My Newest Handmade Book

Here is my newest hand made book that I just finished making this week. I actually started with finding and decorating the box in which it rests. Then I figured out the content. The design of the book is an accordion fold, with a turned up " pocket" on the bottom of each page. You can that in the photo.That way, you can slip in and out the different papers as you wish.There are sixteen pages in all.                       

I chose lots of color for this project. All sides of the box; the red book cloth; even the dyed porcupine  quills on the front. My paper was brown wrapping paper because that was all I had long enough for the folded pages I chose to complete in one sequence.                                            Necessity is a good teacher.                                     

The topic I chose was American Indian sign language, based on a book published in the 1920s  by William Tompkins. Growing up in the Dakota Territories, he learned to sign with his neighbors, the Sioux Indians. I took pages from the Dover edition and printed them on colorful paper, choosing words and expressions to give an introduction to another new language. I did learn the sign for book. Both hands opened flat, next to each other. So really this a book of communication. If you are interested in seeing more, you can contact me  on my blog, here in Sedona, Arizona.