Ticket to Venice

mary ann moss

Questions & Answers

By:

I’m no longer around to answer questions now that Ticket to Venice is an archived class, but you’re welcome to read the answers from long ago!  Hopefully you’ll find what you need here.

Comments

  1. I can access this on my computer but not my IPad which is a new one. I used up all my invites. For some reason it went to the Ibook section. Happy its on the computer so no big deal.

  4. Hi Mary Ann,
    For the book cloth tape – does it need to be self-adhesive? I have book cloth that I could glue on or adhere and I am wondering if that will work.
    Thank you,
    Dawn

  5. Just a quick note as I go through all the cool stuff in the side bar before even the class opens! — in the FAQ the link to the Yahoo group is to FTB, not TTV. Just FYI *grin*

  6. Dawn Im quite sure that it will work just fine! use some of that Aileens Tacky Glue and youll be good to go. Maybe use 2 layers of the wrapped book cloth – I usually end up with at least 2 layers when I do the spine with the book cloth tape.

  9. Glenda,
    I recommend bookcloth TAPE. I have the 3 inch kind. I think mine was actually called book repair tape, but it looks like bookcloth tape to me! and feels like it.

  12. colette,
    my travel journal is going to be on the large side approx. 7×11. in the past ive had 8×6 and my last trip to norway it was about 4 x 7 or so. i like to have a lot of writing room so this journal is going to be almost exactly the same size as my budapest journal – 7 by 11. keep in mind that i dont carry my journal out and about with me to cafes and museums. once class starts ill share with you how i write when i dont have my journal with me – there are a few options here.

  13. Hi Maryann. For the covers do we need a book with stitched pages or could a glued spine also be ok? I presume we will remove the pages and that spine.
    Also chomping at the bit to prepare some page backgrounds ~ Do they need to be exactly the same size as covers or slightly smaller?
    Col

  15. My 3rd MAM class and I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve travelled internationally quite a bit but never alone yet (but I really really want to as my travel partners just “don’t get” journalling…) – you are an inspiration to us all! One day I will jump off the diving board into the sea of solo travel so any tips you have for solo female travelers would be most appreciated.
    P.S. Just bought the Japanese punch from your recommended source above – been looking for one of these for a while and her prices beat what I’ve seen so far – thank you!

  16. Hi Mary Ann,
    I seem to be having the same problem as Peggy. I can see the TTV blog on my computer, but not the IPAD or IPHONE. Any suggestions??
    Thanks

  17. hi kana – it shows up just fine on my ipad. there is no reason you shouldnt be able to view on your ipad or iphone. maybe its a password issue. lets just review the process real quick
    1. enter the url for the class in the browser on your ipad – mine is safari
    2. the password info will pop up
    3. enter the user id and password
    4. voila! instant access
    if you can access all other websites with your ipad then the class should be accessible too. hope you can get it to work. let me know

  18. Hi Mary Ann,
    In this class,will we be using some of the same ephemera that we used in the Remains of the Day and Full Tilt Boogie classes?
    Thanks.

  19. oh definitely. were just making a regular journal. some similarities to ROD & FTB but with 2 new stitches. but paper is definitely nearly the same. the paper used for your folios i mean. i put less smaller bits on the pages of my travel journal. the travel journal PROCESS is the thing that will be different. but of course since im me…my style will still come across.

  20. A question about the printables. My daughter is going on a trip to the British Isles with a school group (YIKES!) and she has to make a journal afterward. I’d like to let her use the printables if she’d like and that’s okay. IT IS NOT FOR SALE, but it is for display, in a way. Your opinion?

  21. I have moved 47 times during my lifetime, have seen lots of place in the world but have never attended a class and I am really really excited to finally follow you all and get my thoughts and experiences organized. Very exciting.

  25. Video #6 – Preparing your signatures is listed as a Vimeo Plus feature and is not accessible. Yet. 🙂 Please advise. You probably are not even awake yet. Just us easterners getting antsy. Whenever 🙂

  26. okay elizabeth i understand now…if you see that sorry message, just follow the link and enter the password instead of entering from class blog. it just means that an embedding code is off. until i repair that is the workaround.
    make sense?

