Tutorial: How To Make a SIMPLE Accordion Book

This tutorial was made as an Optional Idea for Participation for my Facebook Group: Zentangle: Tangled & Journaled, Too! It can be altered to house other types of art besides tangling, so feel free to play with it, and have fun! To learn more about our tangling group that works in journals, please go here: 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/761892257271670/https://www.facebook.com/groups/761892257271670/

1. Cut strips of paper. You may use any sturdy paper you wish; white, colored, scrapbook paper, cardstock, etc. For 2 inch square Bijou Size Tiles, cut your strips 3 inches tall.  For Standard Size Tiles, cut your strips 4.5 inches tall. (You could also do this for ATCS or other size pieces by altering measurements, but to keep the directions simple, we will only be doing two different sizes in this tutorial.

2. For Bijou size accordion books/mini journals, mark and fold your strips of paper in 3 inch increments. (3in., 6 in., 9 in., etc.) Do not cut off any excess paper yet. The leftover part will be used to bind additional pages into your mini book/journal. For standard sized tiles, mark and fold your strips in 4.5 inch increments (4.5 in., 9 in., 13.5 in., etc.) again not cutting off excess. Fold your marked sections back and forth like an accordion.

3. Combine as many strips as you wish to make your book as long as you wish. Simply glue the last section of the first strip underneath the first section of the strip you wish to add on. When you have added all the strips you want, cut off any extra paper in the last strip that you do not need. 

4. Tangle your tiles. They can be zentangles, zias, monotangles, wherever your tangling takes you. (Depending on the look you want and the paper you use, you might be able to tangle right on your book pages without gluing anything on your pages.)

5. Tangle your tiles. Attach your tiles to the pages of your mini accordion book in one of two ways. A) Glue them to the pages. or B) Cut small diagonal slits in the corner of the pages when the corners of the tiles will be and then tuck the corners under the slit. You can do this with two or four corners.

6. Optional: Tie a colorful ribbon to the outside of you book to keep it shut. If your accordion book is thick enough and your paper is sturdy enough, you may be able to secure it closed using the type of pony tail holder that stretches like a rubber band.

Bubble Paint Tutorial - So Much Fun!

If you would like to have some fun making colorful backgrounds for some zentangle inspired art, or anything else, here is something you might want to try. I made this tutorial for my Facebook group called Zentangle: Journaled and Tangled, Too! If you want to know more about the group, go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/761892257271670/

Supplies:

• dish - I used glass so you could see inside best, but any dish works.

• measuring cup

• 1 cup water

• measuring spoons

• 1 teaspoon dish soap

• 3 Tablespoons craft type acrylic paint

• standard drinking straw

• papers to paint: tiles, journal pages, etc.

* These measurements are great starting points. The result you get will depend on the amount of actual pigment in the paint and how concentrated your soap is that you use. If you need to add more of either to get the results you desire, feel free to be adventurous.

Directions:

1. Measure and put water in your dish first to make mixing easier.

2. Add dish soap next, and stir with the straw until it is blended in well.

3. Add paint last, and stir in with the straw until it is blended in well.

4. Place the straw in the mix and blow until bubbles rise to the top as shown in picture B.

5. While still blowing, gently place papers atop the bubbles. The bigger the bubbles are, the bigger they will appear on your paper. A variety of sizes adds interest to your paper.

6. Remove the paper slowly, and pop any remaining bubbles. These popped bubbles leave the best imprints. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until you have the desired coverage. Picture C shows a variety of color intensity. The bottom left corner of the tile pictured has been dipped in the bubbles repeatedly. This intensity would be great if you plan to add other layers of color to your paper.

* You may do more than one color per page. Picture D shows two colors. In order for each color to maintain its intensity rather than blending into the previous color, allow each individual color to dry before adding another on top. Hair dryers, fans, and heat guns work well for speeding up drying time.

7. Tangle on your printed papers after they are thoroughly dry. I found that an Identipen works great. Feel free to carefully experiment with other pens. Fine artist pens with fine tips are often easily damaged on rough surfaces, so beware.

Other notes:

1. This has been done with children young enough to thoroughly understand the difference between sucking and blowing on a straw. Enjoy it as a supervised activity with your little ones.

2. If your paper is curled after drying, place it between two layers of paper, one to protect your ironing surface, and the other to protect your iron, and iron with a medium to high setting, working quickly so you do not burn your paper.