texts and all sorts of things

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Reading Update
Amplified Art: Dynamic Techniques for High-Impact Pages by Kass Hall. I liked this one more than I expected to – it had some ideas and techniques that weren’t just variations on most of the other art journaling books. Not feeling inspired to go buy it, but I did take a lot of notes as I read.
An Illustrated Journey: Inspiration from the Private Art Journals of Traveling Artists, Illustrators and Designers by Danny Gregory. I enjoyed peeking into all the different ways people use art journals to document their travels, especially as I saw common themes emerge. And I’m a sucker for reading about the different supplies artists use, especially when they’re away from home.

He’s going to be asleep in 3…2…1…

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Linkity is cautiously optimistic about spring

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Reading Update
Book + Art: Handcrafting Artists’ Books by Dorothy Simpson Krause. Lovely look at creating books as art objects – the author has an amazing body of work, although I was definitely ready for a break from earth tones by the end. She covers a wide array of topics beyond book making and binding, from making a gelatin sheet to print from (look online for a recipe that is shelf-stable instead) to making a collapsible piercing cradle (the secret to getting your sewing holes straight through your signatures).

“It’s not very nice to sit on me, big kitty.” -Mayhem

“Like I care.” -Chaos

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Linkity is grateful to Mayhem, who performed lap-warming duties for the duration

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Reading Update
Collage Journeys: A Practical Guide to Creating Personal Artwork by Jane Davies. What it says in the title. 🙂 Definitely one I’ll pick up for my collection – I think I like it the best of the collage-related books I’ve read.
Mixed-Media Journals: Creatively Chronicling Your Life by Katherine Duncan Aimone. My guess is that this scrapbooking book was all written and the editor decided they should try to pick up the art journaling crowd, so they changed the title and did a search and replace to use “art journaling” instead of scrapbooking a few times near the beginning of the book.

*bright cute thoughts* -Mayhem

*nefarious thoughts* -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity was glad to have escaped all of the snow they had… 15 minutes away

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Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Fun with Washi: 35 Ways to Instantly Refresh Your Home, Accessories, and Packages with Washi Tape by Jessica Okui. I saw it on the shelf at the library and was curious… Pretty sure I won’t make any of the projects in this book, but some of them were quite imaginative, such as using washi tape as nail art or to make a fake headboard for your bed…
Washi Tape: 101+ Ideas for Paper Crafts, Book Arts, Fashion, Decorating, Entertaining, and Party Fun! by Courtney Cerruti. This was much better than the previous washi tape book I skimmed through. (Hey, they were beside each other on the shelf at the library, what can I say…) Some of the ideas in this book included covering switch plates, marking cables and chargers, making bandaids and binder clips more fun, adding color to glass cups and vases, and many more.
Making Mini Books: Big Ideas for 30+ Little Projects by Kathleen McCafferty. Pretty much what the title says – the projects in this book are for books that are a few inches across down to earring-sized books. While many of the projects exceeded my personal acceptable fiddliness level, there were a couple (such as the matchbook-style notebooks) that seemed as if they’d make great gifts.
Bookcraft: Techniques for Binding, Folding, and Decorating to Create Books and More by Heather Weston. This book provides a bit more history of various book forms and includes some more unusual forms, such as carousel and tunnel books, along with how to use paper cutting and folding techniques in the books you make.
Urgent 2nd Class: Creating Curious Collage, Dubious Documents, and Other Art from Ephemera by Nick Bantock. Somewhat interesting, but not engaging. I would hardly consider this to be an “art class”, as the back-of-the-book blurb asserts.

“The big kitty loves me very much!” -Mayhem

“Her persistence wears me down…” -Chaos, resignedly