This is a short "what I'm working on" video — not a project tutorial — so it gets the vlog/reflection treatment: opener, what we cover, key ideas in place of a learning catalog, and a closing. Tips section is skipped; there are no real technique tips to draw from here.
Sometimes the best videos happen by accident. I was going to film a before-and-after project update, then changed my mind halfway through and decided to just… talk to you instead. So that's what this is: a face-reveal of sorts, a peek at something I'm currently building, and a walk-through of the idea I've been turning over in my head for an accordion book that does a lot more than it looks like from the outside.
What we cover
This is a short project-share and a bit of a personal introduction — I show my face, share what I'm working on, and walk through the concept for an accordion book with removable pages, hidden binding, secret journaling spots, and envelopes sewn into the cover. No finished product yet; this is the idea stage, captured live.
What I'm working on
The project starts with four and a half sheets of scrapbook paper, sewn together with a pocket — originally meant to be a simple ephemera and embellishment accordion book that folds open and holds all those bits and pieces you collect but aren't sure what to do with.
Then, as tends to happen, the idea kept growing.
The accordion book with twine binding — the signatures inside won't be sewn permanently into the cover. They're held with twine binding, which means the pages are removable. You can pull them out, rearrange, add to them. If you haven't come across twine binding before, I show a finished example in the video so you can see exactly how it sits.
Two large envelopes sewn into the front cover — when the book opens, the first thing you meet is those envelopes. They'll hold tags, paper clips, flower embellishments — whatever feels right to tuck in there.
Hidden binding with secret journaling spots — the first page of the accordion section will open out and reveal a hidden binding area for journaling. There's another at the back of the book too, so there are at least two tucked-away spots that aren't obvious from the outside.
Journaling signatures at the back — after all the ephemera and envelope sections, there will be a couple of proper journaling signatures bound into the back, so the book has writing space as well as storing and displaying space.
The whole structure, from front to back, runs something like: cover → two envelopes → removable accordion pages packed with ephemera → hidden journaling spot → more accordion pages → another hidden journaling spot → journaling signatures. It's a lot happening in one book, and honestly I'm not entirely sure how it will all turn out — which is part of what makes it interesting to make.
Why I made this
Two things were pulling me in the same direction: I wanted to make something I hadn't made before, and I'd been curious for a while about connecting more directly with the people who watch these videos. I know what my hands look like from every angle — but most of the makers I watch, I've never seen their faces. So this video is both a project preview and a small step outside my comfort zone, in more ways than one.
Taking a format I know — the accordion book — and layering in hidden bindings, removable pages, and built-in journaling spots is genuinely new territory for me. I don't know yet what it will look like when it's done. That uncertainty is a little uncomfortable and also exactly why it felt worth making.
