I don’t know what it was, maybe the excitement was too much for me, maybe it was just a massive creative flash, but yesterday I suddenly and spontaneously embarked on a little creative project. I did a little test launch on Twitter with the first results, and continued working on it today.
I think we have to thank Nordlicht for the motivation. If I remember correctly, she was quite intrigued with the micro mini book I had included in Donna’s Midget RAPS. I made a throw-away remark about “they’re not that difficult to make” – and so thought I might as well challenge myself and see whether I could mass produce some.
I started out yesterday with three books:
The Hobbit, North and South, and Conor McPherson’s Uncle Vanya adaptation. As you can see, these books are a smidgen bigger than a 1p piece.
They don’t just *look* like books, they actually *are* little books. They have pages, although there is no text on them. But there is something nice to look at in each and everyone of them.
I thought they’d make really sweet little brooches, so I have glued needles on the back.
This is a selection of the books I have made so far. There are a couple more – they’re just still drying at the time of writing this blog post, therefore they did not feature in the photo. But I can already reveal that there is a much needed tome on Sir Guy among them 😉
I made a total of 25 of them so far. And you may wonder what and why. Well, I am thinking I might put these into our future fundraiser for a reasonable price. I’ll probably make a few more, seeing that I have a few prints left. And I might have to think up and design more “fake books” because I haven’t even scratched the surface on the Armitage oeuvre.
In the meantime, here’s a question for you – should I keep making them as brooches or are they better just as a micro mini book? (Pendants or keychains are not an option – I have no way of attaching a jump ring to them.)
ETA: The Guy micro mini book has finally dried.
I had to invent my own book title, because frankly, Robin Hood as a title just doesn’t cut it. At least *I* don’t want forest boy’s name splashed across the cover. The print has turned out rather blurry. I may have to experiment with that again…
Please ignore that awful nail… Very sorry about that. Inside comes with his gorgeousness in b/w.
Guess, what I was listening to while crafting?
Had to adjust the cover of *that* book…
Guylty Pleasure 
Sir Guy???????
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Still drying. But coming soon.
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I love them. I personally probably wouldn’t wear one as a brooch, but you could easily offer both. If someone wanted a needle, I assume that’s easy enough to add.
I’m simply mesmerized by these tiny works of art. 😍
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That’s true. I could leave the brooch needle optional.
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did you actually distress the edges of the Hobbit ones or is that just a really good print job? either way, these are amazing! and with the added bonus of something to look at inside 😎
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Well spotted, Kelly! In case of The Hobbit I printed out a photo of the cover of the first edition, which was a bit grubby already. But I did distress the edges of all books to make them look a little more genuine 😉
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I love them and especially as brooches. There’s a lot of mini book earrings being sold on every Christmas market.
I’d love to buy couple already but I can wait for the fundraiser too.
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Oh, that’s great. I better get this fundraiser off the ground, soon. 🙂
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These little books look amazing! Both are good ideas, with or without needles. I wish I’d have even a fraction of your crafting skills!
Here’s a list of most of the books related to Richard’s characters. https://riepu10.tumblr.com/post/176121657481/riepu10-my-interest-in-acting-came-from-reading and then there’s The Stranger.
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Oh, that is really helpful, Paula, thank you. I should’ve thought of your compilations!! And *duh* of course!!! The Stranger. That’ll be the next one on the list!!!
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These are brilliant! I can’t imagine the patience needed for such detailed miniature book creation. I was amazed at the Hobbit book in my custom shrine so I can confirm how great they look in person. I would buy several of these whenever they become available (probably sans brooch though) and what a nifty little fundraising idea. Honestly, all the creative ideas you turn into little RA treasures are a joy to behold. Well done. 😘
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Fab – thank you for the feedback, Donna. I will make sure to have both brooches as well as books without needles available.
