Wanderlust Kate Crane Part 2

So here is the mini journal that I made for the Kate Crane lesson. I have to say it was a lot of work.. not hard, just very time consuming. Lots of pages needed colouring on both sides with several layers on each.

Despite the time taken I am pleased with how it turned out. I have no idea how I will use it yet. Kate suggested a travel journal, but as i don't really go anyway that won't work for me lol It will probably end up just as a handbag journal, to play in when I go to town and stop off for coffee. 

I pretty much followed Kate's instructions, it is actually nice to just follow along and not have to think too much lol 

My front cover features a stencil by Seth Apter  I love these collage style stencils. The covers measure 13cm x13cm. 

Here are my insides..of the book, not my actual insides, cos that would be a bit gross and not very arty lol  Because of the paper that I was using I had enough to make two pockets instead of one. 

I really like all the colour inside and the use of different sized pages. 

So far all I have added is a few quotes here and there. 

In total there are 50 small pages to work on, so it's a bit of a monster really .. plus 6 tags! However because of the concertina style it all folds up very neatly and is only 2 cm thick. I guess it will expand as i fill it, so it may become chunky. 

Very happy to be able to tick one lesson off lol 

Darcy x

ooo we love a bit of recycling we do!

this is the Kraft type paper that was in the middle of the xmas gift wrap, usually it is a cardboard tube, but this year it was this lovely paper. I ended up with 2 of them.



Out of those 2 pieces, I was able to cut 8 rectangles...the size of these all depends on how big your covers are going to be.


At each end I cut a finger tab using a circle punch.




Don't throw away the leftover bits...




using the cardboard from the back of old notebooks I cut my 2 covers. Mine are 6x6, whatever size you cut, will dictate the size you need to cut for the pages inside. The pages need to be smaller than the covers.


I attached patterned paper to the outside of each cover, leaving a border of the brown cardboard showing. Then I placed them side by side with a 1.5cm gap, and attached a strip of the kraft paper. I turned them over and covered the inside with patterned paper too.

next I started making the pages/pockets. Each rectangle of paper was folded in half.

Attach half of one rectangle to half of the next rectangle. I joined them using strips of the leftover paper. I ended up with 7 pockets and a spare half a rectangle at each end.

The 2 end halves can now be stuck to the inside of the covers. Just a little glue around 3 of the edges, so that each one becomes a pocket too. Also a bit of glue in the spine will help keep the pockets in place.

After I had stuck these down, I realised it would be a pain trying to get anything into them, so I cut a deeper finger pull.

Next the pages. I cut tag shapes from an old book. I glued 2 tags together for each pocket, just to make them stronger.

Then I gessoed,painted,collaged,scribbled,distressed each tag. ( I used neocolours,prismas,graphitints,white acrylic and strips of patterned paper.)

these slip into the pockets. Each one can have a photo attached and some journalling.

I also attached some of this decorative felt to the front cover. It needs some more embellishment, and the pockets will also be decorated, but i won't do that till the photos are chosen. I will also add some sort of closure, at the moment I am thinking cord attached to the back which will wind around a big button attached to the front.

I would love to see what you have been recycling...

How can it be a week already? hello Wednesday. Well I am back from the wedding in London, it was a pretty manic weekend. Some wedding photos are in the previous post.

Today's desk, my machine is out again, still making denim bags. Though by the end of today Iwill have them finished and they will have been delivered to the driver who is taking them to Moldova. I ran out of denim and time, so only 36 will be finished.

On my desk you can see that small pile of denim, no piece is bigger than 6 inches. That is all that is left from 14 pairs of jeans, 2 skirts and a metre of denim fabric. (The wool at the back, is to finish off a baby blanket, started 3 years ago)



Finally I can show you the wedding stuff, this is the card I made for them.

An easel card in the main, but with a slidey out bit at the front.

This is the gift box...

which contains the photo album that I made...I couldn't get a gift box to fit, so I bought a document box from WHSmiths, padded and lined it...added organza ribbons.

At last, here is the book that I made. It is full of tags and pockets and bits that are hidden and pull out. I am so pleased with the way it turned out.The bride loved it.

(It was made using instructions from Laura Denison )

This is the only full length photo of me where you can see my dress,necklace,bracelet cuff and bag .lol

Hello Wednesday Wanderers. Hope you like the new look of the blog, I spent all day a few days ago revamping it, messing with the html till my brain was truly broken lol

Bag Update...14 bags finished and another 6 half done.

Since last week I have made another mini, the last one was blue,brown and green for a male friend's 40th, and this one is in pinks for a female friends 30th.

