Hello all!
Our time together is quickly approaching. We are going to have so much fun! just wanted to check in and make sure everyone has their supplies now. If not, you'll want to gather them right away, because if you have to have paper or ledgers or anything else sent to you, you'll need the time it will take to get to you. Does anyone have any questions? I know with my move and email problems at least one person's email fell through the cracks. Anyone else's? You can email me at pmdgarrison@cox.net
Ok, a few reminders: You'll need a ledger. Any hard cover book will do actually, I just happen to love the repurposing of these old ledgers. We are going to be pulling out all the pages and sewing the new paper in, so don't worry about the insides. You don't need to worry about your binding too much either. I try to save the binding on the ledgers, but if it is too thin (in width) or too frail, I just glue on binding linen. I will bring the binding linen in case anyone needs any. It can be quite expensive, so you might not want to buy a roll until you decide if you'll be making more books in the future. If you are still on the hunt for a ledger, try ebay. Search under ledger, accounting book, or journal. They can get quite pricey, and be sure you check the size as well. I have bought many a journal that comes and is half the size (and once even twice the size) of what I was expecting. I will be shipping about 5 journals to sell once there ($25.00 ea.) in case anyone is in a real bind, but this isn't ideal, as you'll want to tear or cut your paper to size before coming.
Speaking of paper, I really can't recommend enough that you use this paper enough, it is so fun to play on: Fabriano Artistico 140lb. HOT press (smooth vs. Cold press which is more porous). You can buy sheets of it from dickblick.com or danielsmith.com . If you choose to use another paper, be sure that you can fold it in half without it cracking. We will be punching holes in the creases to sew into the binding and need the paper to withstand it. While at home, cut or tear your paper into 18 sheets. You want the size to be roughly 1/4" -1" less than the size of your book on all four sides when your book is opened flat.
You'll need a tapestry (size 18) needle, waxed linen thread (unwaxed will tear the paper),an awl, material to cover your binding if we have to tape on a new one, scissors, adhesives (I LOVE "Perfect Paper Adhesive by USArtquest"" you can find that online at the above sources or even at Michael's. You'll also want a small jar of gel medium for your new binding, and maybe some glue dots, glue stick etc. You will want a heavy holding glue (like E600 or Gorilla Glue) if you are planning on gluing on some heavy embellishments to your cover.
Of course, the standards: scissors, glues, an exacto knife,a scrap of sand paper, an awl if you already have one, a japanese screw punch if you already have one, paintbrushes- with different size brushes, fine to 1"-not foam, nice brushes for watercolors or acrylics. You'll also want a small mixing tray so we can play with glaze and also mix some colors.
To add your personal touch, bring embellishments for your cover, ribbons, stamps, markers,pens,stamps, ink pads, colored pencils,clip art,ephemera,photographs,collage materials.
When ordering your paper, I recommend that you buy a couple tubes of water colors- Daniel Smith, Windsor & Newton, or Grumbacher are brands I have used. And also a few Golden Liquid Acrylics are great. You can also buy these at the online art stores OR I have seen both watercolor tubes and Golden Liquid Acrylics at Michael's Arts and Crafts stores.
Your playful spirit, and anything else you like to play with when journaling!
See you soon! Pam
