Week 2 {tiny paintings project}

This week: LITTLE NOTEBOOKS

Make one of these little notebooks to keep random thoughts in your pocket. Or make one for each month, and write a few sentences every day. Wouldn't a set of 12 be beautiful, each with a different washi tape on the spines?

Get the high res. artwork in the ARTWORK DOWNLOADS column to the right. I've had resizing problems printing it straight from my browser. I suggest you save the artwork and print it using a photo viewing application. Use 4" x 6" photo paper. Please leave a comment if you have printing suggestions.

FIG. 1 Supplies: Standard size stapler with a minimum 3” reach, bone folder and a knife. You can use a variety of scrap or decorative paper; just make sure it is not thicker than standard weight printer paper. You’ll also need some clips. The small bulldog clips in fig. 6 tend to mark up the paper less. If you don’t like clip dents in your paper, sandwich a piece of chipboard between the two.  It gets a little fiddly with this tiny project though.

 FIG 2 The signatures. Cut 18 sheets of paper 4 ¼” x 5 ½”. Fold into 3 signatures of 6 sheets each.

 FIG. 3 Fold the spine. Use the bone folder. Make sure the artwork on the front and back match up when the book is closed.

 FIG. 4 Binding. Line up the crease in the first signature with the crease in the spine. The signature should be slightly offset inside the spine. Visualize how you will fit 3 signatures stacked up in that tiny spine. Clip it securely in place.

 FIG. 5 Stapling. Position the stapler just inside the red border on the artwork and push down hard. Close the first signature. Open the second, and line the crease up right in the middle of the spine. Fig. 5 shows the stapling of the second signature. Staple and repeat with the third signature.

 FIG. 6 Trimming. To trim through a large stack of paper you need patience and a very sharp knife blade. Make sure the artwork on the front and back cover matches up when the book is closed and clip the book in place. Leave a little white border outside the red border of the artwork and press down on the ruler securely. Really really securely! Start slicing through about two sheets of paper at a time. Use a gentle even pressure and do not change the angle of the knife blade until you are completely through the stack. Trim all three sides.

 FIG. 7 Labels. If you want to make 11 more notebooks, download the “Week 01” artwork and use the monthly labels for each book.

And please, if you use my artwork, send me a picture of what you made, so I can pin it to my pinterest board.