Arts Publications

Wired Post-it Notebook … with a twist

Expression, Nov-Dec, 2004 by Kristi Schueler

My ideas for projects often hit me like a ton of bricks in the late hours of the night as I try to get my brain to slow down enough to fall asleep. I believe it was after reading the premiere issue of Expression that the idea for this project hit me. (Like a ton of bricks no less.) It wasn't so much that a particular article in the issue was the inspiration, but rather the spirit of the issue spoke to me and jump-started my own artistic spirit to think outside the box I was so excited I got up and pitter-pattered down to my studio in the basement and worked furiously most of the night to create my first Wired Post-it Notebook.

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. To paint the golf pencil to match the notebook, take a small tub (a recycled cream-cheese tub or similar plastic squatty container is perfect), put some sand or rice in it and poke the pencil in, point down. Then paint and let dry while you make the rest of the book. 2. Using a damp sponge brush, apply Lumiere paints to the Poly Paper, working the paint in until the paper is nearly dry. This brings out the texture of the paper. 3. Take your piece of thin chipboard and cut it to match the dimensions given in the template. Cut the painted Poly Paper 1/2-inch larger (on all sides) than the chipboard. 4. Run the cut Poly Paper through a Xyron machine with permanent adhesive cartridge. Center and burnish the paper onto the chipboard with the bone folder. Clip a bit of paper at the corners before folding over the edges of the chipboard to reduce bulk. (Photo 1) Cut another piece of the Poly Paper slightly smaller than the chipboard and run through the Xyron. Glue to the inside of the chipboard as end papers. (Photo 2) 5. To make the wire closure, take three pieces of the 22-gauge copper wire and wrap around the dried, decorated pencil. This is a bit of an art--allow the pencil to move through the loops easily, yet keep enough friction there so that the pencil will stay in place. 6. Using the 24-gauge bronze wire, wrap the three wires in place about 1 inch on either side of the loop. 7. Once you have your wires secure, use the needle-nose pliers to make three graduating spirals. The total length of your wire pieces should not exceed about 3 1/2 inches or it will extend beyond the book. You can use a Post-it note pad as a guide for your width and length if you have the covered chipboard under weight. 8. Trim any excess wire with wire cutters. 9. Repeat steps 5 through 8 for the closure on the other side of the book. 10. Glue the Post-it note pad to the inside of your cover using Perfect Paper Adhesive (PPA). 11. Apply the wire to the book using PPA and hold in place for several minutes. Then, place four rubber bands around the book (two across in each direction), being sure to slip some wax paper between them and the book in areas where there is exposed PPA. Then weigh it down with a bag of rice or sand and heavy book--the rice/sand adjusts to the uneven surface and distributes the weight of the book. Let sit for several hours to dry completely. 12. Once the wire closures are dry, slide the pencil into the loops to keep the book shut.

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