I’ve been making some smaller books lately. They’re the perfect size to get the grain right when starting from 8.5 X 11 paper — and I had a lovely ream of natural colored cotton Strathmore to put to good use.

I love making smaller books because they are the perfect way to experiment and try new things. They don’t take as much materials, so if you mess up, you aren’t wasting too much. They also tend to come together faster for me.

So, here are a few I made. All pictures taken with my iPod and edited with Instagr.am.

This journal was really fun to make, though a little challenging. I wanted to cover the spine in leather, but alas, the square I wanted to use was just a little too small. (click for full view)

But, never fear! With a little improvisation, I decided to turn the leather so that the diagonal ran along the spine. This way, the corners flapped onto the covers. Then, I cut it into this cute bracket shape and glued it down. The scrolling cover material is just some scrap fabric I had around. I think it turned out really well!

On this second one, I tried to keep the fun feeling of the more stylized spine shape, rather than just the usual straight line. (Again, click for full view.)

I used the robot print to cover the book boards, being careful to glue it correctly so that the robot was in the center of the cover. I then glued mull and whatnot to get it sturdy-like. Finally, I cut the book cloth into the desired shaped and glued it onto the spine. I’m please with

I love making smaller books so much, but have a harder time finding a use for them… blergh! But then, I guess that finding a happy home for their creations is a challenge any bookmaker faces.

Hope this gave you some inspiration. Happy bookmaking!