LITTLE HOMEMADE BOOK SWAP (INTERNATIONAL)

Well, I guess I have to join after encouraging you to start this ... :-)

hee heee.... guilt is a good thing! :-D

5/5 x 4 would be 1/4 of an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper, and is therefore pretty easy to make.

I share an art journal with my nephew, and one time I made origami figures and did the "Little Bunny Foo Foo" story, all in origami for him. It filled quite a few pages....

If I do an altered board book, I'd be doing both sides of each page for a total of five double-sided pages - is that OK? It's harder to find board books with ten pages in them.

Oooh, I just realized, this hits during NaNoWriMo! I may have to back out-- NaNo takes all my creative writing energy as it is!

dreamhope - yeah, that's cool, i hadn't thought about that!

and mortaine - you don't need to write a "real" real story... just a quickie... hope you can stay with us! :-D

I will join and this time I hope I actually get a book back. The last 2 book swaps I have been flaked on. So sad all I want is my own handmade book.

As much as I love to make handmade books, I really hate trying to write anything in them! LOL Eon's Momma, pm me with your address and I'll send you one! I have a couple of extras from previous projects--it'll be a blank book though! Cyn

oh, eon's momma, if you want to join, do... i'll angel this one. i think i'm gonna have so much fun with this it won't even be a problem! :-D

now come on two blue crows... i know you have a writer deep down inside! :-D

should i change the directions maybe? hmmm.

luvcatzzz, I joined this swap for the challenge, am not sure how to make a book, but can write a great story. Do you know of some sites where I can see handmade book to get some ideas and encouragement. twobluecrows, do you have an extra book for me also

Granny, i'm kinda wingin' it myself... i'll pm you with some thoughts...

Hey luvcatzzz

I do hope you mean 3 inches by 3 inches and not feet as you've put!!!!!!!!!!

{giggling loudly}

I was thinking of doing double sized pages and folding them in half and putting them into the book with the fold as the outside edge and the 'ends' inside the spine (sorry for the confusing description). I could do 10 of those or just 5 since that would still give 10 sides to fill. What do you think, luvcatzzz?

twobluecrows, look at the story luvatzzz suggested to me in the 5th message here: http://www.swap-bot.com/forums/topic/3718

I am sure you could write something as basic as that (and mortaine, that wouldn't take up too much of your writing time), or what about luvcatzzz's suggestion of a colour or letter theme for each page, with very little text - just an oversized ATC, really.

sally! oh crickey! hahahahahaha!
thank you!!!!!!

spinjenny - sounds awesome what you're thinking about - i like that! naw, just make it 10 total pages... how you're thinking about doing it would be five actual pages but turn into 10. now am i confusing YOU? hahah!

I'm going to stay in this and try to finish my book before the end of October. If I can't, then I'll drop before the signup deadline passes. You might think "It doesn't have to be a 'real' story," but neither is my novel. There have been years where I threw words written in emails into my novel, just to make word count. I could put an excerpt of the novel into the little book, but that's too risky after signups. I don't even know what my novel will end up being about, nor whether it'll be writeable. I have a plan, but three years ago I started out with a talking-dinosaurs-in-space novel, and ended up with a political satire set in modern-day Washington, DC. Go figure.

mortaine, that's very cool! i'm actually trying to write a book... about cats... go figure... but you're writing a real novel, that is SO EXCITING! wow! you just keep writing... i know you can get it done and it's gonna be awesome whatever it's about.... :-D

THESE ARE SOME LINKS FROM JENNY TO HELP US OUT! THANK YOU SO MUCH JENNY!

For a very basic method: http://crafts.kaboose.com/booklet.html

For lots of ideas: http://www.makingbooks.com/parentstips.shtml

and these particular projects from that site: http://www.makingbooks.com/accordion.pdf

http://www.makingbooks.com/booksaroundtheworld.shtml

The "Sewn Books from China and Japan" 2/3rd of the way down are a variation on the accordion books in the previous link

http://www.makingbooks.com/stickandelastic.pdf

http://www.makingbooks.com/hotdog.pdf

This gives 4 doubled pages, so sewing 2 together would give 8 or 3 would give 12, but they might work if the 10 pages is only a suggestion not a hard-and-fast rule.

AND THIS IS A GREAT IDEA FROM STEPHANIE! THANK YOU!

I use a grommet punch to get through the many layers of paper.... it works pretty well and doesn't leave a big gaping hole like a standard sized hole punch does.

would an accordian book be ok?

if not i will drop and oh yes can the "story" be collage type words inserted here and there.?

noel, i'll pm you but yes and yes! :-D

I came into a nice idea for a story about octopuses.. but how much chances my partner likes octopuses?? :(

ah, but that doesn't matter .... you just want to write about what YOU want to write about! and who wouldn't love octopuses? :-D

I went to a yard sale at our scrapbook store today. I found a little blank book kit for a quarter. It will be great for this swap as there are 10 pages and the cover is chipboard. Did I get a buy or what? So now I'm joining!

cocoa, it was meant to be. hahaha! :-D how COOL is that?

Another place for help with making books
http://www.dickblick.com/lessonplans/handmadebooks/
http://www.pagesoftheheart.net/artman/publish/article_1095.shtml
http://library.thinkquest.org/J001156/makingbooks/makeown.htm
http://gort.ucsd.edu/preseduc/bookmkg.htm

thanks kathy! :-D

Well I made my first little book and it was quite a bit of work. I think I'll try a couple more before partners are assigned. So hopefully what my partner receives will be my best design.

I am having fun with this swap :)

My book left Vancouver, Canada, today and is on its way to TN, USA!

Don't forget to post here in the gallery. I'd like to see some of the creations.

My book left the USA headed to England today. Some pictures will be posted in the gallery shortly.

Jay your little book is on it's way. I had a fun time making it.

Should we post into gallery before partner has got it?

Sent today to other side of world, so I'm not sure it will get there this year...

I sent a little nature themed book to Kathyy. I decided on that book because her profile stated that she really liked nature. My pages were cut from the Teen Ink magazine depicting President Kenedy and there were pictures of music and of an elderly womans hands. I didn't write text on the pages as I felt that each picture alone spoke a 1000 words. The cover was ink stamped card stock with a leave themed stamp. Twigs and an acorn top were on the cover. Small holes were punched all around the sides of the cover and laced with thin twine. The backs of each picture were left as is (from the teen ink articles, but they do not have anything to do with the theme of the book).

Star of Song, Henderson Tennessee

Hi Cocoa yours is winging its way to you today from New Zealand, enjoy, hugs :-)

Added the book I sent to gallery.

It looks like onec again I have been flaked on in a book swap. This is the 5 th book swap I have joined. At of all of them I have only gotten 1 book,so sadly I will not join anymore. A real shame too, cause I really enjoy making them.