Hello Everyone!  A hearty welcome to all new readers and welcome back to the old faces.   It has been quite a busy winter holiday for me.  We traveled to a new country.  I made a few books for journaling, and I also got some art supplies for my birthday.  On the note of journaling,  I have a little tutorial to share with you today.

Rooftops in Prague in the afternoon sun

During the month of December, we made plans to visit the Czech Republic (Czechia).  After much anticipation, the day finally came in March.  We were there for a week visiting Prague and a few other small towns.   We were on our feet a lot, getting lost in the little streets and alleys, looking at old architecture and visiting coffee shops.  It was truly amazing.  I will share a lot more about our travel in a future post. 

I needed a notepad for my Japanese studies.  I gathered up a stack of  scrap paper, a piece of chip board and a roll of washi tape, and spent a leisurely evening making this notepad.  It was a fun and easy thing to make, so I thought I’d share the how-to with you.

Supplies – paper, a thin chip board (e.g., cereal box), washi tape or masking tape, binder clips, scissors, glue, and a brush for the glue.  A paper trimmer would be good, but not required.

Using scissors or a paper trimmer, cut all the paper to a size that you like.  Cut the chipboard to the same size as the paper.  Pro tip – I recommend adding an extra 1/8″ to the longer side.

Take the stack of trimmed paper and the chip board, line them up and bang the edges of the stack on a table surface a few times until you have smooth edges all around.  Put binder clips on each side to hold the stack together.  Pro tip – I use a couple of scrap papers between the clip and the pad, so the clips do not dent or mar the paper. 

Using the brush, apply glue along the smooth shorter edge.  I like to run my finger over the edge to smooth out the glue after applying.  Pro tip – Do not put too much glue all together, it will seep into the pad.  Apply at least 2-3 thin layers with adequate drying time in between.

Make sure everything is completely dry before you take the clips off.

Cut your washi tape to the same size as the width of your pad.  Start by pasting it on the glued side of your pad as straight as you can.  I usually apply the tape on the front side first, then wrap it over the glued edge and paste it on the back over the chipboard.  Try to pull it taught over the glued edge as best as you can.  Use your fingers to smooth it all out.  That’s it!  If you used a plain tape, you can draw something on it, or use rubber stamps to decorate it.  

BTW, I personalised the black pen with a band of red washi tape around the cap.   I thought it added a fun touch to the plain black pen.

I love William Morris designs.  I used a wide WM washi tape for this pad, and a plain washi for the little one.  I also stamped on a few shima enaga birds with a few branches.

Please excuse the orange sticky in the photos.  I used it to mark my study notes, and forgot to remove it before taking the photo.

I made at least four books during the holidays with different purposes in mind.  This one is an art study book I made for practice.  Warming up here with a little forest cat as the very first drawing in it.

The other books are going to be used for notes and travel journals.  I will save that for another day with notes on how I work on my travel journals.

My husband always gets me a few art supplies for my birthday.  This year, I got a collection of Copic markers in warm earth tones that he picked out for my paintings.  Although they would have been great for a landscape painting,  I wanted to draw something more special with them.  I also tried out a few new techniques with the markers.

I always draw the Girl and Her Cat outdoors, and I wondered what their room might look like.   It seems they live in a stone cottage, and their room is full of findings from their little adventures outside.  I really want to explore a bit more into this scene and add a few more things that I know they have tucked away in that room.

Lastly, a small shop update – Light Journals (formerly known as Everyday Journals) are back in the shop, and my hardcover books are now made with much thicker paper.  All hand-stitched and handmade by me and are suitable for drawing and writing.

This winter holiday was filled with experimenting and playing which I love the most.  I look forward to sharing more photos, books and art chats including Outside the Lines (posts on art supplies) in the coming days.

Until next time,
-Soma

 
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