On Thanksgiving Day, I was looking over my husband’s parents’ shelf of library books, and there upon were two that caught my eye. (We often covet their books. Some can live with others coveting their wives or husbands, but he who covets other’s books should covet discreetly.) One was a work of fiction by a Booker Prize winner from the 90′s, and the other a book on handmade books tending towards the fine arts rather than printing and journals. I had a mind to take the book because it is public property, and I’m a part of the public and she wasn’t using it just yet, but reason prevailed. Well bitten, I went to the library the next day to return some materials for E and left with Eco Books by Terry Taylor, which is not the book that E’s mother had checked out but will do. Then, this book full of projects looking instructive and doable just sat there daring me to make something.

The first that caught my eye as a real possibility was the book made out of drink coasters – beer coasters to be exact.

It required three of those, string, paper, tape, ruler, and some sort of cutter. I had all of that. In fact, sniping beer coasters is a hobby of mine, so those were plentiful. It’s not a hobby that gets out of hand, and I’m fairly picky. Plus, I don’t think the waitstaff mind, which is a shame because I’d like to think that I was getting away with something. A little adrenaline rush does one good. Maybe I should try it naked. There’s an idea, imbibe, strip, steal coasters. Perhaps not. Anyway, I happened to have sniped a very decorative one by Delirium tremens, a Belgian beer, that featured a pink elephant floating on a dark blue background and chose that for my cover.

The back cover sported a more somber, monk flavored beer coaster. For the signatures, printer paper and left over grocery bag parts served well. It came out looking thusly. I started Saturday night and finished Sunday afternoon. All in all it probably took about 3 hours to sort out and finish.

I did add one tool to the supplies: an awl. It made punching small holes very easy and fun.

(I like punching holes. In fact, when we were at a paper store looking for a corner rounding punch, I purchased a hand held hole puncher and have been punching holes and rounding corners with glee ever since. Grocery store receipts look so much nicer with rounded corners.)

Now that’s done, I must move to the next project. Having perused the book Friday night, I hustled over to a very second hand shop, St. Vincent de Paul, to peruse material acquisition possibilities, which were rich and cheap, and came away with a bounty of ideas.