Ink Stained Book Arts

Candy Packaging

Now that I've become enamored with candy making, there's more of the stuff around the house than usual. I only wish I could eat it all without losing all my teeth or gaining 500 pounds, but alas, that is not the case.

So I end up giving most of it away to friends. As you may know from previous posts, I cannot give a gift without putting a great deal of thought into its wrapping. I've been experimenting with some various types of packaging that I thought I'd share.

In the photo above, I embellished a flip-top metal box with an acrylic window (top left). An origami box (bottom left) got an origami flower on top. Printed burlap was sewn into a reusable pouch (right).

What I love about packaging is that you can tailor the look to the gift and the giftee. The flip-top metal box has some Victorian details, the origami box is very bold and elegant, and the burlap sack has a somewhat rustic feel. And all are reusable.

For the flip-top box, I first cleaned it, then lined it with a page from an antique French book. Luckily it fit almost exactly (I just rounded the corners). You could also line it with a page from a vintage dictionary, map paper, ledger paper or recipe book for a similar old-world look. Make sure whatever edibles you put inside are wrapped well.

The belly band was made from a piece of scrapbook paper cut to 1 inch by 10 inches (bottom). I adhered it to a piece of coordinating cardstock, then trimmed it with pinking shears to the edge of the scrapbook paper. That was folded around the box and adhered with double-stick tape at the back.

For the ribbon rosette (top and center), I cut a piece of 7/8 inch grosgrain ribbon to 10 inches, then sewed a running stitch along one long edge (I did it with contrasting thread so it would show, but you should use matching thread).

After finishing the running stitch, I pulled the thread gently to gather it, then knotted it to hold the ruffle in place. All that was left to do was twist it into a rosette and tack it at the bottom. I sewed a vintage button to the center and adhered the rosette to the belly band with hot glue. A stamped tag was added--I used the confectioner stamp from the Tim Holtz Adverts cling stamps collection.

I planned to make a sack out of plain burlap until I spied a gorgeous brocade print at Joanns. The drawstring closure is easy as pie. Since the fabric is such a loose weave you don't need to sew channels for the cords or add grommets. I just cut some 1/4 inch twill tape, threaded it onto a yarn needle and did a running stitch around the bag. 

The patterns for the origami box and flower pattern were from the book "Paper Fold It," but there are copious examples and tutorials to be found via Google or Pinterest. I don't do a lot of origami, but when I do I remember how much fun it is.

After making these three I thought it would be nice to throw in something a bit more masculine, so I made this:

I found the template in "The Packaging and Design Templates Sourcebook." Although a CD of templates comes with the book I thought the design was straightforward enough I could make my own. I plotted it on out on 140-lb art paper:

The short sides are 4 inches wide, and the box is 8 inches long. After drawing the box I cut it out, stamped a design and scored the folds. These are a more structured version of those sour cream containers that are super simple to make.

I sealed one short side and left the other open. For a closure I used an acorn nut and a screw, because dudes like hardware:

Since I started making books several years ago I've found a lot of inspiration from the graphic design world. Books and websites are great sources for ideas for book and box designs. After all, a brochure is a book, right?

If you've been inspired to make some food packaging, let me know!

Recycled Book Tutorial, part two

Note: If you missed part one of this tutorial, you can find it here.

Hello again! This is the second installment of a two-part bookbinding tutorial on making a book from a Guittard chocolate box. To recap, I was inspired to make it after deciding to dive into candy making.

Now that the covers are done, we need to bind this puppy. By now you should have cut and folded your inside pages and created five signatures (groups of pages) of six pages nested together. Set those aside for now, as well as the one reserved page for the signature-punching template.

The stitch that I used is not one I came up with, it's from Keith Smith's book, "1- 2- & 3-Section Sewings: Non-Adhesive Binding Volume II."

Forgive me while I digress a minute about book artist Keith Smith. If you're new to bookbinding or haven't heard of Keith Smith, you should definitely check out his books. He's written several, which are considered by many to be the bibles of the craft.

They're not pretty--there are no artfully staged color photos--but they offer fantastic instruction. Some of the more complex stitching can be intimidating, even for experienced binders, but I recommend starting with the one I mentioned. It's a great way to get your feet wet.

The stitch I used is called a sewn chain, and I added one little variation. You can make your stitch length whatever you'd like--I always use 1/8-inch grid paper to map out my stitches. I mark off a section that's the exact width and length of my spine, then work out the spacing from there. For this binding, I made a small first stitch at the top 1/4 inch long (the anchor stitch), then made larger, 3/4 inch-long stitches below that. I spaced the five rows 1/4 inch apart.

