The Altered Book Scrapbook
The most innovative and magical side of recycling is one that pays homage to the original form while crafting an entirely new medium/item. Such is the case with artist-author (The Portable Crafter: Beading,2004, et al.) Ure, who reinvents the book into a memory scrapbook. Here, artists contribute 13 different creations, each with annotations, inspirational notes, and one featured technique, whether fashioning Victorian-style postcards or sewing a quilted bookbag for a commissioned project. Variety--and sentiment--rule; the author, for instance, selects her grandmother's teaching textbook to truly reflect her relative's life, complete with marriage license and always-young sepia photographs. It is difficult, these days, to recommend a more personal craft--and one that can take on a life of its own . .  and others. Look no further than Jane Austen for the last word on scrapbooking: "If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory."Barbara JacobsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved