Book ’em, Again

In a previous post, I showed a book made using a coaster and the Cinch easy binding machine from We R Memory Keepers.

Here’s a different style made using the Zutter Bind-it-all:

I first covered chipboard with a pretty wrapping paper from the Paper Source, making pretty front and back covers.

Here are some inside pages:

I LOVE adding envelopes to these books.

I use this book for samples — here some samples made playing with (then) new inks:

Here’s another book, made using lots of envelopes:

And the cover of that book:

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Book ’em … the Easy Way

I love making little books for various occasions — some I keep, many I give away. But I also love taking the easy way, which I found using two machines: the Cinch by We R Memory Keepers and the Zutter Bind-it-all. Both are good and easy to use.

Here are some projects:

First, this one was made using the Cinch and coasters I picked up for $1!

Here’s a look at the inside and a close-up of the cover:

(I used a lot of scraps to make the inside pages — yay for using scraps!)

Stay tuned for a Zutter-bound book!

Thanks for visiting.

Thanksgiving Fun

Ack! How did Thanksgiving get so close?

If you have children coming to dinner (or even if you don’t) check out this great Thanksgiving Activity Book (from Penguin):

It has everything you need for a crafty event, from easy-to-make decorations (including a turkey centerpiece), stickers, games, easy recipes, and more.

And here’s an easy Thanksgiving card:

For the above card, I stamped and black embossed an old Hero Arts stamp (probably discontinued), colored the wheat using Sparkling H2Os, and just kept layering card stock. Fast and easy!

Thanks for popping in!

 

Fabulous Finds Friday — Pinster Winster

A book featuring Pinterest pins?

When I first saw the book Pinterest Perfect! (published by Walter Foster), I thought, “Why do I need a book? Why not go directly to the source?”

But have you ever gone down that rabbit hole, disappearing into a never-ending spiral of great ideas and fetching projects? Where one pin leads to another … and another … and before you know it, it’s Easter and you completely missed Valentine’s Day?

Anyway, this book is a wonderfully curated collection of inspiring ideas, complete with step-by-step projects, creative tips and techniques directly from the artists, and hints on how to use Pinterest as inspiration. The book is broken up into eight sections, from paper crafts and doodling to mixed media and “crafts.” There are also empty pages ripe for sketching, brainstorming, note taking, doodling, etc. Skim the book with sticky notes in hand for marking favorite pages. Read it order or sip and glide as you will, randomly selecting a project here and there.

Here’s a peek inside:

Curious? Intrigued? You could win it! I have a copy of the book, donated by publisher Walter Foster, to give away! Just leave me a comment by July 28 on what you love about Pinterest and a random generator will pick a lucky winner. Sorry, you must be in the continental U.S. to win.

Have fun, and thanks for joining me today.

Crazy For This Booklet

I learned how to make this fast and easy booklet from a Paper Source workshop, and I’ve been going crazy all week making booklets from scrap cardstock. When I got the new Carte Postale papers from BasicGrey, well… it was a natural fit.

Here’s the front cover:

… the back cover:

…a detail of the spine:

… and a decorated inside page:

… a quick look at part of the process (made easy with a Stampin’ Up! scoring board):

Come back tomorrow to see what I did with all those leftovers!

A Stitch In Time … Creates A Book

I recently learned a new book binding technique, and it’s so easy and fun that I’ve been going crazy making books! You start with a 12 x 12 piece of cardstock (I used Close to My Heart’s For Always Paper), trim it and score it for the spine.

Take a look:

I haven’t decided what to do with the book … give it away? Use it as a journal? So I left the label (cut using Spellbinders’ die label 8) blank.

Here are closer looks at the spine:

And some of the inside pages:

(The details: Paper, embellishments from Close To My Heart. I used three small Zots dots to adhere the metal piece, which is from the Mini Medley Accents set, as is the paper clip on the inside. The rose is from the Love Blooms set C1511 embossed in Stampendous! PEARLustre Moonstone.)

After finishing the book, I had a few scraps leftover — just enough for a card and a tag, which I’ll post tomorrow.
Thanks for coming by!

A Crafty Kid

I was always a crafty child. In cleaning out an old desk that was in my mother’s apartment, I found this notebook that I made when I was about 10 years old:

Isn’t it funny that I used an old map to cover this cheap notebook? Not a great job, but a forecast of crafts to come? (Or maybe this means I haven’t come very far!!)