After you've marked your template, you'll need to punch holes in your spine. That can be done with an awl or a Japanese paper drill. The drill is on the expensive side, but if you start getting serious about binding you'll use it a lot, I guarantee.

Tape your template to the outside of the spine using low-tack tape (I like Post-It correction tape) and punch through the spine with an awl at each marked spot, as shown above. 

Use the grid template to mark your signature punching template. Before you start sewing you'll need to make holes in each signature that correspond to the holes in the spine. Above, I've placed the fold side of the signature punching template right next to one row of holes, then marked it at each hole. Make sure you write a 'T" at the top of both signatures so you know which side is up. Yes, I realize that the short first stich gives it away, but it's a good habit to adopt.

Each signature is sewn separately--they don't connect. If you decide you want to take a signature out for some reason, you can do that without disrupting the rest of the book.

Open the template and carry the marks across the fold. Then, fold it the other way so that the marks are now inside. Slip the template into the middle of each signature and, with an awl, punch through the signature at each mark. For more on how to do that, go here.

Thread your needle with about 30 inches of 4-cord waxed linen thread, but don't knot it at the end. The signatures are sewn directly to the spine, so pick up the first signature and bring the needle through the second hole from the top from the inside to the outside, leaving a 2 inch tail. Enter the top hole from the outside, again going through the spine and the signature. Tie the ends in a square knot on the inside:

 

Enter the third hole from the inside and come out. Then, slide the needle under that first anchor stitch, going from right to left:

Keith Smith's instructions direct you to go back into the same hole (third from the top) at this point, but I decided to add another go-round on the anchor stitch and subsequent stitches. Make sure the thread is taught before slipping under the anchor stitch a second time. This addition gives the stitch a little bead that I think looks attractive. It's totally up to you--you can do it either way:

Go back into the third hole from the top from the outside, making sure the stiches don't cross, and enter the fourth hole from the top from the inside. Then, slip under both "legs" of the previous stitch from right to left, again going around a second time if you wish. Enter the fourth hole from the outside, come out the fifth hole from the inside, and continue the pattern until you reach the last stich. This is how things should look as you're progressing:

At the end of the row you should be on the inside of the signature at the last stitch. All you need to do now is a half-hitch knot. Slip the needle under the last stitch and pull the thread until you have a small loop. Take the needle through the loop and pull downward, toward the tail (bottom) of the book, until a knot forms. Do that one more time and clip your threads to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch:

If you're right-handed, start the sewing at the first signature and always slip the needle under the previous stitch from right to left. This prevents you from hitting the previous row with the needle. If you're left-handed, you may want to start at the last signature and go from left to right. Whichever you decide to do, be consistent with your sewing.

Sew the rest of the signatures the same way. Pretty much any longstitch will work for this structure, so if you're not fond of this one, feel free to use another binding.

I always say that a handmade book isn't finished until there's stuff on the pages. So write, draw and whatever else to your heart's content, and enjoy your book! If you make a book from a box, please send me a photo, I'd love to see it!

Next, I'll offer some ways to wrap up those delicious caramels! 

"Battlefields of Honor" featured on KPCC's "Off-Ramp"

Sorry to interrupt the bookbinding/candy fest, but my husband, Mark Elson, and I were recently featured on the KPCC show "Off-Ramp" about our book, "Battlefields of Honor: American Civil War Reenactors."

You can listen to the interview here, done by the show's host, John Rabe, and also see some of Mark's amazing photography from the book. The show will air on the radio this Saturday, Feb. 9th, from 12 to 1 p.m. Pacific time, and again on Sunday, Feb. 10th, from 7 to 8 p.m.

We're thrilled to be included in such a terrific show. Thanks, John and KPCC! 

Recycled Book Tutorial (and caramels, too!), part one

This post is a twofer: you get instructions on how to make a book from a box of chocolate, and you get to hear about a fantastic new book on candy making. How great is this day so far?

Let's start with the handmade book, which was inspired by candy: In the pursuit of making inexpensive holiday gifts last year, I decided to make some caramels. Mostly I was craving them, and I figured even if they didn't come out, I could eat the mistakes and at least make myself happy.

At the bookstore I found "The Sweet Book of Candy Making" by Elizabeth LaBau, which had copious information and troubleshooting tips in it, not to mention mouth-watering, easy recipes. Turns out Elizabeth is also a fellow Angeleno!