Again following instructions from Laura's page I love it when people design great stuff for me to have a go at.



I have loved making these two, and was able to pack a lot of photos into them, this one has *I think * 26 photos in it..can't check as it has been mailed out to her.



Each tag has a photo, and a title or a journal sticker. also a few of the pages have blank journalling areas for her to fill in.




Tomato watch...see how tall my babies have grown.

Just lookie!!! I am so impressed lol

Desk watch...machine set up, pile of bag straps and linings and a small pile of fat quarters which are to make a bag for myself at an upcoming sewing day with friends. hmmm now how did that can of cider get in there lol

Must get on with bags now, and also need to start a wedding album.

Speaking of which where can I get 2 silver coloured metal rings from, wedding ring stylee and NOT joined together....actually I could do with about 8, if I can get them cheap enough. If you know anywhere that sells them please let me know.

have a great week. x

Hello wednesday bloggers, no shot of the desk today, nothing much different on there, sewing machine is set up and there are bits of denim everywhere...and I do mean everywhere lol

I made this little photo album this week for a friend who had a 40th a few weeks back that I couldn't get to. The destructions are on this blog HERE. Love her books,do check out her blog for some great tutorials.



The papers are K&Co.


It is basically pieces of chipboard (covered) that wrap around a bunch of envelopes that are stuck together.



In each of the envelopes is a tag, I've used photos that other friends took of the party to fill the tags.




So now onto my main task this week. The bags...thankyou to everyone who sent good wishes last week, and especially to those who donated, money and fabric..

For those who enquired about buying the bags, sorry but they are not for sale. The children that the aid is going to have absolutely nothing, and while the vans will be full of furniture and nappies and clothes and dried food etc it's important that the kids have a little something just for them...last year I made toys, this year bags...so the bags are not being sold to raise money they are going direct to the kids. They will each be filled with colouring books,toys and sweets.


Here is the design I chose to do, its a pretty simple tote bag. Using denim from the legs of the jeans, plus a pocket stitched on the front.




The straps are made from the stripped out seams of the legs, the fastener uses the section from the button fly.

The back is more denim, here you can see where I have pieced it together.

and here are the first 9 done. I have stitched enough linings for another 11 bags, and will hopefully have enough denim. So fingers crossed I will get 20 done, anymore will depend on what fabric I can get hold of.

Here you can see all the different linings. It's been a great excuse to use up pretty much all my old fabric.

Going out today for coffee with my Romanian friend, so will get around to some blogs tomorrow. Have a great week.xxx

Morning campers! ahh now this is more like it, my room has been far too tidy of late...well now there is all kinds of shit everywhere lol
I can't even get to my desk so i have been crafting on the bed.



On there, if you could get near...and i couldn't so I had to take the photo from the doorway.... you will find some half done projects. Firstly these are pages for a book using the papers that Alix sent to me, they will eventually be decorated with all the other bits she sent too and then bound using the BIA.




Here is another book, made the same way, that I am going to fill with photos from a party we went to last year.



Each page comprises of 4 tags, there are 3 on the front of each page and 1 on the back. ( 2 large and small)

here you can see where the 3 pull out from on the front.



and again here...

on the left here you can see the back of the page, where another large tag(in green) pulls out completely . It is held in place with the flap at the top and the scalloped edge at the bottom.

Would you like to make one? all the destructions are on this lovely lady's blog. I found her blog several months ago, bookmarked it and then promptly forgot about it, lately I have been drooling over her lovely books, and thought i would make some of them. I think I have a crafting crush on her work lol

Here is another, the inside pages are made using her instructions, but my cover is different. I punched holes through the pages and the covers, then threaded elastic loops through all the layers and popped a candy cane (made from craft straws) through the elastic loops each side, thus holding the whole thing together.

here you can see the pages, made from envelopes, each has a flap that folds out for extra journalling space..

each page/envelope also has 2 file folders that pull out again for extra photo matting or journalling.

Here is another, made with long envelopes this time, folded in half and layered up then stitched through to hold them together.

Basic Grey papers with fabric over the spine.

and again you can see the flaps that open out, I have yet to cut the file folders for inside. This was going to be a gift, but I really like it so i am keeping it lol I do have an awful lot of photos that need scrapping/putting into mini books so it will def get used.

Last night I realised it is my aunties birthday this week, so I quickly drew this picture. I will colour it in with promarkers and make it into a card, maybe add a poem inside and send it off. I will try and remember to take a photo of it finished.

I am thinking of doing a give away, not sure what yet..maybe a small bag..watch this space, maybe when I get to 100 followers.

Have a great day people....oh and last week Coheed and Cambria were awesome.