Supplies

• 8 pieces of text-weight paper
  (sample is 4" x 7")
• 4 for the outer pages, 4 for the inner pages
• Various punches (or craft knife, ruler and cutting mat)
• 4 photocopies of old postcards (reduced by about 70%)
  Hint: spray them with a clear sealer (such as Krylon clear gloss finish) to help keep the photocopies from wearing away the color where you fold them.
• Rubber Stamps
• inks
• optional: collage materials
• glue stick
• 20" of ribbon
• materials for covers (thin cardboard and cover paper) for 2 covers measuring 4 1/8" (tall) x 3 5/8" (wide)
  

Overview:

You will be making book units: each unit consists of a front piece of paper and a back piece of paper. First the front is glued to the back. Then the units are then glued together. In the sample, the front sheets are brayered paper with stamping on them. The back sheets are paper with photocopied old postcards glued on. Suggestion: "dry fit" to be sure these directions make sense before you apply glue to any surface. The photos should be a good guide for figuring out how to glue the pages together.

Process:

1. Fold all of paper that will be the back layer in half: you should end up with a 4 x 3.5" rectangle. Fold the photocopies in half. Matching the centers, glue the copies to the paper (one copy to each piece of paper).

2. Fold all of the paper for the front layer in quarters lengthwise. You will have two valley folds and a mountain fold. If you stood it up on the table and looked down on it, it will look like a W. (Note: some people may prefer to stamp on the paper before folding.)

3. Decide on the size and placement of the windows and punch them out.

4. Glue the individual outer page to the coordinating inner page. Turn over the front page, and put glue on last fold out to the edge. (That would be ¼ of the sheet, one side of the valley fold.) And place it onto the inside page so that the edges line up. Do the same on the other edge of the front sheet. Repeat for all four pages.

5. Place the pages in order. Close the first page and place it on your work surface so that so that the back side of the unit is facing you. Apply glue to this side and lay the second page on top of the first one. Repeat with the third and fourth pages.

6. Cut a ribbon approximately 20" long and attach it to the center of the front and the center of the back of the book. The extra ribbon will be where you open and close the book. (You can use it to tie a closure.)

7. Decorate the book covers. (Sample was covered with an old dictionary page, and decorated with photocopy of an old postcard, a stamped Stampendous frame and old buttons).

8. Apply glue to the book pages and position the cover onto the pages. For the best fit when the book is open, line the cover up with the edge of the spine pages. (Do not leave an overhang there.

9. Show off your book!