2014 Challenge Wrap-up and Other Updates

Hello readers!  If you have been following along on my 14 Art Books in 2014 challenge you will notice that I do not have posts for all 14 books I had hoped to make.  That is because I got busy, and distracted, and lazy, and even more busy!  To recap, these are the 5 art books I completed last year, and my original "challenge proposal."

Out of the five books, three were for exhibitions, one was a benefit donation, and one was made to try out a new book structure.  (I will also add that one of the books made for an exhibition sold!)  With that being said, I have three partially completed art books that did not count towards the challenge because they are unfinished.

Instead of making excuses for myself about why I didn't finish the books, or why the challenge was too hard, I am going to do a quick "year in review" post as it relates to my artwork and artistic career.  Things have changed tremendously from Jan. 2014 when I created the challenge.

Last year in art:
- Participated in an invitational exhibition at Heights Arts
- Had one piece of artwork accepted to (and purchased from) the Morgan Conservatory's juried exhibition
- Taught two bookbinding classes in Midland, MI
- Taught a short bookbinding workshop for Art Books Cleveland
- Attended 4 amazing book and paper arts workshops at the Morgan Conservatory
- Participated in 8 art/craft festivals (12 days total)
- Had an artist bio published in the local newspaper
- Participated in Art Books Cleveland's exhibition at the Ingalls Library in the CMA
- Made the decision to quit my job and buy an art/paper store

YES, friends, you read that last line correctly.  I now own a store for paper, art supplies, and vintage goods, with a huge classroom space.  If I am going to blame any particular life event for getting in the way of my challenge, it would be this one.  I got the idea over Labor Day Weekend while taking a book arts workshop with the former owner of the store.  She had planned on closing the store and retiring at the end of 2014.  Several people had expressed interest in purchasing the business, but they all fell through.  The former owner always joked that I would be taking over the store someday when she retired... And I thought, "Why can't I?"

I talked to several close friends and family members about the idea, and did some research before making the decision in mid-September.  The last few months of the year were a whirlwind of meetings with the bank, accountants, a lawyer, the lease company, the former owner... TONS of phone calls, pieces of paperwork, and negotiations later, I finally secured a loan for the business in late November.  (Talk about cutting things close!)  The loan was much smaller than I needed, so I funded the rest of the project through Kickstarter with the help of many friends, relatives, and complete strangers.  I got the keys and officially took over the store on December 31st, 2014.  I am proud to say that I am now a business owner and my own boss.

I'm sure you will see a lot of posts about the store, and new products I will have the pleasure of testing.

Workshop: Secret Belgian Binding with Rhonda Miller

In the end of May I took a bookbinding workshop with Rhonda Miller of My Handbound Books from Nova Scotia.  She taught a class called The Secret Belgian Binding at the Morgan Conservatory in Cleveland.  The class was very interesting, and it was fun learning a new book structure.

I learned that the "secret Belgian" binding is Belgian, but not actually a secret.  The creator of the structure prefers to call it the Criss-Cross Binding... But in America, the other name stuck.  The book uses three pieces of book board and is sewn in two parts.

We started the class by folding signatures, and sewing together the textblock.  Then we covered the boards with decorative paper.  While the boards were drying, we sewed a practice card for the second part of the binding.

I am so glad we practiced the second sewing before attaching the textblock!  It was pretty tricky to keep all the parts of the book in the right place during the sewing process.  The "criss-cross" part comes from sewing back and forth over the spine piece at each set of holes along the spine.  I really enjoyed the class and I'm definitely going to make more books like this in the future!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  Today, I'm featuring handmade books in a variety of greens.

These two recycled book are brand new.  One is made from a green Plantation Mint box of tea.  The other box is from a variety of Green Tea.  Both books are available on Etsy!

Lined Journals and Notebooks

Over the course of the year I get several requests for lined journals instead of my normal blank journals.  This year I decided it was time to put on my thinking cap, get in the studio, and develop a line (no pun intended) of lined journals.  It took a few weeks of planning, but I'm very excited to share my new product for 2014: lined journals and notebooks!

The 5x7 inch journals have hard front and back covers with decorative papers and ribbon closures, just like many of my unlined journals.  The paper is a lovely text-weight paper called Mohawk Superfine and each page has dark gray printed lines on both sides of the paper.