Here’s the back:

Ahhhh…. a trip down memory lane!

 

Using Journaling Cards

I don’t often enter challenges, but this Journaling Cards Challenge in the Moxie Fab World sparked something in me. The challenge was to use scrapbook journaling cards to create something else. I have quite a few of these cards and since I rarely scrapbook, I didn’t really have much use for them. But then I was inspired by the Moxie!

These large cards from Bazzill Basics made me immediately think of a mini book! So I took the eight horizontal ones from the School Days set, added some plain cardstock cut to size, and used my Cinch machine (We R Memory Keepers) to bind them into a book!

(The apple was stamped and embossed in red. I think that’s an old Hero Arts image, but I’m not sure. Everything else is from Bazzill)

Check out one of the inside pages:

Then I cut apart this journaling card ….

To create this card:

(paper is still from Bazzill, Miss Teagen Sue Collection; woman with shades is AB10G from American Art Stamp, embossed in copper powder from EK Success. You can’t see it, but there is a touch of Stickles Diamond in various spots)

You know I can’t stop when I’m on a roll. Here’s something cute from Basic Grey’s Aspen Frost collection:

The papers are from Basic Grey, the ornaments from Heartfelt Creations and embossed in red and teal; sentiment from Hero Arts, die cut using a Lifestyle Crafts die and edged in Ranger Distress Ink Bundled Sage. The tiny pieces of sparkly red thread on the ornaments is from Kreinik.

Really… last one….

Journaling card from Bazzill Basics; “age” sentiment stamped using a small Hero Arts clear alphabet set; blue border is a scrap left over from Die Cuts With a View paper. Edges were distressed and colored with blue pigment ink.

Thanks for coming by!

Book ’em Dano!

While writing an article about bookbinding for Crafts ‘n things magazine (April 2012), I had a chance to explore various bookbinding techniques and kits.

One of the easiest kits I found was from the Paper Source*. (There are similar kits available from other sources.) The kits come with the matboard cut to size and the text block assembled. You get to do the fun part — decorate and assemble!  This, of course, is too simple for purists, but for a beginner such as myself, it was a perfect way to get started — so fast and easy to put together and so satisfying when completed.

I started with two simple accordian books:

Then worked my way up to journals:

I used PVA glue, which is fast drying, flexible and acid-free, and book cloth for the spines. I was so pleased with myself!!

The other newly discovered products that I really liked (again, discovered in the course of researching my article) are these weights, called Heavyweights™, to weigh down projects while they are drying:

Heavyweights™ come in various sizes and configurations, including a flexible version (can you see the blue bag in the back?). They are on the pricey side, but they are so smooth and, well… heavy … that if you do a lot of these types of projects, you will find them useful. Because they are so smooth, they won’t mar the surface of your project. The flexible bags are great for mixed media projects because they bend. I also use these on cards.

Here’s a better picture of the flexible weights:

My adventures in bookbinding continue… stay tuned for my experiments with the Zutter and Cinch coil binders! I could easily be addicted to these!

Thanks for stopping by!

*disclaimer: I sometimes work at Paper Source.

Paper Paper Everywhere

I love paper. I love the colors, the textures, the possibilities. The trouble is, I love paper so much I’m often afraid to use it. So I have piles of paper. This week I decided to change that. I decided to use some stash!

And I found the perfect surface — this mini book from Close To My Heart:

The papers are from the Close To My Heart My Recollections Stella collection.

Here’s what I did with it:

A closer look at the closure flap:

And the inside pages:

It still needs to be decorated, but it’s ready when I am! A little tidbit …. I made the paper a bit too snug on the flap of the book, so I used this great weight from *HeavyWeights TM  to make it bend to my will. These weights, made for book binders, are a little pricey, but are so useful. I used to stick my cards under books and bricks and other miscellaneous items, but these are much better.  I especially like the flexible weights.

But back to my paper. Here’s what I had leftover:

Tempting though it was to save the scraps, I was determined to use them so I didn’t have to put them away! Come back Friday to see what I did with the leftovers.

Thanks for stopping by.

(*Disclaimer: I received complimentary HeavyWeights to review for Crafts ‘n things magazines, when I wrote about book binding.)