EEEKKKK! Nothing to tell really.

Hello peeps, not a lot to show and tell this week, not that I haven't been busy but the hand making and stitching of 300 plus note books doesn't photograph that well. The note books I have made for a fair I will be doing later on in the year.

These are single signature, pamphlet stitch note books for your bag.

Different sizes and front covers,

some with internal flaps,

and pockets.

And after much deliberation I have finally decided upon a closure for the Edgar book.

Nice old brooch, with vel"crow" on the inside. Sorry!

What a great day out we had

Last Sunday some of the Ephemera ETC group went, to The Great Northern Paper Extravaganza. And we had a great time. I have to admit I was a little apprehensive as the last time I went It was rather disappointing. Years ago the paper fest was in Hall 1 and it was HUGE! With everything you could think of, and lots of things you had know idea about, but whether it was recession or the expanding use of the internet the show withered, and I stopped going . But that was in the past. Granted we were in Hall 2 which is smaller but it was full of interesting stock and traders, most reporting that they were having a good show and it was worth their time and effort to participate. For a paper fest it was a little lacking in paper for me. A good selection of stamps, lots of dies and thankfully quite a lot of stencils which was what I was after. I will interrogate the group on Saturday and see what they thought of it. Whatever anyone says I was exceptionally pleased to see the paper fest looking so healthy, and hope that trend grows and it gets back to its former glory.

OOOOOOO, stuff. I will show you in more detail next week as I start to go though my new stuff!

OOOOOOOO, ephemera, and I haven't undone the packaging yet!

Speaking of packaging, this was a carrier bag, which I cut the handles off and opened up.

Then I placed wide double sided sticky tape on the reverse, 

like so, 

Thus crating my own decorative parcel tape! 

Speaking of decorative tape!  This is the tissue paper on double side tape then coloured with dyalusions.

I just sprayed it before cutting it up.

New fabric, cotton reels..., nice.

So I just had to make some fabric tape.

It was wide so I used the trimmer to cut it into thin strips.

OK folks got to go. x

I just can't stop...................making journals!

As you know I am journal mad. I went inside this book for its pages but was seduced by the cover. I had to repair it and create a new journal.                                                                                                               

The cover was in two pieces,

with a hole!

Make her a new spine, from cereal box card.

Glue in place with Gel Medium. 

Add calico spine for strength and durability.

Give the covers some new end papers. This is wrapping paper from Paper Chase.

Make some signatures from 12 x 12.

Stitch these onto a card board spine same size as the spine of old book.

I did this because I didn't want to put holes in the old spine.

Using double sided tape attach signatures to old book.

Thinking about closures now.

 Also I have been doing some journaling, and really enjoying myself.

Remember I cast some paper clay heads the other week? Well I finely got them painted

Not the easiest of things to photograph.

They look better in real life. I shall have to work on my photography skills.

More journals. The paper for the Edgar journal arrived so I got on with it,

Six signatures, I set rivet in the spine for strength. These are little "spade" rivets.

Stitching the signatures in.

Using the big shoot I cut lots of coordinating papers, to make flaps and pockets.

A link to Ephemera etc group         http://joannemwilson.wordpress.com/  

Don't for get this weekend is The Great Northern Paper Extravaganza. This takes place in Harrogate at the Yorkshire Exhibition Center, £5.00 on the door. Andrew and I are going..., can't wait. Hope to see you there.

If there are any "d" and "e" missing, I am sorry, but Corrin seems to have covered the lap top in peanut butter!

The wonderful sound of paper.

I don't know what it is, but I have had a passion for paper as long as I could walk. I remember a paper crafting friend of mine who said , "A passion for paper is like an elephant in your living room,  you can't miss it!" As a small person I loved handling bibles, not because I was a religious child, but because I loved the sound the paper made.  Breakfast was a delight..., not because of the food but because of the bags inside the cereal packets, the should that paper makes is delightful. This joy was continued at lunch as my mother had a peculiar habit of wrapping my sandwiches in the same paper. 

As for anyone, receiving birthday and Christmas cards was and is indeed still is, a joy for me, but I loved it more when the festivities were over, and I got to play with this free craft card and images these cards gave me. A trip to the butchers, smiling sweetly resulted in a sheet or two of cellophane the used to wrap the meat in. My mother was a keen dress maker and I would get the paper pattern pieces she no longer required. Also I loved and still do, the backing paper off iron on bond a web. All these memories came flooding back this week as I have been making junk journal and I just love them. I do seem to have an obsessive personality.

So when I left you I had just sewn the book signatures in to my "posh" junk journal. I call this one posh as it does contain a lot of new kit in it, and it is only when we start to add decoration to the pages that I begin to use up old stuff.

Old postcards

Old photographs

Old advertising and card games

Envelopes turned into pockets

Lolly packets

arrrh, my Mummy

Old calendar illustrations

Old book page

Tiny old photos

Now onto a true junk journal

Making cover for journal out of old envelopes and sewing patterns

With some washi tape

Signatures getting a good squashing.

Three signatures stitched into both spines. 

See you later. x