Bookmaking 103

I went to the local frame shop and asked about scrap mat board. They had a box of scraps for free, great! I have found that mat board is the best thing to use for making a hard cover book. It is strong enough not to bend and thin enough to not get in the way of the spine.
So, yesterday I went to another frame shop and asked again. This time she said they sell scraps by the bag and she brought out a bag for me. These scraps weren't free, but at $7.50 for a bag, I got plenty of them and they were larger sizes, so it was a good deal. I now have enough mat board to make plenty of hard cover journals.
So, the next trip was to the local library where they have a place called the Book Bin. In the Book Bin, people donate old books and the library sells them for $.25 each or a bag for $2 as a fundraiser. I found some great, old hardcover books that I can take apart and use the covers as a base. (This idea from my sister)
I found some old text books about computers that are so outdated, they can only be considered history books. Therefore, I don't feel too bad about taking them apart.
Side bar: I love books so originally, taking a book apart and throwing part of it away seemed like a sacrilege to me. However, I'm looking at this as recycling now.
One of the old books I found was a perfect size for a little journal. It was a novel from the 1960s by a French woman, telling the story of her mother's death. At first, I planned to throw out the text, but then I thought, why not try it. So, I took the cover off and began to recycle it. Then I took the text part to bed last night and began to read. It's actually an interesting read. It tells the story of her mother's death from cancer from a 1960s perspective. Medicine is so different now. It's a short book, so I plan to finish it before recycling the text.
The moral of the story: Be open to all possibilities, expand your spectrum of choice and honor the ancestors.
Yes, I'm still planning to post pictures of the books I am making, but I'm having so much fun in the process, I forget to take my camera out with me.

Bookmaking 102

I've been inspired lately to make my own journals by hand. I started out with a few prototypes but couldn't get the spine right. I did a few with foam poster board and handmade paper for the cover, but I couldn't get them to open flat without ripping the covers in the corners.
Last night I figured out what I was doing wrong. The poster board was too thick, so I cut up a SmartWool gift box and it was great.

I work at a newspaper and today I went in the back room where they put all the recycling things and found large flat sheets of thin cardboard. I love recycling. So back to the Bear Den to do some more prototypes. When I get it right, I'll post photos, I might even show photos of the one's I did wrong. They are still pretty.

I also have access to end rolls of newsprint from work. Any ideas on uses for that? Get creative and post your ideas here.