Journal Making

In 2013 I signed up for Mary Ann Moss's Full Tilt Boogie on-line journal class. I watched the video tutorials right away but didn't make anything. About 18 months ago Mary Ann announced she was switching her blog to another platform and the class link I subscribed to would be going away in January 2016. That seemed like forever but I watched the videos again, found an antique photo album to use as a cover, made up some pages, then didn't do anything else. In early December it occurred to me that January 2016 was right around the corner! I decided I'd best get in gear and make at least one journal before the class link expired and...voila!

It's hard for me to believe that I actually made this! The late 1800s celluloid cover came from an estate sale several years ago, but the velvet along the spine edge was threadbare and filthy. What a perfect place to use the striped grosgrain ribbon I love so much! 

This book was made using the sewn tapes method, with the pages stitched together with waxed linen. The fabric "tapes" are from an upholstery sample I picked up somewhere years ago. The velvet bow came from a vintage hat.

The velvet ribbon tie was originally the binding on another 1950s hat. I stitched it to some vintage picot-edge grosgrain ribbon from my stash.

As for the style of the pages, most of you will get it. For those who don't and who think I've lost it, the book is meant to be a place to stick bits and pieces of paper ephemera and other things I've been saving just because I like them or they speak to me for some reason.

The quote on the inside cover came from a Hallmark bag. Washi tape figures prominently on these pages and throughout.  Most of the pages are made from partial pieces of scrapbook papers that I love. I use a lot of paper for packaging of items I sell on Etsy, so there are always leftover usable bits.

I've shared a few page spreads below. Most have already changed significantly as I've added a lot of things since I took these photos. I'll share new photos in a couple of months, but I can tell you that I've already emptied out one drawer of my paper treasure chest!

Just one more!

The Full Tilt Boogie class is available on Mary Ann's Dispatch from LA web site. The class includes several binding options. She offers other classes as well, and her blog is a great read.

My plan for the year is to MAKE a lot more things and to USE lots of the crafting supplies and vintage items I've collected. I'm starting the new year with Mary Ann's Remains of the Day journal class. I've watched all of the videos and can hardly wait to start my next journal. It will use up a lot more of my stash. But for now, back to adding to this one!

A Bit of News for Those Following Blogs Using Google Friend Connect

I hate technical posts so apologize up front, but I'd hate to lose any of you as followers. I'm not sure exactly what's going on, but apparently if you read Blogger-based blogs using Google Friend Connect you'll no longer be able to do so after tomorrow unless you have a Google account. I've copied the information Blogger provided below in purple. 

(From Blogger:) In 2011, we announced the retirement of Google Friend Connect for all non-Blogger sites. We made an exception for Blogger to give readers an easy way to follow blogs using a variety of accounts. Yet over time, we’ve seen that most people sign into Friend Connect with a Google Account. So, in an effort to streamline, in the next few weeks we’ll be making some changes that will eventually require readers to have a Google Account to sign into Friend Connect and follow blogs.

As part of this plan, starting the week of January 11, we’ll remove the ability for people with Twitter, Yahoo, Orkut or other OpenId providers to sign in to Google Friend Connect and follow blogs. At the same time, we’ll remove non-Google Account profiles so you may see a decrease in your blog follower count.
We encourage you to tell affected readers (perhaps via a blog post), that if they use a non-Google Account to follow your blog, they need to sign up for a Google Account, and re-follow your blog. With a Google Account, they’ll get blogs added to their Reading List, making it easier for them to see the latest posts and activity of the blogs they follow.
We know how important followers are to all bloggers, but we believe this change will improve the experience for both you and your readers.

If you use Bloglovin or another reader program, you can search for my blog by title and follow it that way, or just click on the Bloglovin button at the upper right on my blog. I've been using Bloglovin for a while now and am pretty happy with it, but I know there are other sites out there that allow you to choose and follow the blogs you like to read.

On a related note, I noticed about a year or so ago that when I leave a comment on blogs linked to a gmail account, the blogger author no longer receives an email showing my comment. I do receive a long and technically detailed email telling me so. As I've yet to figure out how to get past this hurdle, many of you aren't being notified by email when I comment on your blogs. I don't have a gmail account, but do have a Google account and am still blocked. It's annoying and mystifying (in a bad way.) I've been resistant to adding a gmail account as I already have two Yahoo mail accounts, but may have to give in and see if that solves the comment problem.

Thanks in advance for sticking with me! I have a fun post coming up about a journal I made using a vintage photo album cover. Here's a sneak preview, just so you have a photo to see in this otherwise boring post!

Pincushion Cuteness

Vintage cotton pom pom fringe is one of my favorite things, so I'm always excited when I find enough to keep some for myself and sell a bit on Etsy. Recently a customer - and fellow vintage pom pom fanatic - purchased some and let me know that she would be using it to make pincushions.  I'm so impressed with her creations and the way she's used the pom poms that I asked if I could share.

She has such a great eye for design and color, and uses only quality materials and methods. Plus...these are just so clever and charming! I would never have thought to use the pom poms this way.

Here's another of her pom pom creations. Wouldn't these be a fun addition to any sewing space? She even makes and includes decorative pins. 

She also makes darling little clay creatures. This adorable possum family recently made its way into my shopping cart. We have possum guests on our fence almost nightly, so I thought it was appropriate and these are so cute I just couldn't resist!

Photo from LucysLocket on Etsy.com

Her tiny little wool and felt creatures would make anyone smile.

Photo from LucysLocket on Etsy.com

If you want a new pincushion that's a little work of art and will brighten your day, or need a great gift for a creative friend or family member, she has lots of great options. Visit LucysLocket on Etsy here. 

