52 Weeks of Book Binding, Art Journals & more…

I have decided to start the New Year with a new project, or I should say projects. So, for 2015, I am going to create a book of some sort every week for 52 weeks.   

Now, not all of these will be books per se, but they will have something to do with books, be it a bookmark, a journal page, an altered book, or whatever, they will be book related.  The possibilities are endless.

I hope with each book I create or book related item, each would be unique in its own way.  I am not saying that you will not have seen these books before; I am saying I hope I can add my own twist.

Some of these books will be the same old, same old, traditional bound books; some will be bound in an usual way.  Others will be fancy and some, not so much. You might say, "Oh, I can do that" and hopefully encourage you to give it a try. Some will be simple and others more complex.  There will be some that will have lots of details, while others will be just "Plain Jane".  On some, I will have a tutorial, while others I will just show the finished product.

You may not like everything I create, but I do hope you will like at least one. This is a challenge for me and I hope I am able to complete the challenge I have set for myself. But, I do know, that in the end, I will not only have made lots of different kinds and styles of book, I will have had fun in the process.

So, come join me and give it a try and see what you can come up with and thank you for being a part of this journey with me.

Christmas Cards

Every year I make my Christmas Cards and this year is no exception.  

For this year's Christmas Card, I made a Christmas Ornament and tangled inside.  

I mounted the card on silver cardstock and then onto the card.  Added a black bow and viola!

 A card is born.

I think this card is my best one yet!

Ice & Snow ART

Follow the link to see beautiful Ice and Snow formations that look like art.  It's amazing how the beauty of mother nature cannot be surpassed by man. 

http://www.boredpanda.com/natural-winter-snow-ice-art/

Christmas Gifts

For the first time, I made soap and bath salts.  

These are Christmas gifts I made for my sewing group "Kneedlers".  

The group meets once a month to quilt ... by hand.  I guess you could say it is an old fashion Sewing Bee. Some of the ladies have finished two quilts already.  I am still working on mine. 

At the end of the year we have a potluck.  We all bring homemade goodies to share, plus our Christmas Gifts. The gifts do not have to be expensive or homemade.  It's just a way of sharing with each other and saying how much we appreciate one another.  

I decided on homemade Lavender soap and homemade Bath Salts.

Lavender Soap

Lavender Bath Salts

I had so much fun making these, that I'd like to try different fragrances and different types of soaps.  The soaps were made with an Aloe Vera Soap base.  

To finish off, I wrapped the gifts in paper bags and decorated them with a lace doily.  I added a Lavender Flower Pot cut-out with Lavender seed packets tuck inside.  I attached everything to the bags with a Lavender ribbon.

Altoid Tin

Can you guess what is inside?

I will not take credit for this because it was not my idea, but I thought it was a great one.  The sincerest form of flattery is to be inspire by someone.  I saw this on Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's blog.  She shared how she made "her" little take along art kit.

Here's mine.

In my kit, I have watercolor paper, scissors, a water brush, pencil, eraser and watercolor paints.  I made mine to suit what I wanted.  You can made yours up any way that is best suited for you.

Here is a picture with everything tuck nicely inside.

Fold up my watercolor paper, put it in my purse or pocket and I am ready to go

Beads, Beads, Beads

Yesterday I took a paper bead class with Dee Rick. 

It was the last class in a series of three.  I learned to make beads starting from basis beginner to advance and then some.  

I have made beads in the past, but they were always your simple basic beads that we have seen a million times.  In these three classes, I learned a variety of different beads, from small to LARGE.  I learned to make tear drops, barrel, tube and double rolled beads.

I learn that your everyday paper is not the only thing you can use to mak beads, you can also use napkins, calendars, magazines, mailers and on and on and on.

Dee has a creative talent for making and designing paper beads.  If at all possible you should take a class from her.  She has so much to share.  She has some tutorials on her Facebook page, and you can buy beautiful paper she designs from her Etsy Shop.  She also has lots of pre-made beads to choose from too.

Blue Twig Studio

I am one of the Design Team Members for Blue Twig Studios.  Deb Prewitt, CZT, is owner of Blue Twig Studio, located in the beautiful state of Colorado.   As a Design Team Member, I was sent a goodie bag of Faber-Castell products.  I was to come up with a tutorial using these products.

Here is the end product from by goodie bag:

You can see the tutorial on how to make this here, and there is a list of all the products used.  You can also purchase any of the products used at Blue Twig Studio.  Other tutorials to watch?  "Skeleton Leaves", by Joy Hellman.