A new Christmas stocking

This stocking is larger and chunkier than the others. Because of its size I added some padding. I also added 3 large bells

Christmas stockings

I bought some Christmas material to make stockings and these were the first attempts. I think I'm going to use a chunkier pattern for stockings for the children but this design is good for an adult stocking

Junk Journal 3

The technology beat me here and the photos didn't upload in the order I wanted. I was very excited last week when I got home and found a parcel from Rebecca waiting for me. This was a swap on UK Scrappers. We all sent covers for our journals and 20 pages to go inside. Rebecca swapped the pages around so we all got a variety including our own and other peoples. She then punched holes in the pages and cover an added the bookrings. The result was a packed journal with lots of unusual bits and pieces. I particularly love the paper beads, which I attached to the cover, and the art doll made by Rebecca. I have loved these swaps and have signed up for 2 more themed junk journals - Halloween, which should be winging its way home soon, and Christmas, which I'm thinking about at the moment.

Free your imagination

This was my entry for the last circle journal. The theme was "Free your imagination". The background is acrylic paint and the web is net fabric. The wings are stamped onto trracing paper with patterned paper behind them

A circle journal page

This circle journal is drawing to a close but I have 2 left to do. I've now finished my page in the first one ready to post. The theme was quotes and sayings.

Another fabric covered journal

I found some gorgeous fabric strips at Poundland so had to find a use for them. I made fabric paper which I then embroidered and used to make the bookcover. The pages are mainly scrapbook paper with some added cartridge paper. I've added fabric beads and buttons.

Fabric covered journal

Yet more journal making.

I made fabric paper using ordinary cotton fabric. First I ironed HeatnBond iron-on adhesive onto the back of a piece of fabric. Then I peeled off the backing and ironed tissue paper onto the sticky surface of the HeatnBond.

It's ready to use straight away and is much easier to glue to the book covers than ordinary fabric and glue doesn't soak through either.

I learnt from this first book - you can't see in the photograph but there are air bubbles. When I made the next book I was careful to use my craft ruler to press the air bubbles out when I glued the fabric paper to the covers.

I cut and mitred the corners and glued the edges of the fabric paper to the inside of the book covers. I turned the spine in and glued that too. Then I used a rectangle of book fabric and glued it on the inside of the spine and onto the inside covers.

Halloween Junk Journal

Yes I'm hooked on junk journal swaps so when a Halloween junk journal swap was posted I had to join in.
These are the covers for my journal. I added hand stitching to the spiders web paper.

 
This is the inside of the covers

 

A selection of pages

 

I thought these black and white striped bags were perfect for a Halloween theme

 

More paper beads

Paper beads

I decided to make some paper beads to decorate my journals. I already had the Green Creativity Recycled Paper bead set which includes a nifty tool that attaches to an old coca cola bottle. Once I had a few beads made I rolled them along a versamark pad, dipped them in UTEE and heated with a heat gun.

Here is the result

Bookbinding and the Artstronauts Club

A few months ago a friend told me about the Artstonauts Club run by Teesha and Tracy Moore. It really is amazing. For $5 a month you get videos, articles, downloadable collage sheets etc. I love Teesha's artwork so it's amazing value.
http://www.teeshamoore.com/#!workshops/c120u

I've just watched some of the bookbinding videos which reminded me just how much I love making books. I've made Coptic-bound books before but this was a new stitched technique. The covers are made using Teesha's collage sheets and then acrylic paint. The spine is made from homemade bookcloth and then it's all been hand stitched. The pages are from  a cheap A3 pad of watercolour paper bought from B&M Bargains. I've left long threads at the moment because I'm not quite sure if I will add some beads later.

Junk Journal 3

I have to confess I'm hooked on these swaps on UK Scrappers so I'm taking part in another one. I'm all ready for posting now so here's a taster, I've photographed my covers and some of the elements to swap. The photographs haven't quite captured the vibrant colours of the covers.

Art journal pages

Although I signed up for Life Book again this year I have done very few of the classes so far. Today was an opportunity to watch the class by Mika Diaz and then have a go myself.