  28. In order to do the diamond X stitch can you only have 3 signatures or is it multiples of 3 signatures? I am assuming only 3 as later in the pdf for the Double X stitch you say any number of signatures can be used.
    Thank you!

  29. excellent question marianne – multiples of 3 is what i thought originally…but now that you mention it im pretty sure you could have any number of signatures! ive only done it with 3, but now that i think about it i dont see why you couldnt just continue the pattern across the spine…experiment and let us know! i will say its a bit of a pain in the tuckus holding in those 3 sigs as you sew them in simultaneously so not sure youd want to do many more than 3.
    i would experiment on a stitch card first. that is easy enough.
    really glad you asked this question because now its got me thinking…

  30. I’ve never made this kind of journal, which is one reason I’m taking this class. Is book tape the kind of thing you can get at Michael’s or Jo Anne’s or do I have to order online? Actually, I bet the supplies list will help me, so ignore this unless it doesn’t, meanwhile, I’ll go over there. bye.

  31. okay marianne i DID some experimenting today and made 5 colums of stitches instead of 3 and it works out just fine. i was afraid you might not get an even pattern with an odd number of columns, but it still looks great!
    chris – order bookcloth tape online

  32. Miss Moss – Video numero 14 doesn’t exist. And, I cut my finger with a drywall slicer, didn’t have an exacto knife. Is blood on the cover acceptable?

  33. it will be available shortly. theres been a hijacking incident. im investigating. give me an hour. also the same goes for video 11, and 12. i started thinking and changed things. oops.

  35. Lynette mine have approx. 8-10 which is a lot, but some pages are fairly thin – like the ledger paper AND my signatures were pretty flat so that helps. I would say if your pages are similar to mine dont go over 8-10

  36. Hi Mary Ann,
    Hope you are having the most amazing time in Venice!
    As an absolute beginner at book making I have a question about the papers you use for the pages.
    Should it be a particular thickness, I have a mixture of card stock/ watercolour and ledger papers but what about pages from magazines or printer paper- Would that be too flimsy?
    Also I keep getting a request on my computer to release security information to a key chain with dispatch from LA – Should we be allowing this?
    Niki

  37. oh definitely NOT Niki that sounds like a scam. papers … lets see…
    magazine pages i would not use too flimsy as you said.
    the others you mentioned sound okay.

  39. oh yes colette you go right ahead!
    you may print them if you want, for that matter, and do whatever you want with them in your personal (not for sale) art work. i only ask that if you should use the photos in a spread that gets posted online that you give me credit and a link back.

  40. Hi Maryann. Thanks. Just clarifying. If I post my sketches of your photo/s online on flickr e.g. I need to give you credit .. or if I print YOUR actual photos? Are we allowed to use your photos as well as the postcards?

  41. no credit needed for sketches. sketch away! post wherever you want, use for whatever you want.
    photos or postcards are for personal use only – nothing for sale.
    if used in public space credit and a link is requested by yours truly.
    make sense?

  42. It does make sense. Are you saying it’s ok to save a photo from this blogging you are sharing of Venice here and print it and put in journal with a credit? I’d understand if they are too personal and just for you.

  44. Hi Mary Ann,
    I’m not a sewer. Do you have suggestions for making pockets that don’t involve sewing?
    Loving, loving your Venice pics and videos. I’ve been there twice and your stories bring back fond memories.
    As a LOL, we spent Christmas in Vegas, at the Palazzo, and it was hysterical walking around the fake Venice as you were exploring the real one. I’d go back to our room and read about your travels, wishing I was there.

  45. Hi Mary Ann,
    What do you use to edit your videos? I am curious about software and hardware. Are you on an iPad or laptop? Are you using iMovie or something else? You make it all look so easy!!

  46. absolutely kim!
    staples + tape. you could use those cute little tim holtz staples or regular staples for that matter. then you can cover them with washi tape. put the tape all along the sides over the staples and then press and fold onto the page behind. thats how id do it.

