Delayed gratification
My part of our studio is usually pretty messy with whatever things I’m working on (or planning to work on) littered over the several worktops I’m fortunate to have. I try to keep things relatively organised - I have a sewing space, a large place to stand up and work from both sides and a place to sit and work on things like this small book I’ve been putting together.
I’ve blogged before about Shimelle’s Learn Something New Every Day, which is an annual series of emailed prompts that arrive every September. I usually dither a while - at least two seconds - before deciding that I’ll respond to the challenge and add to my collection of hand made journals by following along. I also usually fall by the wayside before too long as my good intentions of doing a page each day flounder.
I think I did quite well this year, keeping up for more than half of the month, but miss a day and…well, it tends to linger rather longer than it should.
Like well into November.
Fortunately, I’d made notes for each day of what I wanted to include and a couple of days recently, I’ve sat down and worked my way through the list.
Though I began with the right idea; of noting something I had “learned” during the day, that also slipped and if I wasn’t careful, I found myself simply adding something that happened. OK, perhaps it had been a learning experience but I focused more on the event and less on the learning.
It doesn’t matter though. This is my book, no-one is going to check it or tell me it’s wrong and since the main benefit is the therapy of playing with paper, glue and scissors, I’ll put in what I like! My main challenge was the format. I try to explore a new type of book when I do this project and in previous years have done all kinds of journals using hand made envelopes, a carrier bag and a handmade binding. That’s part of the fun. This year, I decided to try the Travellers Notebook format, which continues to have an almost cult-like following but which I have always struggled to use. I believe the format is better suited to the Japanese style of tiny writing and vertical columns, whereas I much prefer a landscape format to work with.
Still, it’s a small challenge and adds to the fun. And I have a very nice green leather Travellers Notebook cover sitting there waiting.
These last few days, I’ve finished the journalling and reached the point where I just wanted it finished. I wanted to reclaim that particular space, to tidy up a bit and move on. This morning I came down to the studio and decided to get it done.
The first task was to stitch the pages together.
I soon realised that the paper I’d chosen for the pages was thin and rather flimsy. The strong linen bookbinding thread would tear through if I wasn’t careful. Thankfully, that didn’t happen!
A travellers notebook has a particular style of binding the cover, however, and I had originally thought of using one of the spare strings I’d bought in Japan. Looking at the flimsy paper made me think again. Even though I’d chosen a heavier card for the cover, these were far too hard. I spent a while looking through boxes of threads and cords before noticing the answer sitting on my desk.
My little notebook from our Indian jolly earlier in the year (awww….) had a bit of gold elastic tied around it. If only I had something similar…
Now, where would I put it, if I did? (the next challenge!)
Hmmm. I expect it could be in my box of metal threads and cords?
Well, would you look at that?!
Nice. Though I’d better do something about the frayed ends, hadn’t I?
Done. Finished!
The thirty days of September leave me with an empty page at the end of the book, of course, and on this occasion I think I will use that page to record something else I learned this morning. Well, maybe not “learned” but certainly something of which it never hurts to be reminded.
The satisfaction of completing something using just what I already have is worth recording. The pleasure to be had of using my tools, finding the right colour ink, a fresh pack of paper and finally, just the right bits and pieces to finish it off, not to mention the delayed gratification for having started it in the first place.
What next?