Next I headed to Sur La Table, where I picked up a candy thermometer and a box of Guittard couverture chocolate--I planned to dip some of the caramels in it. I think the proper term is "enrobe," which is such a great word. It's like the caramels are getting a plush little dressing gown.

The box, in addition to being beautiful, was super sturdy--there was a little corrugation going on. And you know what that means. It was destined to a book. A book in which I could chronicle my candy-making exploits.

Here are the materials you'll need to make one yourself:

One 1-lb box of Guittard couverture chocolate wafers, front and back pieces cut to 4 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/4 inches high, and the spine cut to 1 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/4 inches high. Round the corners if desired.

Two pieces of Tyvek (described below) cut to 3/4 inches wide by 6 1/4 inches high

Three pieces of chipboard cut to the same measurements as the covers and spine

Three pieces of decorative paper or cardstock cut to the same measurements as the covers and spine

31 text-weight pages cut to 8 1/2 inches wide by 6 1/8 inches high, grain running along the short side. Fold them in half and nest them into five signatures (groups) of 6 pages each, and reserve one page for the punching template. Round the corners if desired.

Three or four pieces of cardstock cut to 9 1/2 inches wide by 8 3/4 inches high, for the inside pockets (for instructions on how to make these, go here). Score and fold the pockets 2 3/4 inches from the bottom. 

4-cord waxed linen thread

One sew-through button

12 inches of strong ribbon or twill tape

Permanent marker or stamping ink

Bookbinding tool usual suspects: Metal ruler, cutting knife, bone folder, awl, needle, PVA glue, glue brush, scissors, cutting mat

I set to work cutting the box open on one side so I could get a good look at the front and back covers and the spine.

The spine, at more than 2 inches wide, was larger than I wanted, so I cut it down to 1.5 inches. That decision prompted another: how to hinge the covers to the spine. 

I also cut the top and bottom tabs off as well as the other short side, and neatened everything up. Funny thing, I didn't notice that half-circle cut out in the back before I cut the box apart.

I could have used bookcloth on the outside to hinge everything, but that would have hidden some of the nice details on the covers. So I decided to use Tyvek, the stuff those tough mailing envelopes are made of (I ususally just recycle an old envelope, but you can find new ones at office supply stores).

I didn't want the hinges to be bright white, so I colored both sides with a matching marker. You can also use stamping ink and yes, I recommend using permanent ink, although that's not what I used. Do as I say, not as I do.

The hinges should be sandwiched between something, so I cut lightweight chipboard to the exact size of the covers and the spine. Gluing those to the covers also added more strength. I cut decorative paper pieces so the book would have a pretty interior. Shown above, from top to bottom it's covers, chipboard and decorative paper. I also rounded all the corners, but that's up to you.

I glued up the spine edge of the front cover with PVA and adhered the hinge. Next, I glued the hinge to the spine, leaving a scant 1/8 inch gap in between. Then I did the same with the back cover. Below you can see how narrow that gap is:

Since Tyvek is so flexible, you don't need a big space in between covers and the spine. If you decide you don't want to narrow the width of the spine, I highly recommend cutting the pieces apart anyway and hinging the spine to the covers. Boxes were not meant to move, and after time your book may come apart.

The chipboard was glued on next, then the decorative paper on top of that. Before I adhered the chipboard to the back cover, I glued in some twill tape for the closure.

Here's how the inside looked when everything was glued. For the back cover, I cut out that half-circle with an X-Acto knife. You can leave it as is if you want.

After everything was glued, I pressed the covers for a few hours. I strongly suggest you don't leave that step out. Pressing the covers stops them from warping. Once a book is warped it's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to make it flat. Cross your heart and promise you'll do it. You don't need a fancy book press, some heavy books or weights will do. Make sure there's waste paper underneath and on top to absorb the moisture from the glue.

I sewed the button to the front cover using waxed linen thread. Punch holes in the cover first with an awl, then sew as you would a regular button. I like to choose buttons that go up a bit at the edges, making it easier to wrap ribbon around it.

In the next post I'll show you how I stitched the book, which is incredibly easy. That'll give you time to get your inside pages together. I used a combination of white, colored and and kraft drawing paper, plus bits and pieces from vintage recipe books. Use whatever you like, as long as it holds up to sewing.

Before I let you go, I have to tell you about the caramels I made. I chose the Pecan Pie Caramels recipe from "The Sweet Book of Candy Making" because they looked so darned delicious. Let me tell you, my friends, if you think you've tasted caramels, you have not--until you've tried these. 

