The Easiest Book I Have Ever Made!

Hello and Happy Day Everyone! I am up on the Mixed UP Magazine Blog today sharing with you how I made this sweet little book.  Currently the creative world is in love with bookmaking and I can understand why because I LOVE BOOKS. There is something about the feel of them in my hands and the smell of the paper that just makes me giddy.

But "real" book making is exacting and time consuming (although totally worth the effort) so when I remembered this simple and quick method of book making that I learnt as a child, I just had to share it with all of YOU.  Here is my process and a few tips that will make this book so easy to create that it makes a wonderful family project.

 

I don't know what the official name is but I call this the Accordion Fold method and I learned it about 40 years ago at sleep-away camp, so I had to dig really deep into my memory for all the steps, but it came back to me pretty easily and the finished book is positively Gift -worthy.  The most important item you need is a really good adhesive but the rest of the book can be assembled using anything that works for you; cardstock, scrapbook paper, cardboard covers or leather covers, and you can make it any size you like.  Since I like simple and obvious cutting and folding (which means no crazy measuring) I made my book 4x6 inches.

 

Here is what you will need to make this exact book:

2 4x6 inch board canvases

1 piece of 4x12 inch heavy cardstock scored at every inch (11 scores)

7 pieces of 4x6 inch watercolor or handmade white paper

Distress Oxide Inks

A pretty patterned border stamp (optional)

A good double sided tape (I used 3/4 inch Sook Wang tape )

A good liquid adhesive (I used Beacon 3in1)

Sprays, Stencils and Pastes for your cover (optional)

 

Get your paper ready... to get these wonderfully colored pages first I created puddles of colors of Distress Oxide Inks by smooshing the ink pad onto my craftmat and spraying the "smoosh" with water; next I wiped up the colors using my handmade paper pieces alternating between the different colored puddles.  Really, it was that simple, the paper soaked up the colors like water in the desert, the colors layered rather than mixing to mud, and the best part is that there was no wasted ink and my craftmat was clean when I was done!

 

Make The Accordion Hinge:

Cut a 4"x12" strip of fairly heavy cardstock; score at every inch (11 scores) and accordion fold.  These one-inch strips will show on your pages so I like to stamp them with a pretty pattern in colored inks and it is easiest to do that now before you assemble the hing.  To do that start with the accordion hinge folded so it opens right to left and stamp the top and every right hand side of each fold until the end of the strip.

 

Next turn the hinge over and apply a strip of double-sided tape to the back of each inside fold, remove the backing and stick each fold together, and you will have a hinge that looks like the one below.  This is what you will attach your pages and cover to.

 

Attach The Pages:

I used Sook Wang 3/4 inch double-sided tape to attach my pages to the hinge; apply a strip of tape to each panel that is NOT stamped starting with the underside of the top strip and continuing to the underside of the last strip; then all you need to do is Peel and Stick your pages.

 

When the pages are attached and you open the book the stamped strip will always be on the right-hand side of the page.

 

Attach The Cover:

The cover was created with two 4x6 inch board canvases which I decorated first and allowed to dry thoroughly before attaching. I used Dylusions spray inks and Viva Decore Ferro in Gold and Silver through a The Crafters Workshop stencil to create this look. 

 

 

But before I attach the covers I like to glue a strip of pretty ribbon over the hinge to make it look cleaner... You do not have to do this.

 

To attach the canvas covers to the outside of my book pages I used a heavy-duty liquid glue (like Beacon 3 in 1).  Apply glue to the entire top page of the book and press the canvas board cover onto this page, then flip the book over and do the same for the back.  I like to place a heavy book on top of everything and let it dry overnight.  

 

Once your book is dry it will open and close easily and is surprisingly sturdy.    

 

Decorate And Make It YOURS:

Now you can fill your book in whatever way you like... with photos, inspirational sayings, autographs.  I filled my book with a little inspirational story that came into my life 20 years ago and forever changed me and I used these wonderful stamps from Rubber Dance Stamps called Happy Dancing to enhance and decorate. I hope you will take a minute and read this lovely little story that I am passing along.  

 

 

 

 

 

Now head over to my post today up on the Mixed Up Mag Blog to find out how you can win a set of these Happy Dancing Women! 

Thank you for stopping by today to see what I am up to, I hope you enjoyed my little tutorial and if you did, please do leave me a comment, I read and cherish every single one.

Lynne Mizera, Mixed Media Artist

for the Mixed Up Magazine Design Team