  47. hi briana!
    i use my 13 inch macbook pro which i took with me. i pad would be too difficult to do all this on. possible, but not convenient whatsoever. i use iphoto and imovie. i love imovie. its easy to operate even for a chimp like me. ha ha ha ha
    i use PHOTOBOOTH to make the little honey-im-home videos using my computers little camera. then i put them in imovie and upload that way to vimeo.
    hope that answers your question

  48. Just watched the latest video and really want to see the inside of your white dresser…that little sneek peek of the washi tape section has me so envious 🙂 pretty please?

  49. Hi Mary Ann.
    Loving all your videos and blog entries. I’m curious about how you got those large sheets of paper back home without folding, etc? Did you carry them on in a tube or some such? I’m going to Italy (Lake Como area) in June and curious about how you packed them back home.
    And regarding the diamond X stitch, could you temporarily lace the signatures to the binding at the very bottom stations with scrap thread, to help hold them all a little steadier while starting your stitching at the top? Watching you bind your book, and your descriptions of how unweildy it is, made me wonder. I’m getting ready to try my hand at it for the first time tonight. I might give it a try.
    Thanks for a wonderful class.

  50. Shaun mentions a recommended source for the Japanese punch, but i cannot seem to find that info anywhere on any of your blogs or in the yahoo group. Can you review this again?
    Thanks!

  53. fonda i just remembered i didnt answer your question about getting my paper home. i rolled every bit of it – which was a considerable amount – very tightly. it was a tight heavy thick roll. i wrapped a piece of wrapping paper that came from another wrapped roll around the hole thing and taped it sort of like i would a package. then i put it in the side of my suitcase and packed clothes around it. if it was just a few sheets i would have either folded it or hand carried it on the plane. which is what i did when i went to norway last summer.

  54. I noticed that each of the postcards you sent us had a date stamp on the front, changed for each day. How did you do that? It’s just too cool!

  55. sheila i made those in photoshop cs5 – you can find a tutorial perhaps online for making faux postage date stamps. pretty fun to do, but a bit too lengthy to explain im afraid

  56. Hi Mary Ann, thank you so much for the wonderful class. I was wondering if you could please just give a bullet point list of what you write in your journals. Thank you.

  57. -daily events
    -observations
    -descriptions
    -feelings
    -thoughts
    -interesting things i saw or heard
    -occasionally dreams ive had
    -ideas
    -plans
    michelle basically i dump the contents of my head onto the page. exactly what i do in my regular writing journal. in the PDF of every journal page you will have an opportunity to see exactly what i write.

  58. Can anyone direct me to the post cards? I wasn’t enrolled in the class when they were sent and can’t seem to find them on the blog. Thanks, Carol C.

  61. okay! I am so excited to do this! Two questions: Where do I find the postcards and how many pages per signature and how many signatures do you recommend?

  62. Okay! Thank you for your response about the postcards. I have seen all the videos from the Venice and all the instructional videos and all I can say is I LOVE IT!! I have never liked things “perfect” – they bug me – so your wonderful journals are right up my alley!! I do have another question though! All those wonderful little date tags and signs (I was here; etc.), where do you print those from? Having those to take along with a journal would be fantastic! Thank you MaryAnn!!

  63. Amazing when I take the time to actually look through files!!! FOUND THE PRINTABLES. Thanks!!!

  64. I am one of the video newbies in the TTV class. I took a 3 minute video that is over 500MB. That seems huge to me but I can’t find any information on what is a ‘normal’ size file. I wondered what size one of your 3 minute or similar length videos would be so I can compare what I have done. With our internet connection, it would take me hours to upload a video that size so if I can make it smaller that would be good.
    Thank you very much, Mary Ann

  65. marianne that size seems a bit excessive. to give you an example i have a 5 min. video that is around 400 mb. there are lost of good imovie/video tutorials you can find online by googling and you may even find something specific for reducing your file size. good luck. i know it can be frustrating!

  67. What kind of camera are you using to shoot video when you’re out and about? I’m assuming it must be something on the small side.

