Friday, February 28, 2014

I have been playing around with a little mini album that I have made for a challenge at Cheery Lynn Designs.  This one is made out of cereal boxes which have been covered with tissue paper, painted and then modgepodged.  I doubled up the cereal boxes to make the cover sturdier.  I then used a Couture Creations Die to cut out a doily from cardboard covered with aluminium tape, which I then drybrushed with black paint.  I coloured some text paper with Cranberry and Butterscotch distress ink and cut another doily which I put on top of the first doily.  I then built up the cover using Cheery Lyn Steampunk Hearts and Bleeding Butterfly diecuts and other embellishments.  I used glossy accents on the window pane. For a closure I used two small bull dog clips held together by a chain with a lobster clasp on one end for easy opening and closing. This is the front cover.
 
 
Inside the cover I folded over the ends to make pockets on the front and back covers and also to give the cover a bit more stability.  Here is a glimpse of the inside.  On the pockets I used Couture Creations corner dies to give the pockets some interest.



I used the same corner dies on the spine.



 
I have decided that I will used pamphlet stitch to bind the signatures into the book when I decide what I am going to use for the signatures.  The stitching will add more interest to the spine.  All in all I am really happy with the way this album cover turned out and with the overall sturdiness of it.  Now I have made a prototype I can start using up all of the cardboard I have been hoarding - oops I mean holding on to so I can use it in a future project.  I think all of us crafters have a bit of the hoarder lurking inside our souls. 

Monday, February 17, 2014

I have been taking part in an altered mousetrap swap over at NZ Paperchase.  We had to decorate three moustraps and we will get three back from different people.  These are my mouse

The one below is made using Memory Box and Spellbinders dies, layered up to make them stronger.


 This little art doll is my favourite.


These little ones I made a small book of quotes made out of the small pictures on the back of 12x12 calendars.  The book is held in place by the spring of the mousetrap. This is one with the little book in place.



This is without the little quote book.



Another torso made with zips, pieces of a second hand belt. buttons, doilies and puzzle pieces.  This one turned out really great considering it is made from all recycled materials. The sides of the torso are covered in metal tape with wire and beads underneath the tape.  The whole thing was then spraypainted black, then spraypainted with red.