hey ya'll

it's been a while!

not a whole lot has been happening in terms of etsy, i've taken on a few commissions since the last post but haven't really made anything on my own for a while since i've been working 7 days a week for the most part :T i did make a couple books for halloween, which was fun :) even with tea staining and baking one book's papers, something i swore i'd never do again ;)

looks like i'll be missing the next book swap for best, but i've got a book to make for a friend and then i have some extra paper folded and punched, ready to bind! i'm excited about using some of my new japanese paper! and these next two weeks will be a little less busy production-wise, what with thanksgiving and all, so i should have time to work on books! hooray!

life-wise, i've been working at effinfunny for a couple months now and it's been great! they actually brought me to work on "the guild" with them, so i've been the art p.a. since almost the beginning of this season. they also teamed up with machinima.com to work on some projects and i've been helping with those. one of the videos they did on the election got on the carson daly show, so that was pretty neat! they also took me to blizzcon for a day, which was very nice of them :)

starbucks didn't quite work out, but i'm still workin at sushi! hoping that little production gigs here and there will cover the amount that i'm not making from a second job, but i don't think that's really going to happen so after i get back from my two week winter vacation in hawaii i'll be looking for another part time job. probably bad timing, doing it AFTER the holiday rush, but with the economy now i'm not really sure there's a good timing!

i was a moogle for halloween. what were you?

playing with bindings!

i recently joined the firefly-based big damn crafters street team on etsy, and for may's team challenge about unification day i created this book:

i used a stab binding method (which was a problem because i used my screw punch for the leather cover but not the pages, i used my awl for those and i probably had way too many because it was a pain in the ass to get the damn needle and thread through. i actually ended up breaking a needle, eesh!) as a way to bind (har) the old western and asian styles together into one book. i like it, but i don't know that i'll do it again ;) my first leather book, and also my first binding style other than the hardbound kettle stitch method! i haven't listed it on etsy, because the plan is to give it to my dad for father's day. :D

i did list this book on etsy, however:

i used a coptic binding method (ish... i think the first and last rows weren't done quite right because after i was done i compared it to eva's book that i received in the first best book swap and it looks like i should've looped the stitches a little more) based off of a tutorial i found online (did the same for the stab binding). i rather like this one, i don't think i could've done much different in terms of tension on the stitches because it does sort of pop open when standing up but it lies flat and i believe it's the paper itself that's doing the opening, not the stitching! so that makes me happy :) plus i've been wanting to use my papyrus for quite a while and i'm really glad it looks so awesome with the marbled paper (yep, same paper as used in the background for the leather book hahaha)!

two new creations

my friend pat commissioned me to make him a photo album for his recent trip to spain, so i finally ordered some stuff from hollanders (very happy with their products, i will definitely be ordering from them again!) including an unbound block for the biggest book i've made yet! he gave me a newspaper he got in spain, and together we designed and created this:


i'm rather proud of it, although i wish i had gotten better pictures before i gave it to him :) it was the second book i used methyl cellulose / pva mix with, and i think it helped me figure out its properties a little better! i ended up adding an end sheet to the back and pasted a map onto the inside front cover... a couple bubbles but not too bad i think! the front cover sports "spain" cut out in black library buckram (crazy thick bookcloth, a lil difficult to work with but cool cuz it's waterproof!) with cut outs of spanish newspaper text peeping through! i used red satin bookcloth on the spine, and i think it feels matador-ish haha.



and just so you know i'm a huge nerd, i also made myself a lightsaber. it doesn't work... yet!


don't forget to check out the best team sale going on right now! it ends saturday, april 26th! i'm offering 15% off all items in my own shop.

world book day team sale!

