Wednesday Worktable - 27th April 2016 - Cards and Gift Planning

I'm actually posting this on Wednesday this week - yay!  (Last week's post was several days late and no-one saw it!).

I'm joining in with What's On Your Workdesk Wednesday, at Julia's blog.  We each post about what is going on in our workspace and link up on Julia's post, then take a little tour to see one another's projects (and maybe marvel at how very tidy someone's desk is - or perhaps be comforted that others are just as messy as ourselves... )

This week, there are several things happening all at once, in my work area.  It's a bit chaotic actually, but I hope to bring some order tomorrow.

First of all there is this:

It's a notebook for a customer order.  All ready to be packaged up and posted - all the way to USA!  

This owl notebook seems to be very popular. I've sold several recently, which is fun.  I love the paper that is inside the cover and which has the owl on, that you can see through the little window.  There are also deer, badgers, foxes, rabbits... it's lovely.  

Then there are these: 

A couple of birthday cards.  The design is fun - I got the idea from Paula Pink, who I follow on Facebook.

It's a nice way to add interest to a card. You cut a corner (at 2cm or 3/4"), then the opposite corner (but 2cm further in), then crease the joins and fold it inside - like you can see below.  Then you embellish the bits that show on the front.  The cut-away part is also great for stamping a message, that you can see at the front also.

This is the inside of the first card... I used some glitter-glue to give the top "Happy Birthday" a bit of sparkle. 

...and this is the second card (so far).

And this one is a bit different - I cut the same corner, at 2cm and 4cm, then folded it down, over the decorated front.  I'll stick that plain bit to the front, so it makes a sort of frame.  I think this will work out very nice.  

And finally... 

A pile of leather pieces.

I'm planning leather notebooks.  James finishes school in about four weeks' time and we want to give his teachers something really nice, to show appreciation for all the hard work and patience they have put into the "A" Level courses.  

Thing is, there are six subject teachers from this year, plus a form tutor, also James' music teacher... and we might give gifts to last year's subject teachers too, which would make another three (I think!).  

This could be a bit of a Project - not to mention making a very serious dent in my leather supplies!  I think I'll have to re-think the leather notebooks for all teachers - I can make very lovely books with paper and fabric covers! 

Anyway, thank you for coming to see what I'm up to.  As I said, it's a bit crazy, but I hope to have some completed projects to show soon.  I'll be in my studio and the bindery tomorrow, working on the African Photo Album project that I posted about last week, then starting on the leather notebooks above.  So hopefully there will be something finished to show soon! 

Now you've reached the end, do hop over to Julia's Blog, to see the other WOYWW posts for this week.  

Leather Notebook Cover and Pencil Case

I posted a few photos last week, of a leather Notebook Cover and Pencil Case set, that I had made.
I thought I'd just post a little more detailed description here, as I'm rather proud of them. 

The Notebook Cover and matching hand-stitched Pencil Case, in golden-buff coloured leather.  The stitching is in red linen thread, hand-sewn with a traditional cobblers' method, for strength and a good appearance.  Both the notebook cover and pencil case are lined with nice red bookcloth, to give a long-lasting, attractive finish. 

The notebooks are held in by elastic straps (these are black, but I have several other colours). 

The notebook cover will hold three notebooks, up to A5 size. 

There's a little page-minder too, to mark where you're currently working. 

It's obviously inspired by the currently popular "Midori" notebook covers.  Lots of people have these just now and, as notebook covers have been something I was "going to do" for ages, I really thought I should have a go.  

The nice thing about making them by hand, is that there is flexibility on size.  This one is A5 size - it measures 21.25 x 17cm / 8.5 x 6.5" approx - so it will hold notebooks of A5 size, but also 7"x 5", 6" x 4", or anything in between.  
However, there is no reason why I can't make a larger or smaller version, make it tall and thin, or shorter and fatter.  I'm only limited by the size of leather I can get!  

And, as I am in charge... I made a matching Pen / Pencil Case, that will hold up to six pens or pencils. 

I made one of these for my son's birthday last year.  He's still using it and likes it very much, so I thought it might be time to put them into my shop too.  

Again, I can make them in different sizes and adjust their shape and style to suit the new owner.  

I'm very pleased with them!  

Wednesday Worktable - Wednesday 4th November - Midori Style and Bunting!

Hello Deskers!  This is an infrequent contribution to WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday), over at Julia's Stamping Ground. Each Wednesday, Julia invites fellow crafters and bloggers to show a photo or two of their worktables, and explain what they've been doing.

