Looks like it's going to be a close race between Fat Book Swap vs. Envie Books!
Karen asked what Fat Books were. They are 4x4 themed pages that are created by each artist. There are a couple ways to run the swap...not sure which way we'll go if that's what wins. The first is that everyone in the group selects a theme - 10 people, 10 themes....one a week or month (depending on how quickly you want to finish). When you are through you will have 100 pages or a FAT BOOK.... We could do it a 2nd way which would go quicker but you'd end up with a skinny fat book - LOL!! 10 people - 2 themes each - 20 themes ~ each person making one of both of their themes for everyone so we'd have 20 different pages or a Fat Book on a diet ;) LOL!!
Shannon mentioned a few things as well... Themes, quotes, etc. They are all decided by the group once it is set. I have seen some that are based on a specific author or set of quotes (inspirational; humorous; famous people, etc.), some on a time period (vintage, retro, etc) or colors...each month they work on a specific color family. So many ways you could go on these things.
There is about a 1/2" area on both the left and right sides that shouldn't contain "vital" pieces of your page to allow for binding...some groups choose to go top & bottom depending on how the majority want the books to be bound (like a regular book or a flip book).
Sometimes the hostess will bind all of the books together, other times it's left up to the individual (you just get a pile of pages) and some will be choice (hostess will do it if someone wants them to.)
I went directly to the source and asked for examples so here are some places to visit....
http://themessycrafter.blogspot.com/search/label/Fat%20Book%20Pages
http://craftinginasmallspace.blogspot.com/
http://pinkleart.blogspot.com/search/label/Fat%20Pages
So, there you have it :) Fat Books...darling aren't they!!
Envie Books -
They would be traded in the same way as Fat Book Pages are. The group would decide upon a specific size of envie to be used for the entire swap...although I sort of like the assorted look. I think if you had a "no smaller than/larger than" rule it would work.
The binding is again optional...either the hostess or participant. All to be decided before hand.
I've done some poking around for ideas and love the samples I came across for books that included fabric, or water coloring, both were mixed with all sorts of other media, and looked uber artsy.
ReplyDeleteI'd be open to anything. I'd just like to be sure of how the books would be bound so I leave a place for the holes and also clarify that we would design both sides of the panels we create.
I forgot to add that many of them also focused on quotes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the links! Now I have a better idea of what these are all about. I had been thinking it was some kind of chunky board book or something!
ReplyDeleteLooks like they are something like ATC cards, but in a 4x4 format, and using 3-D supplies?
Well, not this leads me to another question. I think I know what an envelope book is, but how do you do a swap with one? Do you have to make a complete envelope book and swap, or just pages...as in the fat book?
ReplyDeleteYou can see that I'm out of the whole "book" swap circle! Along with learning all these new techniques with stamps and ink and paint, I'm getting a whole new vocabulary!
Thanks for clarifying all this for me Roni! If nothing else, it caused me to follow the links and see a whole new art form I wasn't aware of!
ReplyDeleteI am up for either and I agree that once the book type is decided, we should select a theme.
ReplyDeleteKaren - I have only done ATC and Inchies swaps so far, so like you I am excited to learn about and work with a new medium. I believe that the envelopes themselves would be considered a "page" just like one 4x4" page of a fat book. What I like about the envelope swap idea is that in addition to embellishing the outside of the envelope, you can also insert something INSIDE the envelope, too. I just think that sounds like a really neat idea. That would be my first choice, but I am happy to do a fat book or a skinny-fat book or a morbidly ob... lol - sorry. Getting carried away.
When will we know what the winner is, Roni? Did you say this weekend?
Thanks!
~phinny
hmmmm- i voted for Fat books and then changed my mnd to envelope books--- but the trth is that I love both of the ideas. I would like to join in -- - -probably. --grin
ReplyDelete