Chunky Books
A chunky book is just what the name implies……….a fat little chunky book.
The pages have been embellished to such an extent that the book cannot completely shut. If your book shuts flat it is not a chunky book. The book should be able to stand up on its end for it sits ajar with all the embellished pages (unable to close completely). 
A chunky book can be created on the base of an altered child's cardboard book, a paper bag book (as seen here), altered books and journals, ready-made unfinished chipboard books or made up of separately created chunky pages bound together.
Most chunky books have pockets, pull-outs and / or pop-ups as well as all the embellishments. When creating a chunky book on the base of a paper bag book, the book is assembled in such a manner so as to allow the natural folds and open ends to become pockets and extended or hidden pages. But I will address these and the assemblage of the various books later.
Chunky Pages
A chunky page is very much like an ATC (but on a larger scale) in that it is a small piece of art (or craft) expressed by the artist (or craftsman). It is created on a specifically sized piece of heavy weight cardstock so as to make the book (in which it will be bound) chunky. Although one can create for one's self an entire chunky book made up of individual chunky pages, the "chunky page" is usually reserved for group endeavors. These groups usually consist of five or six (sometimes more) persons. Each person creates 5 pages (or more, based on number in group) on a specific topic / theme. The pages are decorated front and back with an emphasis on the front, it being the prominent feature of the page 
itself. While the back of the page is never left unfinished, it is a much simpler reflection of the front. The pages are then exchanged with the other members saving one page for their own keeping. The pages are of heavy cardstock, not light weight cardstock or construction paper. The pages should be well embellished. They should be signed (usually on the back). If you haven’t heavy cardstock, you can create each page using 2 sheets of regular weight cardstock glued completely together (be sure they are glued well). Never is standard paper or light weight cardstock alone used as the page base. If in doubt as to whether the cardstock you are using is heavy enough, think premium watercolor paper or cereal box weight cardboard. The reason for the heavy weight / thickness is to be able to hold the embellishments and be able to be bound into a book without faltering. 
Unless you are creating a whole book, never place holes (intended for binding) into pages sent to your partners. They may wish to bind their book differently then you.
Always keep embellishments ½ inch away from the front left hand side of the page. This allows your page to be bound into a book without problems. Also, if you go to the trouble of embellishing on that front ½ inch left hand side (back ½ inch right hand side), it will all be for not. In most cases the embellishment wont show for it is tucked inside the bound area. In worst case, the embelishment may have to be removed by the other members so as to be able to bind your page into their book……….or worse yet they will eliminate your page from their book.
And always remember.......So long as the embellishments don’t out weigh the page, one can never have too many embellishments on a "Chunky Page".
