Today I would like to share a picture of my first Button hole stitched book. Originally I started by following the instructions given in Keith Smith’s book…but then I modified them to create this;
I am quite please with the result for a first go, but as always my perfectionist nature always wants to unsew it all and redo it now I’ve learnt a bit more. I will resist that temptation and let it be. Sometimes it is better to leave things as they are and just accept that in time skills change and improve.
The cover is made from White hammered card
Pearlescent blue card embossed with Cuttlebug’s Birds and Swirls Embossing folder, which I then sanded on the edges to bring back the white card underneath.
The embossed card is mounted on to navy card and then onto the cover, just to add a bit of depth.
Linnen thread was colored using Ranger Adirondack dye ink, in Stonewashed.
Well that title needs some explaining doesn’t it! I have found a wonderful bookbinding community over on www.bookartsforum.com and at the end of last year one of the members suggested a swap based on the medieval book style of Nag Hammadi. These books were found burried in pots in the Egyptian dessert.
Here are some pictures of the book and the embellishments I made for it;
Front Cover of Nag Hammadi Book
Inside the Nag Hammadi book
After failed attempts to make my book with a board cover I reverted to leather and got on much better. Being a newish bookbinder, I do not have the tools or skills for some of the finer points of this bind. To make up for this I played to my streangths and used my papercrafting skills instead.
Detail of the boards lining the leather cover
I used Cuttlebug embossing folder D’vine Swirls to create the texture on the inside of the covers and applied Perfect Pearls patina set for the colouring. I wanted to keep the tie closure to the book and to make it a neater finish I used a die cut from the Cuttlebug Harlequin die for the front embelsihment, which I coloured with the same Patina set as the inside covers. This embellishment was attached with an eyelet which gave the ribbon tie a way of threading through the cover to the outside and be wrapped around the book to keep it closed.
Detail of handmade embellishments used on the cover of Nag Hammadi book
Links
The Nag Hammadi library is a collection of early christian gnostic texts, found at the town of Nag Hammadi in Egypt in 1945. Here is a link to the Nag Hammadi description over on Wikkapedia as they will do a much better job of explaining it all than me!
Today’s article is all about using Fantasy film and Fantasy fibres. I saw some tutorials on You Tube of how to use Acetate with the Cuttlebug and this got me thinking, if the Cuttlebug could cope with acetate how about Fantasy film.
After some mad professor style experiments here is my video on how to create some beautiful effects with these products.
Here is a written version so this page can be translated for non English speakers. To translate the page, copy this articles link into ‘here’ and choose your language.
You Will Need
For the Fantasy Paper itself;
Fantasy Film
Fantasy Fibre
Iron
White paper/ baking parchment
Method
Protect your table from heat using heat resistant mat
Lay a sheet of paper on to the mat
Add a layer of fantasy film followed by a thin covering of fantasy fibre, then another layer of fantasy film
Place the second sheet of paper on top of the film sandwich
Iron on top of the paper. The film and fibres are made from heat bondable plastic and will fuse together into a single sheet. The paper is to stop the film sticking to your table and your iron.
Fantasy Film Paper
For Embossed Paper
Fantasy Paper from the last section
Cuttlebug
Cuttlebug Embossing folder ( Textile was used in the film)
Cardstock Shim
Method
Open your Cuttlebug
Put in an A plate, put in a cardstock ‘shim’, put on a B plate,
Place a piece of finished Fantasy Paper from the earlier project into a Cuttlebug embossing folder, and load it into the Cuttlebug
Add another B plate and turn the handle to feed the ‘sandwhich’ into the machine.
**Normally you would NOT use a shim with the Cuttlebug’s own Folders but because the film is thin, the shim adds extra height to the plates and gives a better embossed impression into the paper.**
Fantasy Film Paper after Embossing using Cuttlebug Embossing Folder
For the Embellishments
Fantasy Paper
Cuttlebug
Cuttlebug die of your choice
Cardstock Shim
Method
Open your Cuttlebug
Place on an A plate, a carstock shim and a B plate
Place a Cuttlebug die onto the plate followed by your piece of finished Fantasy paper made earlier
Add the final B plate and turn the handle on the Cuttlebug to feed it into the machine.
If you struggle getting your embellishment off. Then next time instead of rolling the boards just straight through the machine. Feed them through and then stop, before the end of the plate leaves the Cuttlebug and ‘reverse’ so the sandwich comes back towards you. This will make the die cut twice though the paper.
**Normally you would NOT use a shim with the Cuttlebug’s own Dies but because the film is tough to cut through, the shim adds extra height to the plates and gives a better cut into the paper.**
Fantasy Film Paper cut using Cuttlebug Die to create an embellishment
Finished Project featuring Embossed Fantasy Film Paper
Here are pictures of the Coptic stitched book I made, it has the Embossed fantasy Paper on the cover
Embossed Fantasy Film Paper on a coptic stitched book
Coptic Stitched book, featuring Embossed Fantasy Film Paper
In case you haven’t heard of them Moo cards are small cards that are coming along the lines of ATCs in the craft world. The cards are 2.8 x 7cm in size. For the swap a theme is set and then you create a card to that theme and swap it with other members. If you would like to join in with the next swap head over to www.stampingmadforum.co.uk and join up.
There was an open theme this month, still in love with my embossing folders I made this;
Well as you can see I have been playing with my Cuttlebug and my new embossing folders. Here is the Artist Trading Card that I made for the Stamping Mad Forum’s swap for January 2009. It was an open theme;
Supplies Used;
Cuttlebug Embossing Folder; Bird Call
Ranger Adirondack Dye ink; Caramel, Butterscotch and Espresso
This was fun to make and I shall be doing more experiments with my new Cuttlebug supplies this year.
Do you remember one of my goals for 2009 was to invest in some dies and embossing folders for my Cuttlebug and find out what I can do with this handy tool? Well there just happened to be a sale on so I spent rather more than I intended but have now got a healthy collection of embossing folders and a few interesting dies.
Dies, Embossing folders, more dies and sample cards made from the Embossing folders
The first thing I do when I buy some more supplies is to make samples from them. I cut some cardstock to A6 and ran each piece through an embossing folder to see how it came out. As I tend to do swaps and also post finished work on here, I also marked the details of the folder on the card too, that way I have the details to hand when someone asks me what I used.
I cut samples for all the dies too and labeled them on the back as well. All of these things are now in the Design Box so when I am looking to create a new card/ATC I can have a rummage through that box and play with layouts till I find something I like. The good thing about samples like this is that you then have more time to play and create. If I don’t have time to get all the supplies out to create a finished piece I simple jot down the ideas and details of stamps/folders/dies etc that I want to use in a note book so when I have the time it is quicker to create.
My favorite discovery having made said samples is that it is great to use the embossing folders not just whole but in part for smaller projects like ATCs, I have used the Bird Call embossing folder for this month’s ATC swap card over on Stamping Mad Forum. I placed the small card into the folder, moved it till I had the area of interest in the right place then embossed. I was very pleased with the result. You can do this with all kinds of shapes, tags etc as well. Don’t think that you have to use the entire folder, try them out on your die cuts and punched shapes too.
I have even had a go with my perfect pearls over the top of embossing which looks just fab.
New projects have been added to the tabs across the top of the blog.
Check out the 'About' tab, listing of The Virtual Crafting Challenge themes and downloadable calendar pages are now on there too. Now you can access these all year long.
Have fun
Billie :)
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