I don't seem to get much time for working in my studio.  It's just been mad, this last few months (actually, make that years!).  Anyway, "stuff" does happen... sometimes.  So, just to prove it, here are a couple of photos to show something I have just finished (but it's an ongoing project!) and also what I'm currently working on:

Just completed and to be added to my online shop as soon as... 

 

A Leather Notebook Cover, with matching Pen Case 

Inspired by the popular Midori notebooks with covers and a pencil-case I made for my son's birthday last year. The nice thing about them is that I can make any size or shape and in any colour of leather that I can get!  

So, those are just completed and ready for better photos and to be offered for sale.  

Currently this is what's on my desk: 

Experiments and planning for a Commission.  

A lady who runs a student housing agency, found this post on my blog, where I showed a little string of mini bunting.  She has asked me to make her two long strings of House Bunting, to hang in her office.  These houses are 6" tall, so they're considerably larger than the mini bunting I made before. We've just agreed on what she wants and I'm about to start making the "real" bunting.  They will each be six feet long when completed.  It's great fun!

Thank you for reading.  I hope you've enjoyed visiting today.  Feel free to browse my blog, but once you're finished, do go back to Julia's Stamping Ground, to see what everyone else is doing today.

Wednesday Worktable - Wednesday 24th June - More About the Leather Journals

This is my contribution to WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday), over at JuliaDunnit's Blog. Each Wednesday, Julia invites fellow crafters and bloggers to show a photo or two of their worktables, and explain what they've been doing.


This week I've at least managed to get my post written on the right day of the week (after two late Thursday posts)!  However, my desk looks increasingly more scary, as I haven't had time to tidy up; the stuff just gets "pushed back" and new tools and materials put in the newly-created gap. 

My plan chest/ work surface... What a mess!

To the left are some attempts at the new Origami Bows, that are so popular just now. The largest is my first attempt, which wasn't bad, but they did improve as they went along, so that I'm quite pleased with them.  More practice needed, I think, to perfect them.  

In the middle are various bits and pieces that I was using to make leather journals.

You may have seen last week's post, about two leather journals I was working on...  

The two pieces of leather, from last week... 

 Here they are now, on my little table, almost completed.  

This is the cream leather journal.  It is now bound into its cover and has a gold loop-and-button fastening.  I have also painted the edges of the cover in gold.  

The cover is lined with a dandelion patterned Italian paper, with an ivory background, printed in gold and a green-grey colour.  The pages are my favourite, beautiful crisp cream text paper.  There is one section of paper, with forty pages.  It's stitched with a very soft mossy green linen thread, to echo the green-grey of the lining paper.  

This is just about finished - it just needs to be under weights for a while, so it will sit flat and open nicely.  Then it will be in my shop, for sale. 

This is the duck-egg blue journal - you can see the beginnings of the cover in the photo from last week.  I had cut the leather and painted the feather onto it.  Since then, I've added the piece of wine-coloured suede leather, for a beautiful contrast with the duck-egg of the leather.  

You can see that I had to hold it with a finger, to get a good front-cover shot, as it keeps springing open.  I'm trying to decide if it needs a fastening - we will see how "springy" it still is, after a while under weights.  

Covers are lined with a rather wonderful paper, printed with a marbled design.  I love how the colours echo my choices of leather and suede.  You can also see that the suede strip is folded over, as an edging on the inside of the flap, as well as on the outside. 

The book has two sections of paper, which I bound with a cross-stitch design, in a plum-coloured linen.  

Here is the painted feather, next to the suede strip.  There is a plum colour under the gold of the feather, so it all goes so beautifully together.  I'm very pleased with this book.  

Close-up of the feather - can you see the plum-coloured background in this shot? 

Anyway, this is my work area today.  Seriously messy, but with some good stuff happening. Hopefully I will have some time free in a few days' time, to have a good tidying up session in the studio! 

That's my contribution for this week.  I hope you'll come back and visit again soon. When you've finished browsing around on my blog, do return to Julia's Stamping Ground, to see what's going on elsewhere this week.  

Thanks for Reading! 

Wednesday Worktable - Thursday 18th June - Leather Journals

This is my contribution to WOYWW (What's on Your Workdesk Wednesday), over at JuliaDunnit's Blog. Each Wednesday, Julia invites fellow crafters and bloggers to show a photo or two of their worktables, and explain what they've been doing.

I'm late again... It's Thursday evening and I'm only just ready to write my post. But I'm trying to join in regularly, so here I am.  I was out yesterday evening, at our local Crafters' Club.  I spent my time stitching a pair of tiny trousers... about which, there will be more - eventually!

Meanwhile, on Lizzie's Desk, there is a whole heap of mess: 

Scary, isn't it? 

So, I'll explain a bit... I'm busy making several things at once (that's how I work, I'm afraid, though today it's more messy than normal).  

