More Makes (and a few bits of waffle)

This weekend we were celebrating my upcoming birthday.  I will be Thirty-Something-and-a-big-bit... (not telling, laa, laa, laaaaa!).  We went out on Saturday night, to a lovely Indian restaurant in town and ate lots of yummy food. On Sunday morning I had my birthday cards from J. and D. and a present from D. as well.  He'll be working on my birthday, so Sunday was my "Official Birthday".  We also had my mum over for a nice lunch. It was a good weekend.

I was also busy this week, working on a few projects. Another birthday card:

This was for my friend Mary, whose birthday is today.

...and this book, for Kylie, whose birthday was a couple of days ago. The photo was taken in artificial light, so the colours are a bit ropey. It's a brighter green and yellow than in the photo. 

This book is a journal, with 40 pages (80 sides) of plain sketch paper.  They are in 4 sections, with green mulberry tissue guards at the spine. The binding has a hinge in the cover, to allow the book to open. It's covered with bright lime-green Khadi lotka paper, with an orange-gold silk tussore at the spine edge.  The binding is with a lime green cord, through the eyelets you see on the cover. This passes through all the pages.  I made the little tassel out of the tussore silk.   The back cover is the same as the front, without the extra embellishments.

I embellished the front with a hand-printed image, from one of my hand-carved stamps, printed on Zircal printmaking paper with bright green water-based ink.  I used a piece of the silk fabric as a matt.

Kylie came for lunch today and we had a nice afternoon, eating chicken and baked potato, ice-cream and fruit, then gossiping over cups of tea. 

She was very pleased with her book and has asked me to make her a special diary-planner, that she can use at work. I am very pleased to have another commission! I have to cost it up and let her know the price, but I don't think it's a problem.  I'm looking forward to making this, once I finish the Wedding Guest book that I'm working on for an Etsy customer.