Saturday, May 30, 2009

Beautiful journals

It has been a Scrap Journal factory in the studio lately. I thought you might be interested in seeing the process of making the covers.

bookbinding tools
Above are some of the basic tools. From left to right: Micro-spatula, brass rule, Teflon folder, brayer, damp rag, baby wipes, apron.

Book boards
Book boards, upper right.

glue brushes
Glue brushes

I almost forgot the most important thing! The glue!
PVA glue

Here are the covers, endpapers and "doodads" before gluing. Doodads is what we started calling the pieces that get decoupaged
on the covers:
Scrap Journal covers

Scrap Journal cover in progress
Here is a cover that has had the glue applied. The book board has been placed on top. The next step in turning in the, well, the turn-ins.

Lifting the cover
This is where the micro-spatula comes in handy. You can use it to carefully lift the wet cover out of the excess glue on the waste paper without getting glue all over your hands, the cover and a myriad of other places it shouldn't be. For me, keeping the glue from getting all over is the hardest part of bookbinding. That's why these are essential:
essential
I always keep baby wipes and a damp rag handy, and wear an apron to wipe glue off my hands. The apron is really more about protecting your work than protecting your clothes.

Turn-ins
Burnishing the turn-ins.

Gluing down the endpaper
Gluing down the endpapers. The cover is lying sideways in this picture.

Gluing down the doodad
Tamping the doodad
Decoupaging the "doodad." Again, the challenge here is to not get glue all over the cover. To quote Run-DMC, "It's Tricky."

Book press
Once the covers are glued, they need to be pressed. A book press is a wonderful thing, but if you don't have one, a stack of heavy volumes will do the trick.

The finished covers:
Finished Scrap Journal covers

Black Spot butterfly
Consolation No. 5
Egyptian locust
Gran Centone nell' Opera
Magnificent moth
Ouverture Burlesque
Songbird

(Some of) the finished journals:
Burlesque 72dpi

Egyptian locust 72dpi

Red Top 72dpi

Standard Oratorios 72dpi
These can be purchased at Hollander's.

Sharon

Friday, May 15, 2009

My family and friends are great

Here are some goodies given to me by my wonderful family and friends.

Below is a small fraction of the cool old sheet music my dad found
for me:
Vintage sheet music
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
Sunday
From Elizabeth Maxson (purchased at Miss Frenchie's)
from Elizabeth Maxson 2

Vintage velvet buttons

vintage scissors

Chancellor Liberty Cigar
The buttons on the button cards are velvet. Really special.
From my wonderful sister (and soap-maker), Sheila, owner of Yellow Moon Antique Mall in Mooresville, Indiana:
Vintage office supplies
NuAce photo mounting corners
Roundhead
My good friend Cindy gave me these:
Vintage trade cards
Iris detail
Trade card detail

Thank you everyone. I love my new treasures. : )
Sharon

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

From the garden

Speaking of flowers, I cut these from the garden yesterday.

From the garden
Peonies, irises, azalea and some little yellow flower that I don't recall the name of. They smell like heaven.

Sharon

Monday, May 11, 2009

From around the Web

Here are some things I've found around the web:

Ornamental Life

Cracked china is given new life. Ornamented Life fills cracks and chips with 24K gold and then embellishes them with delicate flora that "grow" out of the imperfections. What a lovely idea. Via Oh Joy!

Michael and I just bought three photographs from this artist:

Above

Above by Erin Tyner

I love the packaging of Saipua's soaps:

Sapua travel soaps

Her floral arrangements are beautiful too:

Sapua floral arrangement

Sharon