Monday, November 15, 2010

Fun With Deli Paper












I bought a big box of deli paper (sandwich wrap) to protect my work surface, but I love the texture so much, I am incorporating it into my crafting. The following set of pix show what happens when you mix deli paper, spray paint and stencils. I loved the paper so much, I modpog'd it, mounted it on grunge board and made a couple of journals!


Friday, August 6, 2010

Buttons


Spring 2010 and the buttons are blooming! Friend Alan Sasaki shared his "Clay Squishers" and I was off and running! Decided to blend polymer clay to match my waxed linen bookbinding thread. Experimented with metal rub and neocolor. Goofed up a batch by spraying sealant too close to the button...but ended up liking a lot of the "goofs."




These are some of the unfinished buttons next to the celadon waxed linen thread. It was great practice mixing color.

Tag Book


At the first meeting of our soon-to-be blended family, we provided tags with names AND each individual's the relationship to bride and groom. Each guest was asked to write their good wishes to the couple, and the tags were compiled into a keepsake book.




This accordian-folded binding allows the tags to be "arrayed" when the book is opened.









Names were written on the back of assorted tags from 7gypsies.






Heart-shaped brads were used to attach ribbons (removed when the tags were bound into the book) and we provided stickers also!






Thursday, August 5, 2010

July 2010 Sabbatical




Just completed my 8th July Sabbatical. No watch, no shoes, no commitments for 30 days. Blissful! Spent a lot of time playing with leather, fabric, paper, and my 40 year old Sears Kenmore sewing machine. Ventured to the garment district and picked up three small hides and began timidly with ATCs, to experiment with stitching and gluing fabric.



Ventured to a larger format, still inspired by Jeannine Stein's book class. I've been creating an inventory of pages - rediscovering paper that I've had in drawers for years, subjecting them to my dual-edge ripper and creating "grab-and-go" signatures.










I chose very lightweight leather, so these will have to be reinforced somehow - perhaps with Tim Holtz's grungeboard (?).

After a few months hiaitus from Mary Ann Moss' "Remains of the Day Journal" I created a few more covers. Mary Ann's easy style is a comfort to me. I had been fretting because I goofed up my first cover by trying to attach a pocket. But after watching her videos again, I decided to "snap out of it" and move forward!









My first attempt at a cover, which I love, is shown below. And I am just ignoring my goof (of course I won't picture it here: too painful!).


For really wild creativity, check out Mary Ann's blog (and those of her disciples!). Here's my first set of pages filled with works of arts from my pals. Another book is in the works already.