Gorgeous Book Page Wreath

Upcycled Book Page Wreath

I found an old copy of the book "Miss Manners" for $3.00 at Half Price Book Store.  It is a huge book with over 1000 pages.  The pages are slightly yellowed, the typeset is tight and there are lots of illustrations.  When I came across this book, I knew that I could use the illustrations for cards and other crafts.  Before long I had the book at home, spread out on the dining room table, and the pages carefully ripped out.  The book and loose pages have been sitting there ever since.

While losing myself in Pinterest a few weeks ago, I saw a few projects using old book pages to make wreaths and flowers.  I found an excellent tutorial at the Fiskars site ( Book Page Wreath DIY at Fiskars ) outlining the basic directions. I did not use the border punches that they use in the DIY (too much work!)  Instead, I used a scalloped edge cutting blade.  While not as lacy as the Fiskars example, it is still very pretty. I decided to add some beautiful roses made from the same book pages for an elegant touch.  The flowers take patience and practice, but they are well worth the effort. I used ivory tulle and made a loop and lovely bow to hang it from.  The result is spectacular!

I brought the wreath to work to show one of my friends and before I could make it back to my office I had at least three co-workers asking if I could make one for them.  While this was an easy project, it was very time consuming. So, I'll have to think about that some...

Adorable Floating Ghost DIY

Isn't this the cutest Halloween decoration?  I saw it on Pinterest and could not resist it.  It was featured on the blog Everyday is a Crafting Day!  It is very simply made using cheese cloth, liquid starch, a 2-liter pop bottle and a styro-foam ball.  Follow the link for complete directions:  Floating Ghost from Everyday is a Crafting Day!

Jen Birthday Card Flower Octo 2011

Jen Birthday Card Flower Octo 2011, a photo by melwalker2011 on Flickr.

Close up of the roly rose on Jen's Birthday Card.

Jen Birthday Card Close Up Oct 2011

Jen Birthday Card Close Up Oct 2011, a photo by melwalker2011 on Flickr.

Close up of Jen's Birthday Card

Jen's Birthday Card

You know what they say about "best laid plans" right?  I had designed a birthday card for my sister, Jennifer in my mind. I knew exactly how I wanted it to look.  I ordered a beautiful vintage looking Victorian image stamp for the centerpiece.  I found an exquisite vintage button and some stunning lace.  I wanted to make something that was primarily black and white with just a pop of burgundy for contrast.  So, last night I started gathering my supplies and piling them up on the dining room table (because my studio desk has no visible surface available) to work.  But alas, I could not find the stinking new stamp. I had put so much effort designing the card, that without the stamp, I was at a loss of what to do.  My creativity evaporated.  POOF!

The thing is, I had to get the card made if it was going to make it in time for the big day.  So I did what I always do. I made myself a cup of tea and rummaged through my stash of stuff looking for inspiration.  At the back of a drawer I found a few stacks of Artist Trading Card images made into little wire-bound notebooks.  I picked these up at Michael's several months ago for a quarter a piece and stashed them.  I found some vintage inspired papers, lace, pearls, a paper lace doily and a few other leftover fancies and created my new pile on the dining room table.  I made a flower using a "Gloober" and a long two-inch wide strip of cream-colored linen.  The result is gorgeous!  I know that she is going to love it.

My Creative Cup Runneth Over

This blog is dedicated to my love of hand crafted things.  I have always been a crafter ever since I was a little girl. I learned to quilt from my Grandma Markham and sew from my Granny Franny.  I learned to crochet from my Great Aunt Lavergne. There hasn't been a time in my life during the last 25 years that I didn't have some sort of project going.  There isn't a craft out there that I haven't tried.  Some were brilliantly successful, and others, not so much.

My current creative passion is paper art.  Several years ago I got involved in Scrapbooking.  Scrapbooking, like potato chips, is very addictive.  My current mantra is "I scrap, therefore I'm broke."  I love all of the gadgets and gizmos that are out there that help you create that perfect look.  I can't resist buying the newest thing. I may never use it, but I've got to have it.  Currently, I am heavily invested in making cards.  My cards are over-the-top outrageous works of art. They are so much fun to make and give.  I have so many birthdays that are coming up in my family over the next couple of months that I am going to be very busy.

This weekend I will be making a card for my beautiful sister Jennifer whose birthday is October 4th.  I found a gorgeous stamp of a vintage Victorian figure that I plan to pair with some lace and paper flowers made from an old poetry book that I picked up at a yard sale.  There is a technique that I came across on Pinterest that will give the stamped image an antiqued, crackled look.  I know that she will love it.  As soon as it is complete, I will be sure to post the pictures.

So until then, thanks for stopping by and welcome to this corner of my life!