Book binding for the soul



Tonight I write not about travels, good eats, nor exercise.  I write about a little activity that is great for relaxing and in the end you get something that also comes in handy, a little notebook or sketchbook. 

Every since I can remember, I've always loved books and stationery.   I could spend hours on end in bookstores, browsing through the titles, flipping through titles and feeling the paper between my hands.  This love for books included a love for stationery.  Fine writing paper, beautifully crafted notebooks and calligraphy pens were my thing.  As I grow older, it now involves a love for books that have been handcrafted.  I have a sketchbook that I handmade in highschool and it still holds up find.  Everytime I use it, I remember sitting there making the cover and cutting up the paper. Drawings inside date from the 1990's, but each one holds a memory.   Happy memories.  It's not surprising my first drawing is of my beloved dog.

Looking around for a nice notebook in Bangkok, I could not find one to suit my taste.  I therefore decided to make one myself.  Yes, I walked over to the art section, got myself book binding tape, latex glue, art paper, hard cardboard paper and found a beautiful peice of paper that would be the cover.  I could paint a cover myself, like I did before but maybe not this time. 



I came home and spread everything out.  I sat there on the floor for hours, cutting up paper, measuring sizes and making sure that covers and pages measured out.   Then came the actual sewing of the pages together and then making sure they were held together tight.  I have to tell you, those were one of the most relaxing several hours I've had in a long time (despite a slight backache).

I'm still in search of a nice finishing touch to my notebooks but they are almost complete.  So if you know not what to do this weekend or need a little relaxation, take up a project and do something with your hands. It works wonders. :)

Where did I buy the material? Not going out of my way, I got most of it at B2S art section at Central World which is quite large and has most everything for the amateur artist.  However, if you want beautiful papers for the cover go to the imported art section at Paragon. 

Have fun and enjoy!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eggs for Easter

Happy Easter! Its Easter Monday today and eggs are in fashion. Okay, in Thailand we don't have the whole big Easter vacation with easter eggs and egg hunting, but its something I always liked as a child growing up in europe. We get to eat chocolate easter eggs and get our hands dirty painting them...ahh, those good old days. What about eating eggs then? Are they good for you given that they are high in saturated fat and cholesterol (211mg versus daily recommendation of 300mg) ? According to nutrition data, a large egg has only 70 calories and are filled with lots of nutrients. Eggs are a good source of Riboflavin, Vitamin B12 and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Protein and Selenium. These nutrients are especially beneficial for you as they a good source of energy, help build up your immune system and also help your mental health. According to Harvard Health, "Eggs are also a good source of choline, which has been linked with preserving memory, and lutein and zea...
Read more

It's all in your Mind

For everything we want to achieve in life, I think the most important factor to its successful achievement depends on our ability to control how we think and keep ourself motivated. When I first started out running, I was so unfit I could hardly run for 1 minute.  I gasped for breath and my face would turn completely red.  My stomach and chest would feel a pain and a little voice inside my head would start telling me to stop running and just walk!   The little voice would get louder and LOUDER the longer I ran.  It would tell me all sorts of things, such as "You've done enough running, you've done a great job, just stop and walk."    Sometimes it would say "Your chest hurts and your stomach is having stitches, something must be wrong.. therefore STOP!"   On other occasions it would tell me the time and say "You are running late today, cut your workout short.  You have a long day ahead, save your energy." At times, it would tell me, "I hate thi...
Read more

One for All and All for One

The other day I got this fascinating Forward from a friend about decision making. It tells the story of a group of children playing on railroad tracks. One child is playing alone on the unused railroad track, while five children are playing on the active rail. Suddenly, a rain is spotted on the tracks heading straight towards the five children. You have to decide what to do. 1) Do you divert the train onto the unused track to save five children while sacrificing the lone child on the other track? or 2) Would you let the train continue on its path towards the group of five children? What would you do? Most people would in an instant answer that they would sacrifice the lone child to save the group of five children. Sacrifice one in the name of saving many. It's the rational and logical solution. It's for the better "good" of society. One death is better than five. However, there is more. There is a dilemma. The great critic Leo Velski Julian (do you know ...
Read more