Sandycove Acres resident Marilyn Sehn uses art, technology and a little elbow grease to “up-cycle” books and make them into something pleasing to the eye.
And it all started with a YouTube video.
“There are 42 different kinds of book folding,” Sehn says. “The one I love doing is called Photo Strip Book Art or Fore-edge Photo Book Art. I create an image in an (artificial intelligence) program, run the photo through another program which stretches it out over 26 pages of photo strips … Then I cut all of the strips, fold them in half and then use running glue tape and apply them to the edge of each page."
Her efforts result in a beautiful photo on the closed pages of a book.
“The books I use have 400 pages, so that’s 200 photo strips per book. Each strip is numbered to correspond to each page so you don’t get confused," she says.
It takes Sehn 12 to 16 hours of work to complete one project. Once finished, the book must sit for at least 12 hours so the paper fibres relax.
Sehn is no stranger to paperwork and long hours, as she was a legal secretary and bookkeeper before working as an administrative co-ordinator at Markham Stouffville Hospital for 13 years before heart disease influenced her decision to retire early at the age of 60. That was nearly 17 years ago, as Sehn’s 77th birthday is on May 13.
“It’s hard work, surprisingly very physical work,” she explains. “My back and arms are sore most nights when I finally get to lie down.”
Though clients can provide their own image for use when commissioning Sehn’s talents, she usually uses an A.I. program to create a unique image.
The image, an ink-jet printer with 28-pound paper, a paper cutter and running glue tape are all she needs to create a book-folding work of art.
“If someone wants to provide their own book, we can discuss it,” Sehn says. “Some books are too small or too large.”
She notes the books may be read afterwards. But she puts a stabilizer on the bottom of the books she sells so the pages will not open, which turns it into a display piece. As well, book folding saves hardcover books from ending up in a landfill, as book spines and hardcovers are not easily recycled.
A Star Seller on Etsy Canada and previously featured by InnisfilToday in 2020, Sehn is no stranger to the online marketplace, having made over 18,000 sales in one shop founded in 2011 and over 500 sales in another at the time of writing.
Sehn started a third shop called Bountiful Book Art and tried to sell her creations online, but it wasn’t until she started selling book folding patterns that her third Etsy store started gaining traction.
“I started selling finished books but soon discovered it wasn’t going to be lucrative mainly due to postage costs being so very high so I switched to patterns and here we are,” Sehn says.
Sehn still offers finished books on Etsy, but local residents may purchase them for $60 per custom book and $50 for any other book, which is far less than she can sell them on Etsy due to exorbitant shipping fees. For comparison's sake, at the time of writing, a fore-edge photo book is available on Sehn’s Etsy shop for $95.
“If you are local and can pick up the book, just send me a message via my Etsy Shop for pricing and timelines. This is the same if anyone wants a custom book using their own photos, too. There is a 'contact' button in the shop,” she says.
Sehn continues to enjoy teaching herself her craft by watching YouTube videos and engaging in specialty Facebook groups. She is mentored by a lady in Sweden after reaching out to her as an admirer of her work.
“I found Susanne in Sweden after making two or three books that were a mess. I saw her work on Facebook and asked who she was and how could her work be so ‘perfect'. They directed me to her videos and now we message back and forth on Messenger when I have questions, which is quite often,” Sehn says.
Sehn says her husband is very supportive of her artistic endeavours.
“I just thought it was kind of neat to say I will be 77 so that other 'elderly' women realize that it’s never too late to start a new hobby nor a new business," she says. "I love this art so much. (It's) so great seeing an image come to life page by page using my poor old hands."
A resident of Sandycove Acres for almost 17 years, Sehn says she'll be selling her books at the Sandycove Acres Craft Show in October.
"(It) helps supplement my pension," she says.
To learn more about Sehn’s book-folding business on Etsy Canada, visit Bountiful Book Art by clicking here.