To the left is a parcel that contains some pretty dresses for my niece's little girls. Must see her, so I can hand them over! 

Then there is a miniature press, which I have used for tiny books, but just now it contains a large flower head, which I'm pressing.  

The clutter of bits is actually the pages for two leather-covered journals, plus linings of patterned paper for each book.  There is also a leather piece, with a practice at painting a golden feather.  And clutter... always plenty of that! 

This is my small table, with two leather book covers, that I'm making.  You can see that the cream leather cover will have a button-and-loop fastening. The duck-egg cover has the painted feather on it.  I'm still working on that... 

Here's the feather!

And wrapped up safely, are four greeting-card notebooks, with all pages cut, ready for binding.  

That's my contribution for this week.  I hope you'll come back and visit again soon. When you've finished browsing around on my blog, do return to Julia's Stamping Ground, to see what's going on elsewhere this week.  

Thanks for Reading! 

And Lots More Books: The Commissions Update!

My previous post had an update of some books - and one more business card case - that I made in the last few weeks, for my online shops.

I've also worked on several commission books and this post is to show you those.

Commission One - An Italian-themed Holiday Journal: 

Anne chose raspberry red leather, ivory binding thread and a wide ivory ribbon to tie her book.  She specially wanted the ribbon to tie vertically, as shown in the photo.  I used a variation of a traditional Italian Longstitch binding to stitch the pages.  It looks rather nice...

Inside, the leather is lined with red mulberry paper, but each cover has half of a map of Northern Italy, from a vintage atlas.  The map was chosen online by Anne and I purchased it for her.  

I made a label for the inside of the book, using a copy of part of the map, printed onto vellum paper, with the title "Italy 2015" (the label is not attached in the photo). 

* * *

Commission Two - An Artist's Sketchbook: 

Danielle and her twin sister have their 18th birthdays in May.  She asked me to make a special sketchbook for her sister, who is a keen artist.  

Danielle chose a rich brown leather for the covers.  This was lined with red mulberry paper and we decided on a fastening with a simple red cord to wrap round a metal button.

The pages were of Murano paper, which is an artists' paper designed for drawing with pencil, pastel, charcoal and other dry media.  It has a slight texture, giving it a good "tooth" for the drawing media used.  Danielle chose several shades of ivory, cream, grey and charcoal for the page sections.  I also added some loose sheets of glassine tissue paper, to be used between pages, so the drawing doesn't smudge, until it can be fixed with spray.   

The pages were sewn with a cross-stitch, in red linen. 

* * *

Commission Three - A Book of Shadows: 

I was commissioned to make a book, by my sister.  She asked for a Book of Shadows, for her friend's birthday.  

The covers are black leather, lined with purple mulberry paper.  The book ties with a black organza ribbon.  The cover is hand painted in silver, with a traditional Book of Shadows design, of a Pentacle, along with a black cat and symbols to represent the four elements.  

There are forty pages of hand-made Indian cotton-rag paper inside.  The book is sewn in a decorative longstitch, with purple linen.  

* * * 

Commission Four - A Present for Jen: 

Finally, I commissioned myself!  I wanted to make a gift for the birthday of a very lovely lady, who is a skilled artist and produces the most beautiful papercut art.  She goes by the name of Jen and you can see some of her work here - My Papercut Heart. 

Jen designs large and complex paper cuts, which are all hand-drawn on plain paper, before being copied to the sheets from which they are cut.  We chatted about drawing paper recently and she commented that she'd been sticking A4 sheets together, to make a sheet large enough for one of her commission pieces.  So, it was pretty obvious that I should make a Large sketchbook!  

A3 (16.5" x 11.75") Sketchbook.  This has hard covers, in a Nepalese Lokta paper with a screen-printed "Kongpo" design of a garden - a very special sheet, that I bought some time ago and saved for a "special project".  Well, this was just the right project, as I was able to show the whole of the wonderful design on these book covers.  

The edge trim is a saffron yellow silk and the covers are lined with a matching saffron coloured art paper.  The book is sewn with a Coptic style binding, in double rows, with ivory linen. 

The pages are sewn in several sections, so there are plenty of sheets that open out to A2 size, for Jen's large and complex planning drawings.  Hopefully, she won't have to keep tearing out sheets and sticking them together, to have enough room to plan her next masterpiece! 

I wrapped the edge of each section with brown art paper, to give a bit of space inside the book and also to add a nice contrast to the golden silk edge-trim.  I added a small hand-tied silk tassel to the front of the cover, along with a silk-mounted label, with "Jen" printed in an oriental-looking font. 

I'm happy to report that Jen was very pleased with her birthday present - and I'm still smiling!