Making Books

I picked up Re-Bound: Creating Handmade Books from Recycled and Repurposed Materials at Chapters the other evening, and it has inspired some more creative book making.  We’re going beyond the card stock, paper, and thread books.

Check it out.

Materials used: stiff cardboard from the back of a sketch pad, silver duct tape, a found key, electrical tape, embroidery thread, Sharpie markers, saved nylon webbing, grommets, two brass brads, and two manilla envelopes altered to fit inside the covers.  Oh, and blue hockey stick tape.

Below is the first shot of Gabe’s book.  We were all getting inspired by what we could re-use for these projects.  I pulled out some old electronic devices that no longer served any purpose – a DVD remote for a DVD player that long ago made it’s way to the landfill, a broken calculator, and an “ancient” computer hub.  The boys were very excited about dismantling these and discovering what lay inside.  It sparked a lot of questions I couldn’t answer.  I think we might be revisiting some electrical experiments in greater detail in the near future.  Oh the discoveries that could be made in the DVD player itself!  But, alas, I can’t keep everything!  At least not until I know I won’t be packing it all in boxes and moving it to a new home!

In other news, I have patched several pairs of pants over the past evening and morning.  I’m feeling very happy about this.  You would understand if you saw the pile of clothes I have to mend ….. or do something with.  A couple of days ago I finally sorted them into piles: rag rug material, repairable, beyond repair but useable for repairing other things and then rag rug pile, etc.  So now it begins.  I’ve been getting a lot of sorting done these days.  Sorting, trashing, giving,  re-purposing, filing, organizing, streamlining ……….  I’m hoping it all equates to an easier packing and unpacking and setting-up-home-again in the months ahead.  And also maybe to some better habits of keeping on top of some of the things that I’ve tended to neglect.

Last but not least, my sweater is still getting longer, row-by-row.  I get the most done when a child has a dentist appointment or I’m getting winter tires put on or new front breaks.  But even at home, amidst all the hustle and bustle, I manage to squeeze in a row or two or six on most days.  I’ll try to take a picture of that progress soon and post it here for my fellow knitters!