Student Projects: a Handmade Book and a Broadside

Today I wanted to share the work of our students. The class is Introduction to Letterpress. The first project is an "Alphabet" book. Each student was assigned a letter of the alphabet and then had to come up with an alliteration for that letter. They printed their letter with wood type and the alliteration was handset with metal type. After printing they bound the book with a french link binding. The books are beautiful and fun to read.

Yesterday the students did this broadside. I love it. They worked really well together in coming up with words, choosing colors, setting-up the presses, printing, and cleaning the presses. It was a whirlwind. we had 3 presses running. They did it though and the print is awesome. I love how both projects turned out and am excited for their next.

xo, jen

Valentine's Week :: Sweet Pamphlet Notebooks

This Friday is Valentine's day! Are you excited for it? For the most part it's just another day however, it's fun planning ways to encourage other people. We can get so busy in life and Valentine's is a great opportunity to let others know that we think of them and that they are loved. So with that this weeks posts will be dedicated to Valentine's. I'll be sharing a few ideas for decorating, gift giving, and a special makeup tutorial from an amazing makeup artist.
First up this week are these sweet little pamphlet notebooks that are not only cute, but super easy to make:

Pamphlet Notebooks

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Supplies: (4) sheets of text paper 5 1/2in x 8in, (1)decorative paper 5 1/2in x 8in, needle, thread, awl, and scissors

1. Trim your text & decorative papers down to 5 1/2in x 8in using a paper trimmer or with a ruler, x-acto knife, and cutting mat. you can trim the decorative paper slighter longer than 8in. and trim it down after you finish the book.
2. Fold your 4 sheets of text paper in half and smooth out the spine with a bone folder. Repeat process with your decorative paper.
3. Use an awl to punch a hole into the center of the signature (the 4 sheets of folded paper) and the cover, then punch another hole about an inch from the top and an inch from the bottom.
4. Insert threaded needle through the center hole, either from the inside or outside of the book leaving a 3” – 4” tail of thread.
5. Next insert needle into one of the outer holes, then skip the center hole and proceed to the opposite outer hole.

Bring thread back into the center hole and on the opposite side of the longest stitch to create a second tail. Gently pull thread taut and tie off. Cut excess thread as desired and your done.
You could make a few and bundle them together with ribbon or bakers twine. sweet.

notes: for the text paper I used a nice writing paper since I'm giving the notebooks as gifts, not copier paper. The decorative paper is actually Rifle Papers gift wrap that I found at Oh, Hello Friend. It's thinner than I would normally use, but I love how pretty it is

xo, jen