Pocket Folder Tutorial

OK,  you asked and I'm answering. Here's a little tutorial for these pocket folders.
Warning: They are addictive to make
I just keep coming up with different ideas for them. They are such fun to make and so easy.

And , I think it's such fun to fill them up. I always love themes so I like to make the folders with different themes in mind...For that French folder in the first photo I filled it with teeny tiny vintage French envelopes I bought in Paris...Can you see them?

Here we go with a horse theme.......

This one might be nice for a little girl, don't you think?

What about for a birthday? You could put dollar bills inside the pockets and little notes to the birthday girl. I bet even a BIG birthday girl would like that.

What papers can you use?
My personal favorites are book pages. I used an old postal stamp stock book here . I like when both sides of the pages are interesting. But you can use any paper you want....I have used origami paper and old airmail envelopes and some of those paper pads from Tim Holtz.

And why five?
I like odd numbers and I like five. You could easily do this with three pockets. Seven would probably work ok too but these are just paper and not really strong so I think that would be pushing it...

Step 1
Start with FIVE pieces of paper and fold each piece in half as shown.

Step 2
You need to decide what piece will be your cover and which will be the last  page. These are really the only two that count since most of what's on the other pages will be hidden. 

Step 3
Trim off the rough edges.
Also, if there is a lot of while space this is the time to trim the pages down if you want to.

Step 4
Now you put double stick tape on two sides of each page and close it up. Each page will be a pocket -- open at the top.

Step 6
Now you put a piece of double stick tape right down the center of the pocket you want on the bottom of the folder with the opening at the top and press the next pocket down on top, lining up the tops.
Continue doing this with the rest of the pockets till you get to your front cover.

Viola!
You now have five really cool pockets and you are almost done.

At the very bottom, put a piece of decorative tape to reinforce the bottom. I used masking tape here which wasn't a great example because you can't really see it. I love masking tape and couldn't help myself.....

Now you can decorate the cover as little or as much as you'd like. I was thinking vintage math flash cards would have been great in here but I couldn't find my stash. 

Fill 'em  up!!!!

Here are four pocket folders I whipped up in just a few minutes.  You can see the tape at the bottom of these better. You can use wide washi tape, masking tape, decorative duck tape.....
I was thinking it would be great to put recipe cards in that Green Salad folder...
You could put zines in these folders....or ATC's or decorated rolodex cards....or a letter.... Really, the possibilities are endless.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU
to all of you who answered my questions in the last post. It is very much appreciated. And, for ALL of you (and you know who you are) who haven't yet weighed in, I would still love to hear from you.
Let's keep this blog going -- and fill it with things you are interested in. But, I can't do it alone. You've got to tell me what you like seeing.

I'm off to the Vintage Paper Fair on Saturday and you KNOW I will have something to post about that. If you're local, it is this coming Saturday & Sunday (Jan 6 & 7) in Golden Gate Park.
Look for me there!

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Happy New Year!!!!

Start Your Day With Art

Good Morning!
I try to start out every day with an hour of art (no matter how early I have to get up). Some folks like to work at night....way into the wee hours....but I always feel like I have to start my day with art if at all possible.

First off, a mug of very strong, black, hot coffee and a book or magazine about art or art techniques.
(This book has been around a while and is called The Pressed Plant - it is very nice).
I like to browse UpperCase and Somerset Studio magazines.

But, Sundays are for the SF Chronicle and the New York Times.....

Oh! And happy T day to Elizabeth and the T gang. I am invited to join in this week and I hope you enjoy the beverage of choice here -- cappuccino.
Thank you
Elizabeth - Altered Book Lover

Looking at some cyanotypes...and getting ready to g to the studio and make things.....and there are so many things I want to make....

For example, I've been into bird envelopes these days....and bird rolodex cards.....

.......yes, and even more bird envelopes.....

Which, in turn, lead me to making altered book pages with birds and a teacher's notes from a bird class....