  69. I saw this question posted but didn’t see the answer anywhere “how many pages per signature and how many signatures do you recommend?”
    Does it just kind of depend on how thick you want the book? If thats the case, I’m still interested to know how many pages per signature is ideal-ish?
    Thank you!!!

  70. hi kelli,
    its all in the videos that talk about the signatures. i go over the specifics in at least a couple of the videos. most of the videos are fairly short so theyll be easy to rewatch to get that info. off the top of my head – i dont remember.

  71. Hi Mary Ann
    Just signed up for the class (better late than never) and am so enjoying your videos and post about Venice which is one of my favorite cities. I viewed them all last night. Tonight I’ve started on the instructional videos and am ready to start on my cover. I’m using a thicker chipboard-like/pressed board material so I don’t have the nice used book quality yours does behind the cover. Mine is just that natural brown. I’m not sure what you did with your inside covers (maybe I’m not there yet) but I don’t want to leave mine blank, plus the sides are raw and cardboard looking. Do you recommend making a larger cover and wrapping it around, or two smaller ones – one for each side, or gessoing/painting? I’d love to hear your thoughts on what you think might work the best.
    Thanks!

  72. Kimberly go to my public blog and click up in the navigation bar on journals. Go find the San cristobal journal. Check out the cover and notice how I papered over the entire cover. I did that because it was an ugly folder thing I didnt like the look of… My preference is for a papered cover rather than painted. Also note how I cover my TTV journal with some sewn collaged paper. I just glued paper to my inside covers too.

  73. Mary Ann, Can you give us some ideas of great sources for unusual papers (if we are not traveling to buy them while on a trip)? I want some beautiful papers and would love to know some places to find them! Thank you!
    Jane

  74. jane,
    i have gotten lovely paper packs on etsy- search for decorative paper, paper packs, italian papers, etc., ditto with wallpaper. someone on the yahoo group found a site for italian papers. you could google that as well or inquire at the group. i collect paper from so many places. am always on the lookout. if you want to find some interesting different papers you will have to do the footwork and SEARCH for it. no two ways around it.
    id start with a general google search if i were you and go from there.

  75. Hi again,
    I thought I posted this, but nothing came up. Sorry if this is a repeat…
    I am curious about the thin box you use to pack up your stuff on your journey. I’ve looked all over town for a box that size that’s not too big and bulky, with no luck. Would your be willing to give us the name brand and/or tell us where you got it? I’ve been using bags to pack up my stuff, but I like that the box keeps things a bit more secure.

  76. sure thing kimberly – i buy all of my super thin plastic boxes in little tokyo at a supermarket. there is NO brand on them – they come in a couple of different sizes. theyre from japan thats all i know. heres the address and the link:http://www.marukai.com/. try a japanese store near you if you have one or try searching online.
    123 S Onizuka St
    Los Angeles,CA
    90012

  77. I have tried to download the printables and it seems that Adobe Acrobat is required. I looked and it is a pay for program. Do I have to have it to download the printables. The PDF downloaded but not the third one. This is so very discouraging. I don’t usually have any problems with downloads. Please help.

  80. Hello! The link to Two Peas in a Bucket for the page protectors is sadly broken, since 2PB went out of business a year or so ago.

    Can you tell me what kind of page protectors you use, or provide another link? Thanks so much!

  82. I have a question about the cover of the Venice journal, with the domed building. Did you buy an antique postcard and enlarge it? How did you get the “airmail” striping around the borders? Did you do it in Photoshop?

    Also, all the Venice postcards inside: Were they vintage ones, or did you make copies? I’ve been collecting postcards almost all my life and this has given me the idea of incorporating some of them into my journal. Thanks!

  83. Hello–regarding the running stitch: Would I just be sewing in each signature separately, one at a time, rather than going back and forth between them as with the “X” stitches?
    In other words, each vertical line of stitches belongs to a single signature?

    I hope that makes sense!

