Head Fog & Pictures!

I've been falling behind in sharing some of my newest creations. Mostly because I've had a sinus infection and have been living in a serious state of head fog. I'm staring to come out of it today but am still feeling very scattered. I had this whole list of things I was going to accomplish today, I got up at a reasonable hour and just did random things until noon!

Around noon I contemplated lunch and saw an old crochet project laying in the corner and picked up determined to triumph over it. I've got a good hand on it now, I need to make more "yarn" before I can finish it... I realize that is vague I promise to share photo's when I'm all done!

See what I mean about scattered I'm already way off topic! Back to the new books and pictures! Above is a new portable photo album! I love this green velvet paper, the texture is so fantastic and the organza ribbon is the perfect touch!
Next up the new style of folio I'm working on! This one is currently for sale in my shop as it is not the materials I will be using for the next order. This was a trial run to make sure that both myself and Leslie liked the way it looked. The new ones will have the same linen cloth along the spine, but will have a lovely brown silk cloth instead.

This green journal was the first in my "A Couch I Was" series of books. Remember the couch I tore apart in the fall? Well I'm finally starting to use the leather from it. I say was because almost immediately after I listed this one I got a request for a custom order for this journal larger and in sketch book form! The sketchbook is happily on it's way to it's new home but I think I will create another like it as I liked the look of the two buttons!
Phew... 2 more stay with me! This one I also love, I've been making thicker books lately and this one clocks in at 1lb 6oz (.62kg) which is awesome. I think I've said it before but I love holding a good thick book. This book also features a great handmade paper for the covers, I find that I'm becoming more of a snob when purchasing paper. I have been buying more handmade papers and less commercially printed papers. Lastly we have a fun pair of earrings! I love the gold hoops with the little hearts in them and I love how it brings the paper and the hearts together as well. They are from an Italian handmade paper (again see the handmade part) and I love the different shades of blue.

Ok now that I've overloaded all of you I'm going to run to twitter so that I overload others :)

Sweet Music

Music is the theme for my local bookarts exchange this month and as I've always wanted to learn to make a piano hinge book, so I did! My first attempt is the top book with the music notes on the cover, that one is going to the exchange, the bottom I'm not sure what I'll do with. I'm still not happy with the cover attachment on either book. For the first I looped a skewer through just the cover and for the second I folded in the extra sections. I don't love either but can't seem to find a work around that I like- I'm also not sure which I like better at this point either.
Anyone out there have experience with these and care to chime in with advice?

In other book happenings I got another pair of my book earrings photographed and listed in my Etsy store. For some reason they are an absolute bear to photograph. Even with my macro lens they aren't in focus or comeout over exposed and washed out. The black backdrop seems to help some with the over exposing but as you can see from the little pic here it still happens pretty bad. It's on the agenda of things to find a work around for later this week. I've got to make it through midterms this week first!

I've got reaction mechanisims to get back to, I just wanted to share my piano hinge books despite the cover issues I really like them!

Success!

I'm feeling pretty darn good right now. I sold my first pair of earrings on Etsy!
To celebrate I listed another pair! The second pair of earrings I love just as much as the first. I almost kept this pair for myself to wear to school in the fall to match the lovely orange the tree's turn here. Then I remembered that I never actually wear the first pair I made for myself and decided that someone else would be much better off with them instead of myself.

In other crazy news for today I cut my hair off to my chin, in a little bob. No pictures yet as I had it done by a co-workers daughter while I was at work today and I can't seem to style it right. Haven't decided if I love it or hate it yet. I'll keep you posted.

Home Again Home Again

I'm home from what I think is the last of my long weekend trips for the summer. I went back to where I grew up for a late wedding reception for my "second family" and all of us kids were home so it was a good weekend. Lots to eat and drink, and all were merry!

Lot's has happened on the crafty front over the weekend as well! I'm hard at work on my first wholesale order which I am very excited about- and I'm now the proud owner of a button maker! I don't have any parts to make the buttons yet, but I've got the machine and thats the first step.
I've also becoming involved in a movement to get more people excited about shopping local designers/crafters. More details on that as they become available...

I also took my first venture into the jewelry category on Etsy. The lovely earrings above have been listed as I've had requests from non-locals for them. I have several more pairs ready, I just need to finish doing the photo editing.

Earth Week

Eugene is an eco-minded town and there were all kinds of Earth Week festivities going on around town. Susan of Seh What! on my local street team works for Levi and they put out a call for handmade items from the team that were recycled. I admit that most of what I do isn't recycled but the cute little book earrings fit the bill perfectly! I sent the 4 pairs above and I hope they got warm welcomes!
I have had a busy week with school, work, and the like. I got my first project back from grading and am plugging away on my second. Silk screening is turning out to be much harder than I had expected it to be. Not sure why I though it was going to be easy, but I did. I'm WAY behind on my second project because I can't get my beaker to turn out... yes I'm a geek, I'm doing an art project involving chemistry. I promise to share a picture of one of the prints when I'm done.
Today is a nice day after a week of snow, rain, & hail so we are enjoying the fading sunshine and waiting for a few friends to arrive for the weekly Saturday dinner. We are setting up the ball game in the "back yard" which is really the grass we share in the back with the rest of the apartments that no one but us seems to use.
My prints are due Thursday so if I remember to pack my camera as I finish them this week I'll share by the weekend. If not I'm not sure when I'll get them back from grading.

"Little" Update

I still haven't adjusted to my new schedule and haven't had time to do much serious binding lately..... However I did find some time to make some absolutely adorable mini books. I made one pair into earrings and I love them. I wore them all day on Saturday which is a *huge* thing for me. I wear the same hoops 24/7, 365. I might have to start making an exception for these. Make a few pairs and change them out to match my outfit.

I also found a little time this evening to make a book for the Emerald Book Arts Monthly Swap (my local book arts group). Our theme was Spring, and with Earth day around the corner I wanted to use something recycled also. I drug home another sheet of Kenyan paper from work and made this lovely little notebook with a delicate flower stamp on the covers as well as each page.

As school this term is proving to be much more time demanding than my other terms I think this poor little blog will be reduced to a weekly updating. I really wanted to update this weekend but didn't get the chance as I was doing homework all weekend. My poor shop is just as unloved, so it's nothing personal. *fingers crossed* I'll adjust soon and be able to do more binding and blogging.

PS- I totally forgot to give credit where credit is due! As usual the inspiration for the little books came from Rhonda and I picked up the pattern in Dingo's store!