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moleskine hack
Nov. 23rd, 2008 06:18 pmAfter seeing a hack on moleskines about debossing, I got bit by the creative bug. I kept mixing up which journal was which, and had to open them each time to double check I had the correct version. Talk about frustrating.
Here is a wee photo of the hacks I did on my current moleskines in order to keep things organized.
Here is a wee photo of the hacks I did on my current moleskines in order to keep things organized.
The top journal has a wee debossing of swirls down the edge, just to the elastic band. Debossing: the image is depressed into the material, instead of raising up as it would in an embossed design. The swirls are the same pattern that I doodled one day on the inside cover. This is my everyday carrying around journal ... I have a couple of collages in it (which is the red bits of paper sticking out), and will write stuff once I have banished this cold/flu and can use my brain again. The bottom two journals are separated into more specific duties. The yoga journal is to record my homework for the current workshop I'm taking, different sequences, thoughts, reflections, etc, on my practice. The bottom one is my sketch book - reserved for jewellery designs. For the bottom two books, I used scrapbook brads in a typewriter font. I found the debrosser (or stylus) and the brads at Michaels craft store.
I got a bit excited with using the hammer to attach the brads to the sketch moleskine ... you can see how dented the brads are if you look closely. I like to think it adds charm! However, I taped the word 'sketch' to the cover before I started hammering ... it kept the letters straight and my fingers undamaged as opposed to trying to line up each letter as I did on the yoga moleskine. The stylus I picked was only $4.99 ... however, it is a double ended tool - one end is meant for debossing, the other is a paper piercer. I found it VERY annoying that it comes out of the handle as easily as it does when I was using it, but the moleskine cover ismuch harder than cardstock, which would be the perfect material for the stylus. The only other option was to purchase an entire kit of tools that I don't really need. The pointy part of the brads did go through the cover of the moleskine, so the interior is a bit bumpy and sharp. That doesn't bother me at all because I already doodled those areas. Maybe a collage over top that offers protection from any scratches from the pointy bits ... or glue the first page over top of itself. Or, attach the brads to the cover with the book open, and perched on top of a hard surface - impervious chopping board? metal worktable? Whatever it is, be sure that it a) can withstand the hammer blows, b) is indeed impervious or c) you don't mind dinging and denting it slightly. I doubt that just folding the pointy part of the brad under and gluing the brads on would work for very long ... unless you break out the epoxy. That just seems more work than I would care to do. Also, smelly. And time to set up, etc. After all, swinging the hammer and making an incredible din is very satisfying.
I got a bit excited with using the hammer to attach the brads to the sketch moleskine ... you can see how dented the brads are if you look closely. I like to think it adds charm! However, I taped the word 'sketch' to the cover before I started hammering ... it kept the letters straight and my fingers undamaged as opposed to trying to line up each letter as I did on the yoga moleskine. The stylus I picked was only $4.99 ... however, it is a double ended tool - one end is meant for debossing, the other is a paper piercer. I found it VERY annoying that it comes out of the handle as easily as it does when I was using it, but the moleskine cover ismuch harder than cardstock, which would be the perfect material for the stylus. The only other option was to purchase an entire kit of tools that I don't really need. The pointy part of the brads did go through the cover of the moleskine, so the interior is a bit bumpy and sharp. That doesn't bother me at all because I already doodled those areas. Maybe a collage over top that offers protection from any scratches from the pointy bits ... or glue the first page over top of itself. Or, attach the brads to the cover with the book open, and perched on top of a hard surface - impervious chopping board? metal worktable? Whatever it is, be sure that it a) can withstand the hammer blows, b) is indeed impervious or c) you don't mind dinging and denting it slightly. I doubt that just folding the pointy part of the brad under and gluing the brads on would work for very long ... unless you break out the epoxy. That just seems more work than I would care to do. Also, smelly. And time to set up, etc. After all, swinging the hammer and making an incredible din is very satisfying.