  84. Hi again!
    Just a few more questions:
    1. Do you remember where you got that washi tape that had diagonal red stripes at the top and a sort of white/clear bottom with what looked like numbers printed in black?
    2. Where did you find those cute red labels you used in your journal?
    3. Being that some time has passed since you made this journal, I wonder if you have found adhesives you like better than the ones in the videos. I always SWEAR I am never buying another glue…but…you know how it is with art supplies. I know a lot of people like matte medium but I never found it to be as adhesive as I would like. I use a UHU glue stick a lot. Never had a lot of luck with those runner things but maybe I need to try the Scotch dot runner you like.

    Thanks, Mary Ann!

      • I got the adhesive dot roller over the weekend, and so far it is the BEST roller adhesive I’ve ever used. I’ve tried several brands and been really disappointed as the stuff usually falls off after being glued. This thing rocks!! Thanks!

  85. Ooh, thought of one more! One on of your more recent journals, you mentioned on the public blog that you started pre-writing in the days of the week. I’m a bit confused. How did this differ from what you did here, with the little printables you made? How did you know how much space to leave for each day? I suppose one could always put in flaps etc. as you did. And the pockets. Thanks again!

    • i have lots of travel journals and most i have not pre-written the dates. you can check all those journals out on DFLA and read the associated blog posts to see my methods. i’ve got too many to remember the details- 🙂 but i can tell you that when i have pre-written the dates i guess approx. how many pages i think i’ll need. if i don’t have enough i make the flaps as you mentioned above.

  86. Hello again! I’m searching around for some interesting papers. While doing this online, I wonder if there is a way to tell if the paper will hold up with, say, photos glued to it. In other words, be heavy enough. For e.g., 80 gsm paper ((which would be between 20 and 24 lbs., with 20 lbs. being copier paper weight). I don’t plan on doing heavy collages or anything in my book.

    Do you have any advice?

    Thanks!

    • if the paper is too lightweight you can also glue it to heavier paper right? trial and error is often the only way to know these things. i consider all journal endeavors a grand experiment. my advice therefore is EXPERIMENT and see what happens.

  87. P.S. I am also thinking of using some of the Cavallini wrapping papers, which, I have been assured, are fine to journal on.

  88. Mary Ann–I wonder if you would be willing to share a few tips on travel photos? Thank you!

  89. In your finishing videos, you show days of the week as tabs in the journal. What kind of paper did c you print them on? Cardstock? Thanks!

  90. Hi Mary Ann–My journal is 6″ x 9″ with signatures of 5.5″ x 8.5″. I’m planning on making six holes in the stitch pattern and using the running stitch. Do you think six is enough? A bit nervous about this. I’ve only sewn one journal before (in ROD). Thanks!!

  92. How many pages to a signature is recommended. I may have missed that somewhere…thank you!!

    • Each of my signatures has approximately 10 folios, so approx. 20 pages. This does not include numerous fold-outs and flaps that I added to the pages as I worked on them. Keep in mind some of my folios are half-size scraps, folders, etc.,

  93. Hello again–For my last two London travel journals, I used matte board to make the covers, and I used paper to cover them. I’ve noticed that the matte board is sort of splitting at the corners.

    Can you recommend another material for covers? I’m wondering if chipboard would hold up better, or Davey board. I will want to cover the covers (ha ha) with paper again. Thanks, MAM!

  94. Dear Mary Ann,

    I came back for another round of Ticket to Venice because I am FINALLY going!! For two weeks!!

    So two questions, one techie, one trip related.

    All the videos worked ok for me, except one — Burano! I clicked through to Vimeo and it said file not found. I tried it on my iPad and Mac. Can it be restored? (When you get back from your trip, obvs)

    Two, the paper store you kept trying only to never find it open, that Suzanne recommended. Do you remember the name of it? It might not be around any more but I thought I would try it.

    • i fixed the BURANO video! thanks so much for telling me. really appreciate.

      i removed that recommendation after returning to Venice this past December. Just can’t recommend after my last visit. Sky high prices. Legatorrio Poillero so much better!

      • Legatorio Pollerio is definitely on my list, plus Librera Acqua Alta for ephemera and Il Prato because it is handy to where I am staying.

        Thank you for fixing the Burano video!

        Leanne

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