2015 In Review

No out-of-town art trips this past year, but two of my bucket list instructors and another favorite came to OKC for classes. There were lots of great vintage finds, too. Here are a few highlights from what went down in 2015. Click on each month if you'd like to see all the posts from that month. There are also links to specific posts.

JANUARY

A new dress form took up residence in my craft room, and my original dress form got a glamorous new look.

FEBRUARY

There was lots of lace to be found - see here and here -






and I did a bit of Valentine crafting for myself and for a Paper Crown swap.

  



MARCH

In March I shared a tour of my creative space,




and found some wonderful vintage clothing.

  

The original owner of the blue suit wore it for her wedding in 1941. It has since gone to a new owner who plans to wear it for her wedding in 2016, which makes me very happy!

APRIL

Only one post in April, but it highlighted some sweet gifts from my friend Laurie.



I attended Paper Crown's Glitter Retreat at the end of April, and posted about that in...

MAY

Glitter Retreat was three days of creating, shopping and visiting with a awesome group of ladies. Click on May above to see posts about each day including projects, swaps and more.

  

One highlight was taking a class with Lesa Dailey, one of my bucket list instructors. How cute is this?



JUNE

In June I made some cards...



and hit the estate sale trail for a few finds.



JULY

July included this fun class with Jackie at Paper Crown...



and a journal class at Paper Arts in Edmond.



There were fun finds (more here)



and I was excited to get a mention on Suziqusthreadworks blog after she purchased some vintage lace from my Etsy shop.



AUGUST

In August I was inspired to do a little crafting,



and enjoyed a day of great thrifting with my friend Kay, who shared some of her favorite spots with me.



I found a new model for baby clothes, and there was a bit of gifting, too.

SEPTEMBER

September is usually vacation month for us, so most of the month was spent getting ready to go here.



OCTOBER

October included vacation highlights and finds,



and a pumpkin-themed Halloween class 



and swap.





NOVEMBER

November included a trip to visit family in Texas for Thanksgiving, and some vintage finds from that trip...



and an amazing and so very enjoyable paper marbling class taught by my friend Chris.



November also included Glitter Market, which I never posted about - too much going on! 

Photo by Jackie Peters

This was my third time to participate, and it just keeps getting better. You can see more about it on Jackie's blog here.

DECEMBER

In December I finally got around to posting about an October class with another favorite, Kaari Meng from French General.

Photo by Jackie Peters

The second of my bucket list instructors was here in November, Terri Brush, and I was excited to take two of her classes.





So, that's my year! I'm spending tonight in with the DH and doggies, totally NOT enjoying the worst cold I've had in years. 

Wishing everyone a safe, happy and healthy New Year's Eve, and an amazing 2016!

Terri Brush Class in OKC

Terri Brush was at Paper Crown in Oklahoma City last month for three classes. As an added bonus, Terri brought along some of her creations to sell at Glitter Market that weekend (more on Glitter Market in my next post.) She also bought a lot of things from me, so a huge thank you to her for that and for the awesome classes! 

Here are Terri (center) and her wonderful assistants for the classes, Heather (left) and Billie.



I enrolled for two of the three classes. The first was a bezel necklace class. We thought we were making one necklace, but actually got to make several bezels that can be used for jewelry or for mixed media creations. They'll be filled with fun things and sealed with resin. I've yet to make up my mind about what to put in mine so they're not finished yet, but you can get an idea of what they'll look like. 

Bezels were a new thing for me, but Terri and her assistants helped to make them easy. 

The second class I took was the Holiday House class. Here are my friends and tablemates Lisa and Chris working on their pieces...

and a shot of the classroom. Everyone was working away and having a great time!

And finally, here is my completed Holiday House. The glass front is soldered on, as is the metal piece at the top. The center is an old earring that I glued on at the end, and the diamond-shaped piece is an embellishment that I'd been saving for years for just the right project.

This was such a fun piece to create with enjoyable instructors and attendees! Terri has online classes and sign-ups for hands-on classes on her website here. I'm hoping for the chance to take another class from her soon.

If you'd like to see more class photos, visit the Paper Crown blog here, and Jackie's blog here.

Merry Christmas to All!

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas

and a beautiful holiday season! 

Catching Up - Stitching with Kaari Meng of French General

Kaari Meng of French General visited Paper Crown in October and somehow I managed to miss posting about that on my blog. I'm a long-time admirer of Kaari and French General, and have purchased all of her books as they were published. In 2010 I took Kaari's necklace class at Silver Bella. 

I also bought one of her beautiful bracelet kits at Silver Bella that I completed later.

In 2012 my friend Chris and I went to LA for French General's Art of Craft Weekend (more on that trip here.) Visiting French General was a thrill for sure! 

Kaari taught two classes at Paper Crown - a necklace class that I didn't sign up for and of course wished later that I had, and a Boro and Sashiko stitching class. 

Here I am with Kaari during the stitching class.

There were wonderful French General and vintage fabrics to choose from for our class project. It was tempting to use those, but I wanted to stitch with some flour sack and other vintage fabrics that were my grandmother's. I did incorporate a few bits from Kaari's fabric stash. Here's my piece at the end of class.

The indigo strip in the upper center and the pale blue and navy stripe came from Kaari's fabrics. The rest were from my grandmother. I've since added some fabric and stitching but I'm not exactly sure how I'll use it - maybe a pillow, maybe sewn to a tote, maybe a framed piece - so it's not complete yet.

It was such an enjoyable and relaxing class. As well as history on Japanese boro and sashiko stitching, Kaari shared a bit of French General history and the process of creating their fabric lines. Their fabrics for Moda are produced at Fabricut in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which is just one of the reasons Cindy at Paper Crown was able to entice Kaari for classes here.

If you'd like to see more, check out Jackie's blog here and the Paper Crown blog here.

My next post will be all about Glitter Market weekend and classes with Terri Brush, so be sure to check back!