As part of the Bookbinding Etsy Street Team's World Book Day celebration, some of the members are participating in a sale from Wednesday, April 23rd to Saturday, April 26th. Check out the list of shops below and the discounts they are having!

ladyartisan: 15% off
lapaperie: 10% off
bluevalentinepress: free s&h + gift
subu: 10% off paper items
yellowcraftychick: 10% off
yatsu: free s&h
usefulbooks: 10% off
thisibexx: 10% off
myhandboundbooks: bogo 25% off
scodioli: free s&h
kristincrane: 10% off
kupokiley: 10% off
thecraftykitten: 10% off
flurrsprite: 15% off
uniquelycovered: 10% off
repaper: 10% off
moonbindery: 10% off selected items
artkitten: 20% off books + free s&h
bibliophile: 20% off

world book day challenge!

here is my entry for the bookbinding etsy street team's world book day challenge :) it's based off of shakespeare's romeo and juliet... i call it "story of woe" (har so clever!). i bound it with pretty italian paper and bookcloth, and then gold leafed the letters "j" and "r" on each side, so you can write in it from either direction (or both!). it's got black paper, which is always fun. for some reason it feels really awesome to hold in my hands, and i was tempted to keep it but i've been needing to post something up on etsy and it was kind of a relief to finally update *something* haha!

obsessed with clothing, oh noes

so a couple weeks ago, i may have purchased a funky little hood from pixiebell and awesome fingerless gloves from kitmit on etsy, as shown here:



oh yes. so much fun, and toasty warm ♥ love em!

i also decided to make some earrings for myself since i haven't actually made any to keep, and a sister pair to sell in my shop.



i like em! they tinkle when i move XD and i've been in a green kick, so hurray!

i'm also waiting for a pretty black and white circle skirt from tallgiraffe. i don't really wear skirts (i prefer dresses -- i is lazy) so this'll be fun!

AND! through alchemy (which i think i am going to abandon for the time being, due to the disorganization and craziness ensuing there at the moment) i have enlisted the aid of two fantastical seamstresses to make me a winter dress (by neurasthenia) and a rockabilly dress (by cherrypievintage). EXCITED.

naturally, i am now considering buying myself a sewing machine and experimenting at home! i've been dabbling and done a bit of work in school, so i'm kind of excited at the prospect :D i may also get a serger, because i'm not really sure how to finish edges without one! darn costume class, spoiling me rotten.

but never fear, i have not abandoned bookbinding! i have one book (black pages, whee!) in the works, and i plan on picking up supplies next week in st. louis and kansas city and teach myself how to do exposed bindings and such! hurray!

yes, my bank account hates me. damn you, crafting addiction!

charity, 1/3 the way through!

the charity drive for h.e.l.p. international is about a third of the way through! hurray!

we've made $146.50 so far, which is fantastic! but there are still lovely books out there that need homes, including my natural leaf book :)

check out this search for more books that are being donated to charity!

for more information, check out the bookbinding team's blog.

best charity event

the bookbinding etsy street team is hosting a charity event, with proceeds from donated books being sent to the h.e.l.p. international foundation to support the cause of global literacy!

here is the book i have chosen:


i felt the adventurous nature of this book somehow fit :)

you can read more about the charity event and check out the other books that have been donated on the best blog.

post-christmas update

so what's new? well, let's see...

1. i had a day after christmas sale where everything was 15% off, but never fear! i am holding a general end of the year sale now, with 10% off everything in my shop!

2. i bought jmacc's falling leaf hobo bag. it's mine. you can't have it. i ♥ it fohevah!!!1!11one!1!

3. made a couple of earrings, want to make more! i've got some ideas for my silver wire :) i brought my hammer and baby anvil all the way to hawaii, gotta put em to good use eh?
my forest angel earrings
my epimeliad earrings

4. made a mushroom book! hee hee. badger badger badger badger...


i have four more book blocks that i've put together, so i just need to get my lazy bum up and make the covers for them!

5. i bought 4 yards of gray felt, and i am going to be making a cloak! ordered this cute cloak clasp because i am a hugenerdomg. i'm a little skeptical about the felt (no wool fabric at the FABRIC store --sure, i'm in hawaii, but really? no wool? really?-- and no gray fleece, which i think would've hung better) but that's okay, it's all for fun! maybe it'll turn out fantabulous and i'll sell some online! ...hyeah, right. maybe if someone buys me a sewing machine first. ;)


s'all for now! i'm going to curl up on the couch with some tea and read me a book!

my dad = my spokesman

my dad was chatting to a friend of his at work about how i bind books, and she requested i make one for her friend, who had just had a baby.

unfortunately, my dad didn't ask for any specifics, like if the baby was a boy or a girl, so i decided to make two books for her to choose from:



she ended up buying both!