Sometimes I just make collage cards from things sitting around on my studio table....like this...

Considering I just went to the fabulous Vintage Paper last weekend and came home with lots of vintage paper there is always something sitting around I can use to make some something....25-cent snapshots...

I was very happy to find a Swedish passport for $2 (thanks to Annie) and I changed the passport photo from an old lady to this perky miss. (sorry, I couldn't help myself). I did just notice the passport says she had dark brown hair.I thought Swedes were blond. Oh well. This is added to my altered passport product....
WARNING: The next two photos might make you a little crazy!

I got a bunch of twenty cent postcards just for the fabulous stamps/post marks/cursive writing. Aren't they wonderful? I am kicking myself for not getting more. In my defense, I WAS running out of money....(This photo has gotten the second most "likes" on Instagram that I've ever had)

I just had to show you all this beauty. Some of you have seen it already on the blog's FB page or on IG I know but it is so wonderful I have to share on the blog....A lovely woman (pmarti5) on IG made me this for no reason other than to be wildly nice and generous. It is a cloth journal cover for a Moleskine journal in postal fabric. I am going to treasure this beauty.

So, there you have it -- coffee and reading, making things and surprises in the mail, wonderful old postcards. It's all good. When is your favorite time to make things?
Morning? Night? And, what is everybody out there working on? What do you like to read -- am I missing any good books or magazines? Do tell.
And have a good day you all!

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And They Said It Couldn't Be Done.....

I wondered if I'd ever see the top of my work table again......

Things have been pretty messy here in my studio. Trips to the $1 library book sales and to Scrap have left me with stacks of books piled up on the floor and boxes of rubber stamps...
but really, enough was enough...
This is where the books were stacked up on the floor...

And look at them now! I sorted and tossed,  put boxes of books out front on the sidewalk where they were scooped by by passers-by. And I still have all these beauties -- loads of French dictionaries, lots of Atlases, typing manuals, Chinese and Japanese dictionaries and books, medical books, books in Russian and all kinds of other languages....
I think I still have plenty to play with -- and now they are all lovely and organized.

Finally got a nice spot to put my beautiful Japanese boxes. They are filled with paper treasures.

Vintage Japanese calligraphy

I am really enjoying being in my studio more now that I've picked it up and organized things.
And, my friends can come over now too.
You know who you are.
You're all invited to come and play. Type on the typewriters, stamp with rubber stamps....
I love company.

I even found things I forgot I had - like this old, blue metal box - perfect for my collection of vintage daters and some paints.

I still have some stacks of things...

The Rolodex Files

Two of the (Five) Typewriters

I even tackled the big closet! It is looking pretty good, don't you think?
I have been thinking of opening my own Esty shop but I see a lot of folks sell directly on Instagram and I am thinking that might be a lot easier..

My foreign language flasg card collection from all those library book sales...

Come on over and I'll make you a cappuccino and you can read....

The other room....yup...my studio is big! This is the room in the back and I cleaned that one up too.
How good am I?

Cappuccino Break
I think I deserved a cappuccino break after all that cleaning. I'm not even finished but I have the worst of it over with. Unfortunately I did fill up a cardboard box with STUFF I didn't know what to do with and now I have to figure that out. And I have two giant shopping bags filled up with free stuff for the SF Correspondence Co-Op swap table this coming Sunday.

Now I can get back to the art business -- I have so many projects going on -- altered books, travel journal prep, altered passports...on and on....and mail art....
is it any wonder things can get messy?

The Vintage Paper Fair is coming right up. Need I say more? You KNOW there will be vintage paper showing up here in the studio.....the only question is how much?

So, I'm back to work and I'd love to hear from all of you out there. Hope you enjoyed the cyber-visit and I also hope some of you will come over for a real visit soon.
We can make things and have show-and-tell and drink cappuccino. It's only 61' in SF and if you want to cool off, come over!

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MAKE THINGS!