Midland Summer Art Fair- Books 116-120

Over the weekend I attended the Midland Summer Art Fair for the first time as a vendor.  This show was especially cool for me because I used to go to the art fair with my Mom and Grandma almost every year as a kid.  This time I got to be on the other side of the booth.  The weather was not the greatest with threatening clouds on Saturday, and 58 degree rain on Sunday morning.  It cleared up both days in the afternoon and there were still tons of shoppers coming out to enjoy the day.

I drove up to Michigan Friday morning, so naturally I spent Thursday evening frantically finishing more books and getting them under weights to dry.  I finished 3 case bound books Thursday night and didn't make it to bed until well after midnight.  I'm apologizing in advance for the bad pictures in this post.  All of these books sold, and most I snapped pictures of with my phone during the show.

Two of the case bounds feature papers with music notes.  One is white with gold writing and tan book cloth.  The other has purple book cloth and a multicolored background.  I think the purple one is my favorite of the two.

The third case bound was a special book for my Mom.  My parents are taking a trip to Alaska over the summer and Mom wanted something to write in during the trip.  I found a woodsy paper with moose and bears for the cover, and birch bark paper for the end sheets.  The ribbon closure has tiny hiking boot footprints.

The coptic journals were quite popular during day one of the show, so I finished up two more coptics Sunday morning while sitting at my booth.  I had made the covers last week, and folded and punched holes in the signatures Thursday night before leaving town.  All I had to do was sew them together.
The first coptic journal had green covers with a gold and yellow flower pattern.  That color green is one of my favorite colors.  The second coptic used paper with a canning jar pattern.  I thought the canning jars were cute, and kinda hipster at the same time.  (I just realized I have a vegetable paper too.  Maybe next time I can combine the two for maximum irony.)

Overall is was a great show for me, and I will definitely keep it in mind for next year.  Next up for Minimeg is Art on the Circle at Notre Dame College in South Euclid, OH in two and a half weeks.

Minibook Jewelry: Books 98-115

This week I made MORE minibooks!  My first batch of minibook jewelry was very popular, so I decided to make a bunch more.  The books on the necklaces measure 1 1/5 inches tall and 1 inch wide.  The books on the earrings measure 3/4 inch tall and 1/2 inch wide (about the size of a dime.)

All the decorative paper used for this project are scrap pieces, too small for most of my other book projects.  You might recognize the papers from here, here, here, and here.

You can find my minibooks on Etsy, or in person at the Urban Orchid in Ohio City.

Coptic Journals: Books 94-97

This weekend is my first art show of the summer!  In preparation I finished up a bunch of coptic journals.  This type of journal is probably my most popular at shows, and is also my favorite to make.  The pages are heavy, 100% cotton paper that is suitable for writing, drawing, or painting.

While I was working on the Women of Achievement Awards earlier this year, I made two extra sets of covers, cut a big stack of Mohawk Superfine for the pages, and had some extra sheets of decorative and handmade papers cut to size.  I adapted the number of pages to have 5 sheets of mohawk superfine for each sheet of decorative paper.

Two of the three other journals have ribbon closures.  The purple and orange journal is very similar to one I made last year, and uses up the rest of that sheet of paper.  The blue paper with the geometric design is one of my new sheets from Hollanders.  I really like the pattern and the color palette. 

The purple and green paper with the crocodiles is one I have had for a while.  I think the crocodile design is playful and interesting.  I thought about using this paper for a case bound book, but couldn't find the right color book cloth to go with it.

If you like the paper used for these journals, keep an eye out for my next blog post!  I used the scraps to make more minibook jewelry.

Minibooks 82-93

I've been thinking about book necklaces for a while now, and considering what would be the best way to make them.  A conversation with a friend about making and selling jewelry, and another conversation about a mini book sparked me to get started on some minibook jewelry.  I made 4 sets of matching book necklaces and earrings over the weekend.  The books are pamphlet stitch with leftover Mohawk superfine for the pages, and scraps of decorative paper for the covers.

I had a lot of fun making them, and I plan to make many more.  After posting these photos on my Minimeg facebook page yesterday, someone bought the pink/blue set.  The black/green, black/purple, and green/tan sets are still available.  If you would like a pair of minibook earrings or a minibook necklace, leave a comment here or on my facebook page.

Special Occasion Cards

I sat down last week to make greeting cards for the first time in a long time.  I've made Ohio cards, Christmas cards, and Valentine's cards in the last 6 months but that's about it.  With the summer show season coming up, I decided it was time to make some cards for birthdays, Mother's Day, and Father's Day.

In my studio, I have a set of plastic rolling drawers where I keep paint, scissors, bookbinding supplies, etc.  One of the drawers is my "scrap paper" drawer where all my little pieces of cardstock or decorative paper live.  My process for making cards goes like this: pull out the scrap paper drawer, pick out a bunch of scraps, use fancy edged scissors, and assemble on a card blank.  Add stamps, embossing, or decorative pens as needed.

It is a relaxing process that helps me "recycle" the extra bits that are too pretty to throw away.  Many of these are available at the Urban Orchid in Ohio City.  The rest will be at the Midland Summer Art Fair june 1st and 2nd.

Michigan Cards and Books 61-81

In three weeks I'm doing a craft show in my hometown of Midland, Michigan.  Usually I do my shows around Cleveland, Ohio where I'm currently living.  Because this is a special show, I decided to make some special Michigan themed books and cards.  (And also because I don't think the Ohio/Cleveland cards will be very popular outside of the Ohio...)

I started choosing papers and cutting out the little Michigans on Saturday after skating and running some errands.  I had all 21 books cut, folded, and sewn by the end of the day.  On Sunday I attached all the cutouts and added a little heart over Midland.  Two years ago I got a Xyron 5 inch sticker maker for 50 cents at a yard sale.  I had only used it once or twice, but it turned out to be the perfect tool for this project!

After finishing the books, I started working on some blank greeting cards in the same style.  This turned out to be a great way to use up some scraps of decorative paper leftover from the Women of Achievement Awards I made in February and March.  I was able to attach a 4x5 inch scrap to a card blank as the background, and then add the state of Michigan on top.

My favorite card so far is the one with a Robin in the background.  It worked out great because Robins are the state bird of Michigan!  All these books and cards will be available at the Midland Summer Art Fair June 1st and 2nd outside the Center for the Arts in Midland.  I am offering "pre-orders" through comments here or on the Minimeg facebook page.  Make your selections now, pay with Paypal, and pick them up at the show.

Envelope Book Workshop- Books 58-60

Over the weekend I taught a workshop about Envelope Books.  During the course of the day we made 2 types of envelope books.  One with a collapsible spine and 6x9 inch envelopes, and the second with a closed spine and 5x7 inch envelopes.  I demonstrated the books along the way, and ended up with 3 completed books by the end of the day (books 58-60 of my 365 challenge.)  Instead of describing the whole day, I'll leave you with photos from the workshop and of my sample books.