The binding is a coptic stitch sewn with colorful waxed linen thread.  Each book has 120 pages front and back, and is a great size for journaling!  Right now the journals are being sold exclusively on Etsy, but keep an eye out for them this summer at craft shows.

The lined notebooks are also 5x7 inches, but have a soft cover and only one section of pages.  This is a design completely new to Minimeg!  Each notebook has a section of decorative paper framed on a colorful background.

The single section of pages is sewn to the cover using a simple pamphlet stitch.  With only 20 pages front and back, the lined notebook is a great size to stash in a day bag for taking notes or using as a travel log on a short trip.  The notebooks are also exclusive to Etsy for now.

Right now this Aqua and Red notebook is my favorite of the lined books!  Which one is your favorite?  Stop by my Facebook page to see photos of all my new lined journals and notebooks.

Workshops at Scrapbooks Galore and More

This past weekend I had the privilege of teaching two bookbinding workshops at Scrapbooks Galore and More in Midland, MI.  The first two hour class was about Japanese Stab Binding. I had seven eager students, and one indifferent feline assistant.  (That is the store mascot Scrapper, enjoying the sunbeam in the middle of our workspace.)

I started by showing the class how to sew a book using the most basic form of Japanese stab binding.  For the second and third books, we adjusted the number and location of the holes punched.  I let the students figure out some of the sewing on their own, and helped walk them through the difficult parts.  Everyone had a great time learning about bookbinding, despite the sore fingers!  (I need to remember pliers next time.  Pulling the needle through gets a little tough...)

The second two hour class of the day was a Case Bound Book class.  This book structure is a little trickier than the Japanese stab binding, so each student only made one book instead of three.  This time I had nine students, several of which had taken the earlier class as well.  The students learned how to fold signatures, sew together a text block, and glue the text block into a decorative case.  Overall it was a great day of teaching, and I am looking forward to teaching again in March at Small Studio in the Cleveland area.

Project for 2014- Art Books

Last year I gave myself a year long project with my 365 book challenge.  I really enjoyed the experience of having a craft related goal for the year.  The challenge provided me with motivation, consistency, and accountability throughout the year.  As my 365 book challenge came to a close last year, I started thinking about what project I could do in 2014.  The only thing I knew for sure is that I wanted to spend more time creating art books this year.

My first thought was 52 art books in 52 weeks... And then I realized that would be insane!  So then I considered cutting it down to 2 a month, 24 art books total.  One art book every other week seemed possible... until I remembered I would also need time to make blank journals for craft shows.  Finally, I decided on 14 Art Books in 2014.  Last year I finished 3 art books over the course of the year, so I think 14 art books is a goal that will push me to continue creating, without being completely unattainable.

Many of you readers might be wondering "What is an art book?"  To put it simply: Artists' books or art books are works of art realized in the form of a book. (Quoted from the Wikipedia page about Artist Books.)  These are the rules I am following for my 14 in 2014 project:

1. To be considered an art book, it must have content instead of being blank.  This could be words, pictures, collage, pattern, dyed paper, image transfer, and any range of other media.  No blank white pages allowed.
2. All 14 art books must be completed in 2014.  No half finished pieces allowed.
3. All books must be photographed and blogged about.  The final blog posts may be completed up to 2 weeks after the end of 2014.
4.  Photos will be shown in a folder on my Flickr page.

Books 362-365: Challenge Completed!

Last week I completed books 362-365 of my 365 book challenge, which means the challenge is officially complete!  My last four books of the year were a large red coptic journal, two books made from recycled tea boxes, and a green envelope book.

I think it is very fitting that I started the year by making an envelope book, and I ended the year by making an envelope book.  Looking back on the challenge, it is amazing to think that I accomplished so much during the year.  The challenge helped me build inventory for shows, gave me a reason to publish blog posts every week, and got me started with a facebook page for my business.

I want to thank everyone that has followed along on my journey this year and encouraged me to keep going.  I will still be making books in 2014, just not with such a strict quantitative deadline.  However, with the snowfall and frigid temperatures we have been getting in Cleveland lately, I am looking forward to curling up on my couch, taking a break from books, and working on some knitting for a while.

