The Sylvia Tietjens/Parade's End inspired book

I was invited to a bookbinding class yesterday taught by my friend Carrie. (I also got to play with the new stamps she's got coming out and they are super cute!) 

We took old Reader's Digests and gutted them. When I took mine apart, the glue was so old the cover just popped apart so we used the black book repair tape to reattach it. 

Inside cover. I cut the Ex Libris bookplate from the innards of the Reader's Digest. The paper (on both the front and back inside covers) is from the new She Art paper line. 

 The cover image is a sticky back canvas transfer and the bottom border was cut from paper - oddly enough, the Glue and Seal made it look as if it were a canvas transfer too. There are 6 signatures of 3 pages each.

 For the record: it took me TWO HOURS to bind. The pamphlet stitch is easy but the beads take time! Especially when you have to find ones that your needle will fit through!

I cite Sylvia Tietjens and Parade's End as my inspiration, as Parade's End is one of my favorite books and watching the BBC miniseries has been divine. I don't normally use my books once I make them but this one I am going to use as an art journal with the theme of Parade's End. I'm also thinking about using my other hand made books for the same thing, a book for each of my favorite novels. But we'll see because I am lazy when it comes to projects like that!

have you checked out...

Paper Wings Productions yet?

It's owned by a dear friend and let me tell you, she and her creative team have put together some *awesome* stamps that have become some of my most favorites to use in recent months. Backgrounds, frames, sayings/expressions...I've been using my sets (and borrowed sets) in my art journal, on cards, and letters and have been loving them. 

My most favorite thing about them is that they're easily mixed and matched. My Queen tag used the Day Framer, London, and Louise sets. (All color is distress ink) They've also got the most helpful blog, sharing tutorials and peeks into different ways to use their stamps. 

Find Paper Wings Productions on Facebook

The Paper Wings Productions Shop 

The Paper Wings YouTube Page

Let's have a give-away!

My friend Carrie recently started up her own stamp company and I love the sets I've already gotten so much I decided I needed to share the love and have a give-away! I'm giving away a bunch of my favorite products from my massive stash AND a set of Paper Wings Productions Stamps!

What's in the basket: (I've linked some of these so that you can see them since mine isn't the greatest picture!)

- 3 Studio G pigment inks
-2 Studio G glitter glues (in white and aqua, my two most favorite)
-Dear Lizzy Memento Charming metal embellishments
-a set of Martha Stewart Alpaha rub-ons
-2 packs of white cards - one square and one giant tag shaped
-Crate Paper's Lemongrass rub-ons
-K and Company's Actopus to Zelephant rub-ons
-American Crafts Details: Frisbee and Honeysuckle
-some multi-colored gems
-some Martha Stewart plaid tape

-a bottle of Ditto's Glimmer Mist in Silver
-some journal tags
-two packs of Dear Lizzy brads

Dear Lizzy Remarks Exquisite Stickers

ALL THAT PLUS! a set of stamps of your choice from Paper Wings Productions! All you have to do to enter to win is go over to the Paper Wings shop and look at their stamps, then comment on this post and tell me which set you'd love to add to your collection.

Drawing open until Wednesday, the 18th at 10pm CST, when I will pick a winner! Remember, all you have to do is comment and feel free to pass it on!

from the files of the fake field book

A little piece I just did for the Art House Co-Op's 4x6 Exchange Pt 2. It's crumpled notebook paper on watercolor paper, colored with some Old Paper Distress Ink. The stamps are just random ones from my collection EXCEPT for the frame and the exhibit a-d stamps - those are the Paper Wings Productions Details Framer that I picked up yesterday. (They are on page 2 in their shop!)

Absolutely inspired by Shay, the woman who designed that framer set!

Watch out this week -- I'm going to have a card making pack giveaway that's going to include a set of stamps from Paper Wings!