Something magical happens when you combine the ingredients, which include maple syrup, cinnamon and roasted pecans. The caramel itself is layered and complex, and the pecans lend a slightly smoky flavor that enhances the caramel (Turns out they didn't need chocolate after all, but I'll use it soon. It's great stuff.). Run, don't walk, to pick up this book. I can't wait to try the other recipes. I'm already buying sugar in bulk, so I'm in deep. Red velvet fudge? I'm coming for you.

Do not be intimidated by making candy. All you really need to learn for most of the recipes is how to use a candy thermometer, and frankly, my cat could probably figure it out, and he doesn't have opposable thumbs or a GED. The author walks you through every step that so that you feel like an expert even before you start melting butter. 

Fun fact: I worked for a time as a pastry chef when I was in college. I had some prior kitchen experience, but was pretty much trained on the job. I thought being around sugar every day would blunt my love of sweets, but it only made that relationship more robust. *Sigh* But it is a deep and abiding love.

Still, I find that making candy is even more satisfying and fun than making pastries. It also parallels my love of making handmade books in several ways. As a former English major, I feel compelled to do some comparing and contrasting:

• You don't need any special knowledge or experience to jump right in and make something fantastic. Only a few basic tools are necessary. 

• There is enormous satisfaction in completing a book and in making a batch of candy. The simplest ingredients or materials--sugar, cream, butter/paper, board, thread--can be transformed into something extraordinary. I can't quite describe it--you have to do it to understand.

• Both endeavors teach you patience, which is a virtue.

• Practicing, improving your skills and gaining confidence heighten the experience.

One difference is that you can't eat a book--unless you make it out of something edible, of course.

So give it a go. I guarantee you'll be pleased with the results. Valentine's Day is around the corner, and that holiday is all about the candy. Perfect excuse. Go for it. 

And don't forget to come back for the binding tutorial! I'll also offer some ideas for wrapping up the candy to give as gifts.

Pssst...Do you want a chance at winning an autographed copy of Elizabeth's book, plus other candy-related goodies? Head over to her blog for all the info, as well as the SPOON blog (which is a phenomenal food blog, by the way! Check out this interview with Elizabeth). Go! Now! It ends soon!

More gift wrap

My girlfriends and I always do our holiday get-together after the holidays, usually in January. We've learned over the years that trying to coordinate four schedules in the midst of the holiday crunch just doesn't work.

So we celebrate when things are calmer. I'm grateful for it because sometimes it allows me to spend a bit more time on handmade gifts and wrap. This year I gave everyone these scarves in different colors, and I decorated the wrapped boxes with beautiful, dimensional roses made with one punch.

I found the tutorial on Pinterest, of course, and I suggest you pin this one. You'll need the Stampin' Up Blossom punch, but I assure you you'll get lots of use out of it.

In the photo above I used varying shades of pink to make two ombre roses, and I added a solid pink rose. For the leaves I simply cut green cardstock in the shape of a leaf with pinking shears, then folded them lengthwise (I probably could have finessed those a bit more).

To decorate the box above I made two red roses, plus one made out of vintage sheet music to match the wrap. You can use pretty much any paper or cardstock for the roses, but cardstock is the easiest to work with. Try it with map paper, book pages and magazine pages--each one takes on its own unique look.

For the package below I deconstructed silk daises and hydrangea blossoms and added some punched flowers and butterflies. Everything was attached with hot glue. 

The wrapping was a hit, and one of my friends even ended up wearing the flowers and ribbon in her hair. I took it as the ultimate compliment.

 

Quick CHA Winter 2013 recap

The Winter 2013 Craft & Hobby Assn. show was a whirlwind this year--I had one day to get through the show, so there was a lot of flying through ailes. I was happy to reconnect with a bunch of people I hadn't seen for a while, and while perusing booths a few unique things did catch my eye. My compatriots this year were Craftside maven and "Sweater Surgery" author Stefanie Girard, and artist and photographer extraordinaire Maria Del Pinto. 

The dress above was created by Beth Gerlach for Bella Blvd. Yep, it's paper. Paper dresses seem to be everywhere these days, but this stunner is truly exceptional. I can't imagine the amount of time it took to create it.

Here's a close-up of the train:

I wonder if Kleinfeld's would ever carry something like this?

More paper fun was found at the Sizzix booth, which introduced a new line of Brenda Walton dies. Not just any dies--dies to make three-dimensional shoes (two styles) and tea cups, plus other lovely designs such as swans. Those are the shoes above, and below are the cups.