Pamphlet Books 346-361

Books 346-361 of my 365 book challenge are pamphlet stitch books featuring the state of Ohio.  These little books measure 5.5 x 4 in. and are great for carrying around and taking quick notes.

The covers are made from colored card stock with the state of Ohio cut out of contrasting paper.  The inside paper is 10 sheets of white copier paper.  I made two of each color combination.  Each book is hand stitched using waxed linen thread.  Pamphlet books will be listed on Etsy soon!  This weekend I will have my final blog post about my 365 Books in 2013.

Minibooks 329-345

This week I wrapped up my 365 book challenge.  I spent the last few days of 2013 frantically finishing books!  Instead of dumping a bunch of blog posts all at once, I decided to take my time, get some good photos of the final books, and get everything posted before January 5th (the day I introduced my challenge in 2013.)

To help round out my 365 books, I made another 17 minibooks.  Five sets of necklaces and earrings, and an additional pair of earrings.  Now that my winter craft shows are done, I plan to list more items on Etsy.  I tried to pick a wide range of colors so there would be a better selection available on Etsy.  Stay tuned for the last few blog posts about my book challenge, and keep an eye on Etsy for new listings!

Books 323-328

Saturday was my very last craft show of the year!  The night before the show I finished up one more case bound book, and one more envelope book.  The envelope book is actually one that I started for the book demonstration during the Morgan Conservatory's annual benefit, but didn't have time to finish.

I also finished up a small coptic book made with leftover mohawk superfine paper from a book class.  This is another one that I started a long time ago but never got around to finishing.

I also made three additional coptic books using mohawk superfine for the pages instead of the heavier paper I normally use.  One is a pretty yellow paper with blue dots (the same paper from these minibooks.)

I made covers for the blue one earlier this year when I was making books for the Women of Achievement Awards.  I cut extra boards while working on that project and I'm finally getting around to using them up.

The third coptic is probably my favorite!  The paper has tea kettles and says "where there's tea, there's hope."  At this point I've got 37 more books to go for my 365 challenge.  I'm out of town this week visiting family, so I am hoping to make a few pairs of book earrings while I'm here.  There are still a few more half finished journals at home I can complete on the 30th and 31st...

Minibooks 311-322

I'm still working away on my 365 books for the year.  Yesterday I finished up two more minibook necklace and earring sets, and three pairs of minibook earrings.  The yellow and blue paper is a new one I bought this fall.  I think the necklace turned out really well.  I've got a journal in the works using the same paper for a cover.  I'm sure you will be seeing that here soon!

Coptic Books 309-310

This weekend I had a two day craft show. (In fact, I'm sitting and blogging while at the show. Hooray multitasking!) To help pass the time I finished up two of the coptic books I started last week.

The first book has irises on the cover, and the second has an Italian print. If I keep finishing up books at this rate, I just might get those last 55 done before the New Year!

Case Bound Books 306-308

This week I got to work on books for my next two holiday shows.  At my show over the weekend, I sold all but one of my case bound books!  So I cut boards, tore paper for pages, and matched paper with bookcloth for a bunch more case bound books.

One of the three I finished this week has really cute cork bookcloth with an alphabet block paper.  The combination reminds me of vintage school books and classrooms.  The second book uses a super sparkly bookcloth that matches the copper colored pattern on the paper.  The third book is more simple with a gray and green patterned paper with gray bookcloth.

Overall I spent a lot of time this week doing prep work for books.  Even though I only finished three, I have another 7 or 8 large journals in various stages of completion and another 6 minibooks for jewelry.  Hopefully in the next 18 days I'll be able to finish everything up and complete the rest of my 365.

Pamphlet Books 288-305

Yesterday I finished up some pamphlet stitch books for my next show.  Some have the state of Ohio, and some just have patterned paper for the covers.  After my last show I only had a handful of non-Ohio pamphlet books left... And most of them were Fall themed.  So I picked four nice patterned papers and made 3 books of each.

This brings me up over 300 books for the year!  Now I have 30 days to finish 60 books.  That's not so bad considering I am preparing for 3 more Christmas shows this month.