I've been participating the Documented Life Project (DLP) since January 1, 2014. I have been having fun with the idea of documenting the mundaneness of my life while combining art journaling. From day 1, I knew the Moleskine wouldn't hold up.
After the first 6 weeks, I cut apart the spine which loosened everything up and gave me some more space. Doing this also allowed the journal to lay flat when I opened it. I rebound my journal using some bookbinding tape.
Now that it's been 4 months, my journal was starting to curve. A LOT! It was driving me crazy and I didn't like how my pages were curving inside…kind of getting tucked in. So, I decided to rebind it again. I didn't want to sew in each signature b/c I really didn't think the delicate paper would be able to handle it.
I have no idea how it will hold up or if it will make it until December 31. I will post here every so often to let you know if it's working and what I will do next time.
Here is what I did.
1. I cut the covers off by slicing down the spine with an exacto knife.
2. Using the exacto knife, I cut apart the 3 signatures.
3. I glued the covers to the first inside page (front and back).
4. I bought this mending tissue tape from Amazon but I messed up. It's only 1/2" wide. I
guess I didn't bother to read it to see that it would be too narrow. So, I layered it on horizontally using Gel Medium.
5. I cut a piece of book board the width I wanted for my new spine. I wanted there to be room for the weight gain, so I made it almost 2" wide. I glued this onto a piece of book tape. You could use a piece of cardboard too!
6. I wrapped the book tape around the front and back and used some Aleen's Super Tacky Glue
to make sure it really will stick. I stacked some books on it and left it overnight to dry.
Not bad! Lookin' good. Hopefully it will pull through to the end of the year.
Some of you know how much I LOVE making my own journals. I love the process and find it incredibly gratifying. I plan on participating in the DLP next year, but I think I will make my own planner with the exact paper I want and binding that will work best for me. I like the size of the Moleskine, but the think paper can be problematic. Just saying'!
