Q: When is a mini-book NOT a mini-book?

A: When it's 5" X 9.5" - has taken you weeks to make already - including accompanying you to work several times for some manic break-time scrapping sessions - and yet still remains at the 'nearly complete'-perhaps-I'll-call-it-an-ongoing-project-stage!

There you go, that's me and my crafty equipment during a break at work and I'd colonised one of the tiny, one-person, cells / study rooms in the campus library in the name of scrapping-on-the-go.

I'd intended to wait until it was fully completed before I showed you any photos ... but it doesn't seem in any danger of overflowing anytime soon, so now seemed a good a time as any to share.

 

Perhaps the greatest irony of this whole project dragging on and on [and what a feat of endurance it's become] is the fact that it's actually a book of quotations about: persistence, perseverance, motivation and hard work.

 

At least this way my little labour of love knows of what it speaks!

The page on the left shows the reason why the mini-book was not so mini. I really wanted to use the old clocking-in card in its entirety, without folding or cutting it, so I built the rest of the book around it.

 

Except now, because I like it so much, I'm still debating about whether to write on it!

I've taken the quotes in the book from a variety of sources. I've collected them from films; song lyrics; family members etc. Others are either from internet quote sites or some great little cards [from a K&Co kit I think - which Anna sent me in one of her magnificent 'tat-packets' - as we refer to our little stash swaps!].

Those quotes which weren't already printed out, I've decided to write out myself. And I'm lettering it all by hand using various gel pens. This, I think, is one of the main reasons it's all turned into such a slow process.

Hand drawing and lettering directly onto my work is one of my favourite things at the moment. No doubt this fondness was recently re-ignited by the work of Keri Smith and the folk over on The Creative Type challenge blog. Prior to this though, I'd spent many idle hour doodling while growing up.

 

Whether it's a case of convincing myself that it's OK not to have gotten it finished yet, or a genuine artistic decision, I've decided that it's probably a good thing to leave room for quotes that may catch my ear in the future. [Or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!]

The front cover is actually where I've used the cardboard from an egg-box which I referred to in my 'Most positively certainly not an interview' post. But, as this photo shows, I've not even given the book a title yet.

The front runner for a suitable title is "They Can Who Think They Can", a phrase from the Roman poet Virgil, as it just sounds so positive and constructive ... and intellectual and that's never a bad combination! :)
 

And if this project has taught me nothing else it's that from now on, if it doesn't fit comfortably into my work bag alongside my [oh so many] essentials .... then it has no right calling itself a 'mini' book!

Julie :-)