Thanksgiving Book

With Thanksgiving coming up this week, I've been thinking about the people and things that I count as blessings. This is a little tumbling book that I may use as part of my Thanksgiving decorations. I painted the paper in a marble pattern (the technique is from Alisa Golden's Painted Paper book), and used a brush and gold calligraphy ink for the wording. I like the monochrome effect, but would like to try it again with more contrast in the colors.

The book is tiny. The pages are 2 inches square. I have some watercolor paper samples that I need to use!

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you thankful for?

Mini Books, and Robert Louis Stevenson

Last week, I found a great quote by Robert Louis Stevenson.

"I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in."

I think many of us writers are the same way. I love to read. And I am constantly coming up with ideas for my own writing at the worst possible moments- waiting in line at the grocery store, running or working out, driving in a car, doing yardwork. I have learned to keep a tiny book in my pocket to write things down. I can't tell you how many times I've lost a poem or an essay because I forgot to write it down when I was inspired, or I was too busy to pay attention.

If I am driving, I do wait until I get to a red light, or until I've parked, though!!!

I have a few mini books that I use for these "seeds." They are Japanese stab bound books, made from museum board covered with Japanese papers. I use a nice paper inside to write on. They are almost too beautiful to write in, but what good is a blank book that is not used?

They are very small, 2"x2". This is not the smallest size book I've ever made (that may be another post!), but it is the perfect size for a pocket. I need something that tiny, because I don't always have a purse. The blue one standing in the front is my current volume. It is well loved, and has held up for a long time.