Making Handmade Books and Journals
by Constance E. Richards

reviewed by aisling d'art ©2008

My review, in a nutshell:
  • 20 great projects, clearly illustrated.
  • Some tried-and-true designs, but others are innovative.
  • Best for beginners, but experienced book artists will enjoy it, too.



Click play button for Aisling's one-minute review



The Weekend Crafter: Making Books And Journals: 20 Great Weekend Projects is a short (80 pages) book that features some unusual book designs and lots of photos showing readers exactly how to make each book.

What I love about this book is that it's great for beginners and it includes some innovative ideas that will delight experienced book artists as well.

Some people thrill when they discover a new, intricate binding technique for art books. While I enjoy those, I'm far more enthusiastic about clever, simple designs that allow me to wildly embellish the books. The latter is why I recommend this book: The projects are easy enough for beginners, and exciting enough for experts.

Here are just a few of the 20 projects featured in this book:

What I love about this book for beginners is that the photos show how to create each book, step-by-step. These really are projects that you can complete in a few hours, or at least in a weekend.

This book is also great for experts because many of these books can be embellished into awe-inspiring projects. And, the simpler books can be given to friends, sold online inexpensively, or displayed around your home or office, to let others know about your more elaborate handmade books.

All in all, this is a book that may look average on the bookshelf, but -- once you look at the projects that it features -- you'll be impressed.

Making Books and Journals is also simple enough to give as a gift for anyone -- including a child old enough to use the tools -- who'd like to learn to make handmade books. It also offers a wealth of ideas for Scouts or youth group projects.



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