(the one that says "eva" on it originally didn't, i was going to put "baby" on it in felt but my dad snagged it before i had gotten to that point and brought it to her. luckily he called and asked me about it so i told him that if she liked that book that i could cut out whatever words she wanted, so she asked for "eva 2007".)

and then she requested one more, for her "not-girly" friend. so i made this out of some new fuzzy paper i had just gotten:



my dad also showed her my asian inspired book ("just in case"); it had been sitting in my closet because i had taken it off of etsy after my grandpa's pecans exploded in my suitcase and gotten oil on its cover... you couldn't really tell after i wiped it a few times with water, but i knew it was damaged and just couldn't sell it in good conscience.



she bought both.

go daddy! XD


on a side note, look at my books together:


i do not seem to have my own "style". i'm still trying to decide if this is a good or bad thing haha!

phew

it's been a long while since i've last posted, yes it has!

here's a couple of commissions from friends o' mine that i did this past month :)

yay never ending story look-alike!


sibling books with pictures chosen by said friend!

i also went on vacation for a few days, and this puffin totally looked at me:


the bookbinding etsy street team is well underway! check out the BEST (harhar) blog for more details and let me know if you'd like to join! (--we're still busy getting everything together, pardon the dust)

last, luchicreations tagged me to tell you six things about myself, and to tag six others. sooooo...

1. i just discovered the cheesy beefy melt at taco bell today, and it is fabulous.
2. i'm a sports racer (actually dubbed "sparkle beauty" by ze) and i'm proud of it! ...and really miss the show! *tear*
3. i could never live in pennsylvania again, because the mere thought of the non-existant merge lanes on the highways sparks road rage in me.
4. i spend way too much on pretties, hoping they'll find their way into my etsy shop XD
5. i want to learn to make soap and to screen print and letter press, but for tomorrow i think i might make some cute chocolate molds if i can find something at michaels.
6. i want to own a shaggy moo.

well, so far there are only a handful people that i know of who have read this blog, so i'll tag the 4 left! haha

my handbound books
fuzzy izmit
krazy kates krazy days
paper girl productions

new books!

i've finally made a couple new books. the first will be put up for sale on etsy, and the second is a custom order from my boss at the theatre XD





i had to put in the last picture because... it looks like it's glowing! hee!

i've added a few new items to etsy, including twins of the ear threaders i made for my friend :) i liked em so much i made another pair!

and i discovered a fun new site called etsytools on the forums! it puts on stats and all of that good stuff from etsy for everybody to see! check it out!

natural leaf book

here's my newest book, to be posted today! i absolutely heart it, but i got a little glue happy so there's a line of glue along the spine on the front and back ;______; but it doesn't look super weird or anything, so i'm trying to decide if i should just put glue along the rest so the line is from top to bottom and call it a "design choice" haha, or if i should just leave it as it is and stop messing with it. decisions decisions!

i took that picture in my new photo light box that i made with this tutorial. it's not bad, but i definitely need more powerful light bulbs!

in other news, i was browsing through my fave antique mall and found a bazillion different pieces of vintage jewelry! hurrah! so i'll be putting those up on etsy as well :3

aaaand last but not least, i am going to be doing an etsy "seller of the month", starting with rhonda miller, aka "myhandboundbooks"! be sure to check that out this wednesday!

.............and now there is a power outage and i no longer have internet connection. thank you, pennsylvania storms! XD...............

clue pool ball book

and here's today's book!

i made it out of green and black felt and a painted wooden pool ball from the set of "clue! the musical" :D i'm still waiting for it to dry... hopefully it'll turn out all right, because i sort of forgot about the bookmark and headbands until i was halfway done gluing the book block to the cover! whoooops... hahaha but i don't think it'll affect it at all. if anything, i'll probably need to do something to strengthen the bonds between the felt and the paper! we'll see :)

book press, puffin book, and sale!

yesterday i bought some carriage bolts and wing nuts from lowe's and made me a book press! this definitely helps with the sewing and gluing process :3

i also made the puffin book! i heart it... it's so fluffy and cute! i also think it's my best book so far, in terms of the book press helping me out :) check it out in the shop!

and now that i'm going to be adding a few more books, i thought i might put my orion's belt book up for sale :) find it here!