Here's a lovely idea board with some of the other dies on it, such as the swan and the cake. Can't wait until these are available. Love the Brenda Walton papers that were used, too.

Going green is still a strong trend in the craft industry, and I'm not talking about a shade of chartreuse. Several companies make use of recycled materials and offer toxin-free supplies. At this show sewing thread company Gütermann introduced its Sew-all Thread 100 m rPET, which translates into thread made from 100% recycled polyester, as in water bottles. I hope this inspires more companies to follow suit.

And last but certainly not least, American Tag thrilled me to no end with its line of vintage-inspired tags and other paper goods. Styles include travel tags, post cards, tags with decorative borders, and decorated envelopes. My favorites were the vintage hotel tags, shown below. Are they not amazing? Can't wait to make a travel journal and include these.

Well, that's it. I told you it'd be short. Soon to come, though: candy, and a bookbinding tutorial. Yum.

 

C'est merveilleux!

My book "Re-Bound" has been translated into French! I never thought my books would be translated into any other languages, so this is a happy surprise. I just wish my French was good enough to understand more than a couple of words!

To those of you from France who are visiting the blog, bienvenue! I hope you enjoy the projects and are inspired to make some books. If you do, I'd love to see them! Merci!

 

Paper art around town

While walking around town during the holidays I happened on two magnificent creative store windows that made my heart skip a beat. Both were done by the stationery and paper store Papyrus, which must have some wickedly talented paper artists on their roster.

The first window, above, was spotted in Pasadena. This gorgeous pleated dress was created out of deep pink metallic paper that had a gold ornament design on it. The one-shoulder detail is phenomenal, as is the tiered hemline, and I love the ribbon waistband.

Here's a close-up of the bodice--can you even imagine pleating paper so perfectly??

I saw this dress in their Century City store window, and it stopped me dead in my tracks. I don't know which I love more--the full skirt made with rows of folded triangles, or the dimensional floral bodice.

Anyone who is a fan of the phenomenal work of artist Isabelle de Borchgrave will appreciate these lovely paper garments. I wish I could wear them!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and here's to a great 2013!

 

 

Easy gift wrapping idea

The holidays are upon us, and I'll spare you the I-don't-know-how-it-got-to-be-December rant because...well, I'll just spare you.

If you're like me you don't give a gift without wrapping it to within an inch of its life, or at least making it look really pretty. Or handsome. But I'm also all about making things as simple as possible, especially when you have a bajillion presents to wrap and it's 1 a.m. and all you want is to be snoring into the pillow.

This idea came to me when I was upstairs and had to wrap a gift and was too lazy to go the 16 steps downstairs, open the closet door and sift through a pile of junk looking for some decent gift wrap.

Luckily the gift was from Anthropologie, which has super nice gift boxes, so I was pretty much halfway there. Their boxes are very sturdy and slightly off-white, making them great canvases with which to start. But for this project pretty much any box will do.

I didn't do a step-by-step for this because basically a monkey could do it: Measure each side of the box (you can include the bottom but I skipped it) and cut a piece of paper 1/2 inch smaller than two sides. In other words, if one side of the box measures 5 inches by 7 inches, you'd cut a piece of paper 4 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches.

Glue stick the entire back of the paper and adhere to the corresponding side, centering it. Repeat until all sides are done. Voila! Wasn't that easy? There's something about that 1/4-inch border that makes the box look really nice. Don't worry if it's slightly off--a lot of boxes are crooked--no one's going to notice.

I made this with map paper, but you could use anything: scrapbook paper, newspaper, magazine pages, vintage ledger paper, sheet music...you name it. You might even use the paper to provide a hint as to what's inside. Maps or atlas pages can be tailored to the giftee as well.

I added a simple twill ribbon (again, it was upstairs and I didn't feel like schlepping downstairs to look for ribbon) which is pretty much all you need.

The box looks nice unadorned, too. 

Need more wrapping ideas? Check out The Gifted Blog, there are some terrific examples and tutorials!

Happy Holidays!

I'm a guest curator on Crescendoh!

                                                 
I'm thrilled and honored to be a guest curator this week on Crescendoh, Jenny Doh's amazing site on art and creativity. New links to my favorite sites will be up every day, so please check them out.

Jenny's site is truly amazing, full of great information and inspiration, so take some time and explore. Thanks to everyone who came here from Crescendoh, and I hope you have fun looking around my blog!