Today it snowed...

Not really.  I'm just trying to remember what it was like Before it felt like I was living on the sun..... every... single... day...

Move along...

Move along... Nothing much to see here... keep moving..

I still have books in progress that I'm working on, but not a lot of new pictures.  I also started an Inspiration Journal, using a heavy calendar page, scrapbook papers, tape, etc, etc.  Haven't put my pages in yet, but here's a sneak peek of the outside cover ...

By the way, this was a "bonus book" which was not originally part of the online Full Tilt Boogie class, but Mary Ann threw it in at the end.  It's great fun!

Book of Bird-Brained Ideas

Here's my Frame Block book I am currently working on.  The covers and first page spread are still in progress, but it's a start.

 I knew I wanted to use the vintage 1913 postcard with the birds on it, which was inside the album when I got it. I even pulled off the 1-cent postage stamp off the back to glue on the front.

I had left over scrapbook paper that didn't make it into a previous book - the paper was already pretty busy with its collage look, so I didn't add a whole lot more to it.
 

 I sewed lace to some muslin and glued that on the spine.

I'll add words to the front cover, and something else to the inside front cover.  Overall, I'm loving this book too!  I could never pick a favorite of all the books we've been making in the Full Tilt Boogie class.

Lavender and Maureen

I'm still here.  Just having more work days than play days.  And when I get a play day, I can't decide what to do next!  It's a great problem to have.

I have books in progress.  I have a book ready to be sewn, but can't decide if I want to sew on tapes or make a cloth spine of some sort.  So it's just sitting.

And I got some Bombay india ink, and had to play with that some.

 And, since I seem to feel the need to sign up for yet Another online class (making backgrounds and marks on paper), I had to go to the closest town to see if I could find art supplies I needed or if I need to order online. The only place available without a road trip is Michael's. I still get in trouble with their $1 stuff. I got several shopping list pads because I like the ones with the days of the week on them. I cut them apart to use for journaling. I am ignoring the fact that most of the pads had a chicken theme... I won't use that part anyway.  Those dollars sure can add up though!

But what about Lavender and Maureen, you might ask? Well, one of my books in progres uses the frame pages from one of the vintage albums. And it just so happened that one of the frames had a postcard of these sweet birdies. And another frame had a picture of these two women. I decided to use the postcard on the front of my book when I get the cover made (I'll cover up the Christmas part).

When I turned the postcard over, there was a message.  The postcard was a holiday greeting sent to Maureen from her cousin Lavender.  Even though the postcard and the picture may not be at all related, I decided then and there that the ladies in the picture were Lavender and Maureen.

Never mind the fact that when I re-read the postcard in better light, it is actually a card sent to male cousin Maurice.  And it was sent from Laverne.  What can I say, it's written in pencil and hard to read.  And my eyes are decades old!  I just won't tell anyone.  They'll always be Lavender and Maureen to me, and that's that.



Visuals

It's been all work and not much play the last few days.  But I did get a couple of things from Gaye to perk up my senses.  One is a large album with a patchwork cover.  It has black pages, and I think it will be a good place for the watercolor flowers that I worked on last month.  I've been wanting to put them in a book of some kind, but a lot of them are oversized.  This is perfect.

She also let me bring home some brushes she got at a yard sale to play around with.  I envision the person who lovingly painted with these brushes, using some more than others.  (I just realized I'm envisioning a woman... maybe it was a male artist. Who's to know?)

Letters from Home

It is SO wrong to post part of a letter from a relative without their permission.  So wrong.  But some things need to be shared.

(Click to enlarge.)
(Please forgive me, unnamed letter-writer, and I hope you never, ever see this blog entry.  Please forgive me, unnamed person referred to in the letter.  I'm sorry I'm laughing at your misfortune.)

By the way, if you want to see more books from the Full Tilt Boogie class, teacher Mary Ann Moss is posting lots of class members' books HERE.

Somebody Stop Me

I'm on a roll I think!  I tackled the Week 3 journal in the Full Tilt Boogie class.  I love the new stitches we learned - much easier than they look.  I picked an old book with a cover I liked.  I assembled a bunch of ledger papers, graph papers, etc., and cut some scrapbook papers to size to use as signature wrappers.  I decided to use some dark blue suede paper for the spine. 

I may have gotten a bit too ambitious. I decided to use both stitches we learned and put them on this book rather than make two books. I made several mistakes along the way. Thank goodness I'm not obsessive about perfection. I am perfectly fine with mistakes creative options.

I have started using my Week 1 journal to make journal entries about all the books I'm making.  Is that obsessive?  Don't answer.  So, I'm making the books, journaling about the books, blogging about the books, dreaming about making more books... I need a nap now.

Afraid to Glue

We are in week three of the Full Tilt Boogie online class.  But before I started the third journal, I wanted to finish the second one. 

I was concerned.  I picked out my cover last week - an old vintage photo album.  This would have a hidden spine, so the cover is used intact.  No problem.  My cover is in good shape (considering the age).  It was no problem to take out the stiff photo pages in the album... they were not even attached anymore.  I cut and tore watercolor paper until I had enough signatures.  I added in some of the old photo pages that came in the album.  I was careful to not overstuff the book, and used less pages than what it looked like I should.  I sewed the signatures together using strips of Tyvek for the tapes.  And it all sat there for a week.  I could not commit to glue.  I was sure it needed more signatures - that spine is pretty wide.  But my signature block was already done, all neat and tidy, sewn together like a Christmas package.  (I also used painted Tyvek to support the spine inside the cover.)

 Today, I made the decision.  I would make four more signatures and sew them to the previously made signature block.  Do or die.  The sewing won't show, so it doesn't matter if it looks sloppy. But it looked fine.  It can be done! 

I glued it in and it worked fine.  The book is resting now, and the glue is drying.  I'm very happy with it.  Now I can move on to the third structure!  Can't wait!