Scrapbook: Wonder Hotel / rejuvenations, inspirations + amusements (2018), cover
I make scrapbooks and journals for all sorts of reasons, sometimes for my own creations and writing, sometimes for specific project and in this case, for inspiration or dareisay therapy.
Background: I was having hard go of it in life or whatever and moved into a very small room at a boarding-house-type place. While basic, i quite loved having a place which kept me safe and allowed me rest. Reminded me a sign i saw in Vancouver for the “Wonder Hotel – Rooms for Rent – Clean, Quiet, Free Cable, Fridge, Secure” – all the attributes this Ankangan Guesthouse possessed.
Scrapbook: Postcard Booklet / Nusa Ceningan (2019), cover
Postcards and scrapbooks, scrapjournals and greeting cards… i dig these papery things. However, sometimes received postcards end up in a shoebox which seems sorta sad. So, Ryoko and i built a scrapbook to hold postcards and cards.
Scrapbook: Postcard Booklet / Nusa Ceningan (2019), flyleaf
The scrapbook is my usual style – side bound Japanese binding, sewn up with sturdy twine through 3 holes. The covers and binding are Sri Lankan paper made from elephant dung (yup!).
Inside the pages are a bit of variety but all feature some sorta envelope comfortably hold the postcard or greeting card – meta in a way. Then decorated with a variety of postal stamps, inky stamps, luggage tags, stickers, oddities, ephemera, bits of paper (mostly admittedly from the “b-pile” and other oddities from the scrapbook bin.
Scrapbook: Postcard Booklet / Nusa Ceningan (2019), opening page
There are a still a few empty pages / slots to fill with postal dispatches to come in the future.
This features treats from Bermuda, Seattle, Vancouver, France, and many other places… Thanks to all who send the treats. Want to mail me items? Get the coordinates.
Scrapbook: Postcard Booklet / Nusa Ceningan (2019)Scrapbook: Postcard Booklet / Nusa Ceningan (2019), Bermuda
Oh this album was built on Nusa Ceningan, Indonesia where it lives in a teak cabinet.
Scrapjournal: “Kindling & Matches” inspo and amuse (front)
Often times, I make scrap journals for no particular reason, just for enjoyment of gathering interesting paper tidbits and ephemera which I enjoy… or in some cases, specific slices of inspiration which intrigue me for specific projects, remixes, or just recount times of life – what i was receiving or thinking about or even watching/reading/listening.
Sometimes a “theme” or story of some kind emerges – more like a thread of interconnectedness, whether content, medium, colour, aesthetic or tactility.
Presented here-in are two books which contain items which inspire or amuse me, connected by size, form, colour, theme or otherwise.
The first (named “Kindling & Matches, Tinder & Sparks”) is an accordion style book (a preferred format for these types) filled with beloved postcard &/or postcard-sized items. A few decorations on the cover (1970s era lettraset rub-off lettering, dried flower and my name clipped from a hospital envelope), inky stamps for easy identification.
Scrapjournal: “Dark Art for Lighter Hearts” inspo and amuse (front), 2019
The second (named “Dark Arts for Lighter Hearts”) has more variety of size and shape and contains a set for photos sent to me by a young artist named Simon among other objects d’art. Decorations include hotel luggage tag, insta-photo of a painting (self re-mix), snippet of poetry from a Lebanese wizard, and my name from a forgotten red-ink typewriter.
Batch of scrapjournals hand-crafted during summer of 2019 whilst on Nusa Ceningan, Indonesia.
Lost and Found, back
Featuring: covers made from vintage aerogrammes and hotel letterhead; binding covers of elephant dung paper and used envelopes; accessorizes of cookie fortunes, wax seals, cancelled postage stamps, eraser crafted ink stamps (and other inky stamps for that matter); hotel luggage tags; forged passports; printed Lomo sardine can camera 35 mm snaps; and various printed oddities – often leftover from other scrapbooks and places of comfort and inspiration (see: Wonder Hotel).
Time Heals All Wounds, front
Made with Japanese-style side binding, sewn with hearty thread via 3 holes drilled through a mighty block of various paper stock acquired at random intervals around Bali.
Time Heals All Wounds, back
To be filled with anything desired by recipient. Scissors and glue provided separately.
On our Shinkonryoko (honeymoon) travel, we rambled around Japan via various trains, occasional rental car, trams, busses and a coach visited pals, museums, hot springs and natural locales while staying at an assortment of accommodation types (ryokan, “western” hotels, guest houses/minshuku, friend’s homes, resort hotel etc). Note: extensive documentation of all these elements elsewhere.
Anyhow, as is my routine, i gathered ephemeral papery items (tickets, brochures, maps, coasters) and glue/2x taped into a scrapjournal along with insta-photos, scraps of poetry/prose, words which stuck in my head (possible band names) and topped off with a few stickers, stamps and seals.
Then photographed the whole tome for archival and sharing purposes. (Some pages include “pop up/fold out” elements which may or may not be pictured. Provided as-is here without additional annotations as the purpose is emotional, not purely documentary.
Museums and galleries in Japan, as well as various temples/shrines and assorted other places of note, often offer inky stamps to collect and stamp in one’s own notebook – or if forgotten, on slips of provided paper. These are usually rather large and sometimes the ink pads are a bit worn out. Nevertheless, i seek these out and stamp in my ever-present scrapjournals.
This collection is collected on a ramble around Matsue, Shimane-ken at the Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakomo) museum and later, at various galleries around Kurashiki, Okayama-ken.
Sample of new scrapbook series, built with (amongst other materials): beer 6pack covers & boardgame backs, and 2002 Thuringen (Germany) sports calendar covers.
Scrapbook: Gabriola > Japan > Australia, 2015 / ephemera (leather bound from Pete Word)
Did I mention I love making scrapbooks? Scissors and glue and (miscellaneous & travel-related mostly) ephemera assembled into handmade journals with delicious paper to create a story of sorts. I have stacks of these documented in this archive for my reference and your amusement.
Scrapbook: Gabriola > Japan > Australia, 2015 / Japan ephemera (page detail)Scrapbook: Gabriola > Japan > Australia, 2015 / Okayama + Adelaide ephemera (page detail)
