And the Winner is....

All of your blog comments since October 6 were printed out, folded and placed in a box. The completely random drawing produced the name

LTK

Congratulations! Please e-mail me your mailing address by clicking on contact us on my web site .

Thanks to all of you who followed the making of this journal and who were so faithful about posting comments. It was so much fun I just might do it again!

Meantime, however, I have another Ladybug book to write. I'll keep you updated on its progress, and I hope you'll continue to stay in touch.

Making a Book: Ta-Dah!

Here it is: the finished product!

The pages of our ladybug journal are sewn with waxed linen thread in a chain stitch that's visible on the spine. You can cover the spine with paper, book cloth or leather, but with coptic stitching, most people leave the spine visible, as I have chosen to do. The journal is closed with a sliding ladybug bead on a ribbon. The next step is to add all the decorative touches. Do you think we have enough ladybugs? :)

To open the journal, you simply slide the bead to the end of the ribbon and flip the ribbon over the top and around the spine like this.


Your ladybug journal has deckle-edged pages which are torn by hand for an uneven look. In fact, much of the charm of home-made books is that they are uneven in many ways! The outside of the signature page is decorated with the leaf and ladybugs that show through the window on the front cover.
The last step is to sign my work! Good luck to everyone who entered the drawing to win this journal. I've really enjoyed working on it, and it's been so much fun hearing from you this past month. Remember every time you post a comment, it counts as another entry. The drawing will be held at 3:00 p.m. on October 31, so you still have a few days to get your comments in. The winner will be announced on this blog on Sunday November 1. See you then!

Making a Book Step 4

Our ladybug journal consists of eight sections, or folios, of stacked folded paper. These decorative end covers make the book stronger when it's sewn, and also look pretty when the book is put together.
Now that I have designed the covers and the pages of the book, it's time to punch the holes for sewing. First I measure and mark the sewing stations on both covers and each of the folios (ARGH. Measuring again!), then I use a medium-bore punch for the covers, and a specially designed cradle and a paper awl for the folios.
Making a book is a lot like writing a book: there's an awful lot of planning and prep work to be done before you get to the "good part", but if you skimp on these steps, the whole thing falls apart at the end.

Next step: sewing!

For details on the drawing for this journal that's coming on Nov. 1, see this post.

Making a Book Step 3

I'm still working on the covers of our give-away ladybug journal. These are the inside of the front (L) and back (R) covers. After much debate, I decided to go with a cut-out on the front cover just like the one on my original journal. This requires a lot of careful cutting and measuring, and then a lot of inventive decoration to cover up the mistakes!

What an absorbing way to spend a cold rainy day.

Remember, the drawing for the completed journal will be held Nov. 1, and all you have to do to enter the contest is post a comment by clicking "comment" below. Be sure to choose "name/url" on the "Choose Your Identity" option so I will know who you are. Every post you make counts as an entry. The winner will be announced on this blog November 1.

Making a Book, Step 2

I think I'm going to start with the red color scheme for the ladybug journal. I've decided I want it to be 6x9 inches, which is a good size for journaling, so the first thing I have to do is cut the covers from book board (sometimes called chip board) or mat board. I have used plain old cardboard in the past, but it isn't as sturdy (though a lot easier to cut!). I had to cut these twice, because the first time they were 1/4 of an inch off. Arrgh. I hate measuring.
Once the covers are cut, I covered them with the papers I've chosen, and added a light coat of craft polyurethane, just to protect the covers from damage while I'm working on them (and beyond). The front and back covers of home-made books are often different patterns, which is one thing that makes them unique. Once the polyurethane is dry, I'll press the covers beneath something heavy over night. A book press would be great, but my giant, 2-volume Oxford dictionary works just as well.

The ladybug won't actually be attached until the last step, but I wanted to see how it would look!

Making a Book, Step 1

You all are so kind with your compliments on my ladybug journal. Believe me, these little books are far from professionally done (my teacher is known for saying to the class, "You could do it the right way, or you could do it Donna's way":-)), but they are so much fun to make. My favorite part is choosing the color palette. I will use several coordinating papers to form different parts of the book-- the front and back covers, the end papers and/or inside cover, and the folio covers. The trim and embellishments, ribbons and closures, are like jewelry for the book and should complement the total look. I really like this subtle dusky rose palette, which reminds me of something Bridget might have on her night table. The ladybugs are a very tiny, tone-on-tone part of the pattern.
But the red is really fun, too, and seems a lot more "ladybug"-y. What do you think?

Remember, all you have to do to enter the drawing for the finished journal is post a comment on this blog, or a review of At Home on Ladybug Farm on Amazon. com (be sure to let me know you've done it so I can enter your name in the drawing!) Every time you post a comment, either here or on A Writer Reads, your name will be entered. The winner will be announced on this blog November 1 so stay tuned!

Ladybug, Ladybug

To celebrate the release of AT HOME ON LADYBUG FARM(which hits the shelves tomorrow, October 6), I'm giving away a one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted, ladybug-themed journal like the one pictured at right. You'll be able to watch the book come together over the next several weeks on this blog, and it will be signed by the artist... me!

Book crafting is an ancient art that is just beginning to come back into vogue among artists and hobbyists. It can produce anything from the truly exquisite, museum-quality leather-bound volumes, to playful journals like the one pictured here. This example uses book board and artist papers, and has a whimsical cut-out in the cover that serves no useful purpose whatsoever except to make me smile.
I use this one for making notes on Love Letters from Ladybug Farm, book three in the Ladybug Farm series, which will be out this time next year.

Your hand-made book will use book board, coptic stitching, stationary and artist-quality papers, and lots of whimsy. You can follow the progress of this book over the next several weeks on this blog. Maybe you'd even like to give me an idea or two!

Everyone who posts a comment on this blog between October 6 and October 31 will be entered in a drawing for the journal, which will be held on November first (it should go without saying that any offensive or inappropriate posts will be deleted from both the blog and the contest, because everyone who reads this blog is a nice person, right?) . If you're not familiar with the process, it's fairly simple to leave a comment on this blog: just click on "comments" at the end of this or any other post , write your comment, and then scroll down to "choose an identity". Click on "name" and enter your first name or a screen name so that I will know who to enter in the contest. Every time you post a comment you will be entered for the drawing, so post as often as you like.

And of course, I can't wait to hear what you think of the ladies' latest adventures in At Home on Ladybug Farm!