Flashback Friday: Cortona scrapbook

I made this album during my summer in Cortona, Italy and it was intended to be a scrapbook. I never ended up adding any of my photos or travel mementos to the book, probably because the book didn't turn out exactly as intended. However, I learned a lot about Japanese stab binding while making this book. For example, the sewing needle should be significantly longer than the book is thick. Seems obvious, I know, but a little foresight on this book would have saved me some headaches and frustration. And I wouldn't have needed pliers to pull the needle through while sewing.

There are a few things I do really like about this book, though. I really enjoy the natural two-tone bookcloth and I wish I would have brought some back from Italy with me. I also like the rough edges of the pages and the torn strips of brown paper that wrap around the cover. The image on the cover is part of a postcard showing one of Cortona's churches at sunset (I believe it is the Church of Santa Maria).

I decided to share this album as my Flashback Friday post for the week because I am about to be making a new series of albums. A co-worker recently asked me to make her an album for her upcoming beach vacation, and I will also be adding some albums to my Etsy shop soon.