Little Pink Book For Bethy

This started as an experiment, a new way of making small books that I dreamed up.  After removing it from my paper press and sewing the three signatures in place, I wrapped the front and back covers in pink and white striped cotton so it would appeal to Bethy.  Her drawing skills have skyrocketed the last several months, and with all the bulbs coming up, she is excited about flowers.  What a great combination this could be!

Giving her a book of her own in which she may draw at will would encourage not only her drawing skills but the idea of putting ideas down on paper.  If she has several of these sketchbooks on her shelf by the time she begins Kindergarden next fall, she is on her way to the sketchbook/journal-keeping habit.  She may wander into the field of art, of music, of literature and poetry— or engineering and higher mathematics.  All are candidates for keeping notes for future reference.

This one was made from Mediovalis cards so I didn't have to worry about tearing the paper to be uniform and neat.  Uniform and Neat is not something I learned at an early enough age for it to "stick."  I love hot-press paper, have several large sheets of it to play with.  I may  pull them out and start the next book, as it is a rainy day without promise of sun.  I have numbers of sketchbooks I have made and used over the years, and maybe it's time to add another to my collection!

Another idea is to use a box for journal/sketchbook pages.  I'm still thinking through the pros and cons of that— how would someone as scattered as I keep up with them?  Taken out to work on an idea, I have a feeling the pages would simply be subducted in the general earthquake environment of the studio when I'm really in the zone.  The idea of a box is simplicity itself . . . maybe too simple?