COMPLETE AT LEAST NINE ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE THREE STARRED. 1. Find out what an altered book is. Do some research online (a google search for "altered book" will yield you a load of resources), and come up with your own personal definition of what an altered book is. Write it down in your journal. 2. Find 2-5 throwaway hardbound books or children's board books that you can use for the duration of this button. Before you search (clearance racks, garage sales, library sales, thrift stores, your basement....), make a list based on your research from activity 1 of the qualities you think you'd like to explore. (i.e. Hardbound, sewn binding, thickness or thinness of the book, illustrations already or none, etc.) 3. Make a list of some ways you can alter your books. List ten techniques you'd like to use, or things you'd like to try, in your journal and make notes on the how-to's of each technique. Feel free to add to this list as you proceed through the button activities, to make your own personalized How To Guide. Write in notes, as you do the techniques, of what worked, what didn't work, and what you would/will change next time. Share this with others. 4. Clamp the pages together of a block in your book and make a cut-out window or niche with an x-acto knife or other cutting tool. Fill the cubbyhole with things that are personally meaningful to you after painting glue over the hole's edges (to hold them together), and make the surrounding pages into an explanation of what you put in the niche. 5. Create a "shapebook" by cutting the book itself into a simple shape. Make sure to leave some of the spine so that the pages still hold together. Decorate the cover and several pages inside with related images in your chosen style and medium. 6. Turn one of your books into a Book Of Myself. Fill it with artwork of varying styles that represents you. If you do a web search for the "I AM..." journal exercise, you can find long lists of "quizzes" where you answer "If I was a _____, I would be a _________, because...." for various things. (i.e. If I was a rock, I'd be a diamond because.... You will find a list of these in the downloadable journal, as well.) Fill your book with who you are. 7. Try out some new mediums. Sample sizes are often available at local art supply stores. Test out things that have interesting names -- gel medium, tar medium, sauce pencils, etc. Record your choices and your results in your journal. What did you like best? Develop a page or two that use that medium, and share your results. 8. Explore some 3-D elements. Either pick things that you already have, find on the ground, or can pick up at a hobby or craft store. Find 3 new ways (to you) to use something Not Flat in your work.

9. Check out or pick up a copy of "The Elements of Pop-Up", or other books on creating pop-up cards and pages. Find some simple ways you can add a pop-up element in your book(s). Make at least one spread that POPS off the page. 10. Not all things have to be immediately visible. Add some interactivity to three spreads by using one of the following: a) pockets, b) doors, c) hiding places, or d) a creation of your own. 11. Find examples, both published and on the web. Pick five of your favorite pages, and explain in your journal what it is exactly that you like about those pages/artists. Is there a recurrent theme in your favorites? See how you can incorporate those things you love in one spread of your own. 12. Add some pages (called a "tip-in") to your book. They can be completed spreads or blank pages of the same or a different size as the rest of your book. Do this at least 3 times to get a feel for how it's done. 13. Using some of the pages you've removed (if you have hardbound books) to "make room for the art" inside, and pick words at random that sound juicy. Full lines, if there are good ones. When you have a small stack of words and phrases, rearrange them like magnetic poetry to create your own Found Word Poem on a page. 14. What will you do with your completed books? Think about this for a few minutes, and make a list of some things you can do when you've altered a book to your satisfaction. 15. Incorporate non-traditional materials on one page. Discarded window screen, or heavy metal washers, or junk mail....something that you wouldn't think of as an Art Material. Record in your journal what you used and how you used it. 16. Explore your backyard for fifteen to twenty minutes. Look for small, flattish objects that you could paste, sew, or adhere to a book page, cover, or spine. Create a spread or a cover using only items that have come from your back yard. 17. On a piece of posterboard, create a poster about your favorite altered book methods and techniques. Include the how-to's, if you have room. Teach a child how to do the ones that are age-appropriate, and do a spread together.

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