Mini Book Made From Scrapbook Paper - Arts and Crafts

I still have a ton of scrapbook paper so I made a new book. Directions:

Cut a 12 inch square piece of scrapbook paper in half. Fold the 12" x 6" paper in half so it becomes 6" square.

Glue the back sides of 2 paper pieces together. I used a glue stick. Keep gluing the additional paper to to proceeding pages. The folded spine pieces should line up.

Glue a cover piece on the front and back. Make a spine piece and glue it in plae.

How To Make A Fortune Cookie Fortune Book - Arts and Crafts

I know it's silly, but I feel I'm tossing the fortune cookie's good wishes away if I don't keep the fortune so I have a vase filled with paper fortunes.

One of my daughters bought a package of pretty gift envelopes which I used for the front and back cover.

Cut the envelope apart.

Glue the decorative envelope to a piece of cardboard and backing paper. Trim the excess.

I used a glue stick.

Score 1 inch wide accordion pleats leaving a gluing tab on the end. A 4 page book would have eight score lines.

The insert is slightly shorter than the cover so the contents fit inside, not flush.

Glue the tab to the covers and cover the tab with an end paper.

Make sure the book moves smoothly by closing it.

Glue the pleats together if you don't want the book to open this wide. Gluing the pleats makes the book act more traditionally.

I didn't want the fortunes to flop around freely so I glued them on the end (the outside edge, not near the center.)

Glue the fortunes to the accordion pleats. Mine are staggered.

The finished book.

MN State Fair - Urban Sketching

I'll be sketching at the State Fair with a local urban sketcher group on the 27th.

I had made several of these empty books from single sheets of watercolor paper and I wanted to field test it before bringing them to the fair. When I'm done, I'll bind the mini books together.

The pages are sturdy enough to draw while standing and compact enough to use in crowded situations.

If you make a book like this you need to find watercolor paper that won't crack when folded, a bone folder makes the process easier.

It seemed fitting to start with an empty ticket booth. The streets around the state fair are starting to be blocked off and the area is gearing up for the great Minnesota Get Together. I know it's sacrilegious to some but I've never been a fan of the fair; this should be fun.