Playing along with WOYWW . . .
November 08, 2019
Except it's Friday because I forgot to post this.
oops
It's a bit of a mess when I'm in designing mode.
This one will be my next
Sharing my happy mess with
Every now and then . . .
October 23, 2019
there's a chance to create something from my stash.
And we all have plenty of stash.
This past week I've played with Graphic 45's Rectangle Tag & Pocket Album.
As I was building the inter-active pages, this album grew . . .
and grew . . .
and grew . . .
to the point that if I kept all the pages in it, it would look more like an
encyclopedia with all the volumes squeezed between 2 book covers.
So I tore every other signature out of the book.
It wasn't pretty.
But somebody had to do it.
And ended up covering the rather large seams with a strip of red checked paper.
That worked just fine until I got to the last signature to tear out
and I had already decorated it.
Oh man. All that work gone to waste? Nope.
I added it to the inside back cover so that it opened as a tri-fold.
And now my book closes - sort of.
It's still an alligator mouth but not so much any more.
Just a baby 'gator.
Playing along with
Finishing up the book today.
And entering it into the
Funkie Junkie Boutique Challenge
of
My Newest Button Farm Club Kit . . .
October 16, 2019
is now available exclusively through
The Button Farm Club
Get yours while they're available.
And if you watch the video, you might want to add
All available as an add-on to your kit thru
New Kid on the Block . . .
October 03, 2019
has a new mini-book ready for you to decorate.
You can see mine here:
Copycat project @ Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts . . .
June 06, 2019
There's a lot of quaking going on.
Think Artist Trading Coins, Mini Envelopes, Circus
and more on the
Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts blog post today.
Hope you can join me.
How did I miss this . . .
June 01, 2019
Did you ever have one of those duh moments?
Well, I did this past month.
If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know that at the moment,
I'm into Junque Journals.
So I've been joining Junque Journal groups on Facebook
to see how these gals put their books together.
And all of a sudden . . . this happens:
Boxes!
Why didn't I know about this?
For years I've been creating my own covers & spines from scratch.
Now I'm digging in the recycle bin.
To make your own book:
(a) eat all the snacks in a box (this is important!)
(b) The box is glued together at one of the sides.
Find that place and carefully open the box where it's glued together.
(c) Cut off the box top and box bottom.
(d) Cut off the glued together side.
And just like that you have a book!
And Pasta Boxes are the best because there's a built in window!
I then took paper and coffee dyed the paper.
Some I scrunched up and some I left with just the coffee splatters.
I made a template for my pamphlet stitch
and punched holes in the box spine.
3 signatures = 3 horizontal holes across
What's a signature?
It's a grouping of papers. Called a signature because back in the days of handwritten books,
each set of papers that was completed was signed by whomever wrote it.
Thus a signature.
For this book, I used 5 papers,
each paper folded in half
and then stacked on top of each other to create 10 pages.
Make sure the folds match in the center!
Then each signature is put together and I used the center hole template,
punching 3 holes through each signature.
Once the holes are punched, remove the template and save for another book.
Using waxed linen thread and a heavy needle,
thread the needle but do not double and do not knot.
Start with one set of signatures.
Place the signatures into the book spine,
lining up the holes in the signature with one set of vertical holes in the spine.
(I clip mine in place with binder clips.)
Here's a video I found on You Tube that shows how to stitch a signature
(I can't do better than Lynn.)
The only exception is that I use waxed linen thread
as it's hard to break/tear and doesn't stretch
therefore, no doubling of the thread.
Once the signatures were sewn into the book spine,
decorating begins.
I left quite a few of the pages blank for journaling
and tried to decorate the pages that I crumpled.
The smooth pages will be easier to write on.
So much fun to work on these simple books.
And it can be a work in progress or a finish all at once project.
Hope you enjoyed this foray into
Junque Journaling.
Check out what my team mates have put together on the
Mini Album Makers Challenge Blog
and join the fun for a chance to win an amazing gift certificate from
Catherine Moore's Character Constructions
Such a fun way to stamp!
Character Constructions $25 GC
Website: http://www.characterconstructions.com/
Blog: https://naturestudy.typepad.com/catherine_moore/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CharacterConstructions
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/catherine_moore/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/catherine_moore/
New Button Farm Mini-Book . . .
May 20, 2019
Sold Out.
Thank you to everyone who purchased this kit.
If you missed the kit, look for the
Tutorial Only
coming soon to
Available today!
Limited kits available.
My last Button Farm Club mini sold out in 12 hours.
Find your kit here:
and happy crafting!
Very excited to be offering . . .
May 10, 2019
written tutorials for a few of my sold out books
You can find them here
Nancy Wethington Mini-Book Tutorials
or here
for the following mini-books:
Mini Album Makers May 2019 . . .
May 01, 2019
Hi Everyone!
Today is the start of a new month and that means another challenge on the Mini Album Makers blog.
This month I'm working with a new book from
Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts
called
Bracket Edge Booklet.
Here are the chipboard pieces that come with the kit:
Base Page with Pockets pre-cut & pre-scored
Mini-book inserts for the pockets (2 of each piece):
Brackets for the book cover (one each):
This is super easy to put together!
First I painted around the outside edges of the base, both inside and outside.
The paint represents Layer #1.
For Layer #2, I used the bracket templates and cut decorative paper
for the inside of the booklet.
Also used a stripe decorative paper for the inside spine.
Next, the outside of the pockets were decorated.
It's much easier to decorate them before folding and glueing in place.
The next step (and before adhering the pockets in place)
decorate the outside.
Using the bracket templates, I cut paper and layered onto both the front & back covers.
I wanted the spine to look like an old book
so I added a layer of chipboard in horizontal strips on the spine.
This needs to be done before adding the decorative paper to the spine.
Then the paper for the spine is cut and dampened slightly to make it easier to mold.
Add the paper to the spine with wet glue, carefully using your finger (not your nail!)
to mold over the horizontal chip.
Once the paper and adhesive are dry, ink with a dark brown ink to make it look old.
Now it's time to glue the inside pockets in place.
Here's a little walk-through of how I decorated my Bracket Edge Booklet:
Come join the challenge at
Mini Album Makers Challenge Blog
and
you'll have a chance to win a fabulous prize package from
this month's sponsor
Button Farm Club Mini-Book with Stamperia Music . . .
April 26, 2019
Presenting
my latest Button Farm Club mini-book
Stamperia Music.
You can find the kit on the
Thanks for taking a look and hope you enjoy this latest mini.