I am surprised myself that I have the patience for all this small, fiddly work. I always thought I was an impatient crafter, but when I get stuck in a particular idea, it just seems to flow, no matter how 😉
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They are so sweet Guylty, you are clever. I have a thing for miniatures, so looking forward to the fundraiser. I prefer them just as little books.
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Great, that is good to know, J – I will definitely include them just as books, too! x
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what a fab idea, you included a mini bookcover in my steampunk Thornton RAPS too-which i thought was fab at the time.
You see, it’s one of the things i like about this fandom, RA is a fantastic muse and has been the source of m much creativity in me the past year
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That’s true. There is definitely the cover of NS in there. Had I already advanced to making a “turnable” cover?
And you are so right. Before I became a fan, I never even *knew* that an actor/singer/celeb could be a muse. And RA has majorly influenced my creative streak. Such fun!
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They’d be perfect for Mini Guy and the minis (without the needles) 😀
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Check the post again, Eugeal – I have uploaded the Guy book!
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Awesome 🙂
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🙂
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Ich war bestimmt nicht die Einzige, aber ja, ich war total begeistert von dem kleinen Hobbitbuch und bin es es immer noch 😍. Und jetzt sogar noch mit Auswahl – besser geht´s nicht. Ich hätte auch schon zwei Favouriten, wenn man sie dann erwerben kann. Ich tendiere dazu, sie einfach als Bücher zu lassen. Bei Bedarf könnte jeder selbst eine Nadel ergänzen, dass würde sogar ich mir zutrauen.
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Das mit der eigenen Ergänzung mit einer Broschennadel ist ein guter Punkt. Ich glaube, wenn ich noch mehr mache, dann nur noch ohne Nadel. Danke 🙂
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I love them. ❤ They are so cute.
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Thank you xx
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These are fabulous, I am envious of your fine motor skills!
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Small-scale work has a great calming effect on me… I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but I am enjoying the fiddliness of it 😊
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Your mini books are so cute. I was thinking you could upsize them a bit and make them into Christmas ornaments, using various holiday book covers. As usual, as a non crafter, I am in awe of your boundless creativity.
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That is a really interesting idea. I should experiment with that, Kathy – The Snowman, The Chimes, even David Copperfield come to mind…
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Theses are the cutest things I’ve seen in the RA fandom world. They would be a nice addition to the RAPS
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Thanks, Dele 😊. Maybe I should incorporate one into *every* RAPS 😉
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Book.book.Thorin thorin
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yes indeed 🙂
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O.M.G. How did you do the binding? I was used to do something similar (not so tiny), but with a single signature. Wonderful! 😍
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Didn’t stitch these together but used a glue binding. It holds well – but should probably not really be opened up all the way, otherwise the spine will break.
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Thank you! They look lovely but/and delicate. You are very accurate, the details are so stunning!
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And they are totally addictive. I am just sitting at the craft table again, making more of them…
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What a brilliant idea! They look amazing. Great on their own or as brooches, but they’d make gorgeous pendants too.
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They would – it’s just impossible for me to punch a hole into the little book. It’s pretty amazing how hard a stack of paper is 😉
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After reading this post out of curiosity I took a look at making mini-books on YouTube. One video showed putting in a little loop of ribbon to hold the book as a pendant, no hole punching required.
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That is a brilliant idea, Mezz. I might experiment with that. It’ll be slightly fragile, but it’s worth trying out. Thanks for that!
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Oh…my…goodness,,, these are awesome!! If you’d ask me, I’d want the North & South and Crucible ones! 😉 And yes, just as books, not as pins or whatever, they’d be proudly displayed as ornaments in my book cupboards. I’d lose them if I used them as pins, just as I have already lost two deRAnged buttons that you have sent me over the years… So: mini books for fundraising, yep, great idea!
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Late reply – sorry. And just to say that I now have a mixture of mini books and book pins. To suit all preferences 😉
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I think this is such a great idea and I hope you will continue with it!
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Many thanks for your comment and encouragement!
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