mixed media mini stitched book

I think I'm going through a bit of a mini book phase - I finished this one in the week and another one (for a magazine challenge) yesterday!

The cover is made from an old wool blanket that I've added felt too with that wonderful 'dumphing' machine!  Then some free machining and snippets of lace.

Inside the page sizes vary.  I used pre painted papers that have been hanging around my studio forever, tags,  old book pages, envelopes...

I got to use two new toys in this project - Tim's washer border and Typeset Alphabet dies which I ordered from the lovely Wendy at The Stamp Attic.  I love the umbrella man die too but decided these had more uses, and they'll make great stencils!

I particularly LoVe the effect I got when I put three sets of papers through my Cuttlebug - the text paper got stuck into the coloured paper one underneath (the stitching's there to keep it altogether, I couldn't be bothered taking each tiny letter out to glue it back in lol)

Fabulous Christmas presents :)

I hope you all had a great Christmas!  I did - full of family fun, pressies and food.  We had a great time, and Santa, family and friends all brought me some great gifts so I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourites although be warned, it does show what a weird mind I have!!!  

I am a very lucky girl in that Santa still visits me...twice!  He fills a pillowcase in my own house and at my Mums's!!!  And he knows I love picture books :)  I have some that are just ace stories (I just love the Aliens in Underpants stories) and some for their illustrations

I AdORe Angie Lewin's prints so was thrilled to find this book in my pillowcase :)

It has some great images of pages from her sketchbooks...

and I can feel some eraser carving coming on. although how Angie gets such tremendous detail I do not know!

Santa also brought me a new Martha Stewart punch :)

My Mum and sister both got me a cushion from BHS (I always forget about the new section of The Trafford Centre where they've put all the home shops!)  

Wendy at The Stamp Attic knows me well, I love this pencil case with these gorgeous flower images on

and she also understands my love for corrugated card lol

And how fantastic is this mouse from my friend Tracy?

I just LoVe his legs made of nails, and his safety pin arms.  He is now living in my attic :)  

My 'main' present this year was an embellisher, for needle felting, which was immediately ambushed by my daughter and youngest son!  Sophie made a fantastic mouse (it was going to be an owl but ended up more mouse like so Tom made it a tail!)

then went into production making flowers for brooches.  These feel soooooooooooooo yummy and warm when held together in your hand

Tom had a play with different fabrics and fibres

And once I made it onto the machine I too had a play

I'd love to see what you got for Christmas...great books?  fun gifts?  handmade items?  If you'd like to share them, please link them on my sidebar so we can all go and take a look.  :)

the world of steampunk

According to Wikipedia, "Steampunk is

a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era Britain — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. "

I love the feel of books in my hand, and would love the look of notebooks containing spidery handwriting.  I love butterflies, and ferns, cogs and gears and shiny things.  

So the story behind my steampunk journal is based on the idea that I'm on an expedition on an unknown island, deep in the heart of the Victorian era. [of course I'm also stunning looking, fearless, and don't need to wear contacts lol, but that's by the by]

I come across some butterflies that appear to have been modified to contain steam engine like workings.   But how can that be?  This is an island untouched by humans.

Of course, this story reflects my love of butterflies, but your steampunk journal might delve under the sea, or focus on a journey in a hot air balloon.  If you'd like to join me in creating this journal from paper and an old book, in colouring pages and adding tabs, pockets, and tags in addition to the other main images, I'll be teaching at 

Paddy's Stamping Place

Prestwich, Manchester

Friday 30th and Saturday 31st July 2010

0161 798 5115

Oh WOW!  The postman interrupted this post by bringing me all this yumminess!

How perfect is this parcel, which I've yet to confirm is from the wonderful Wendy at The Stamp Attic, but I spied OX12 on the parcel, and it looks like her handwriting.  Methinks she knows me too well.  But how about this for perfect timing - I didn't want modern paperclips in my steampunk journal but hair pins - they're perfect!!

And look at all this steampunk yumminess :)  Won on ebay on Sunday, arrived this morning :) 

EDIT: just remembered my blog giveaway, and using random generator picked out
 

Elaine, of 'Waves of Creativity', is the winner of the little house, a mica tile, and some little bits n bobs.  Contact me with your address Elaine and I'll get your prize out to you :)

a busy time at Port Sunny

...but such fun!  I was demoing the new Hot Picks stamps and co-ordinating dies from Paper Artsy on Paddy's stand.  Apparently Leandra will be bringing out a new set of Hot Picks each month - oh dear, I need to start saving up :)  I gave away quite a few sample pieces, especially as I met a lot of people who had distress inks at home and hadn't ever used them.

I used the top of my plastic box to dab some ink on from the pad, sprayed this with water, then swiped a piece of white card across it.  Once this was dry, I cut the shape using a die, then stamped the co-ordinating image, again using my distress inks.

I did start the day with a pink phase, but I must have given those samples away lol.  I also used a combination of stencils to colour the paper, dabbing the ink through after picking it up on cut n dry foam.  I fell in love with the dragonfly, but this was my very favourite one :

 I just love the mustard and blue colours together.  The text stamp is from the Hot Picks set.  By just inking up part of the stamp, and holding it with the edges curled up, you can add texture without the words being too clear.  The following is the only photo I took on the day (so no embarrassing photos of Wendy and Sue to get my own back with!).  Paddy sent me off for an hour over lunch, and demoed some fabulous pieces using sticky back paper, gold flakes, embossing powders, the cuttlebug and Stazon Ink.  But guess what?  I don't have any pics of those sample pieces ...sorry!

If you head over to Sue's blog, you can see an 'altered' sample of mine though.  I discovered that the leaf die makes a fabulous bird shape, so Sue took one away to give it a hat and boots at my request, but I LoVe the knobbly knees he now has too lol

playdate at Wendy's

Isn't it nice when you get to have a playdate with friends?  Especially when you get to meet blog friends in real life :)  The only trouble is, time speeds up!! 

It was Wendy's day off from the shop so Hels, Ruby, Wendy and I got together for a playdate.   And had a FaBuLouS time :)  Ruby put us to shame by speedily polishing off a beautiful card with some yummy papertrey stamps, but I forgot to photograph it!!  Sorry Ruby!!!  Email me a pic and I can add it in x

 

 

Wendy put these beautiful brooches together and mounted them onto stamped postcards.  Aren't those colours yummy?  Wonder where she saw this idea?!!! ;)

Hels made two stunning tags with distress inks and Tim's dies.  They are really, really GoRGeouS; the heart has little tiny sparkles inside, to match the crown.  

 

 

And I made butterflies with prima papers and Tim's butterfly die.  And you'll never guess, all these dies and papers are available at The Stamp Attic ;) (including that yummy, yummy, narrow, red, ricrac)