yippee, my light bulb arrived! geesh,you know, pictures are all we have to show everyone what these albums look like, and if they don't have a great look, how are you suppose to get the idea? well, i'm grateful to have 2 lights again. now, all i have to do, is retake all of my pictures, edit the bad backgrounds, resize them TWICE, once for etsy and once for here, enter each one onto the sites, this could take until sunday, we have plans for the next 2 days- the "pumpkin prowl" at the zoo tonight and a much needed family gathering up north tomorrow. busy time of year!
well, here is the halloween altered book i've been working on. geesh, it felt so good to work on another altered book album! this "haunted" album stands 6.25" X 9.25" has 8 finished pages, 14 photo pockets with 8 double-sided tags slipped inside, and 2 drawers measuring 2.5" X 3.5". it's listed here in my etsy shop:
"haunted" cover.
an image transfer of some little witch ladies at tea, and a nameplate attached with wide twill tape.
pages 1 and 2
"daisy d's" papers cover and create 3 pockets on these pages, plus some witchy tags are nestled inside 2 more pockets.
pages 3 and 4
"daisy d's" covers these two pages also, with 2 more pockets and a bat tag. as is obvious, a skeleton is tied to the edge of this page, i'm sure he is more comfortable tied here than where he came from, where he was hanging by a noose! at least he looks comfortable with his feet crossed, huh? lol!
just a closer view of the previous pages.
pages 5 and 6
eek, more skeletons! actually bones this time, by "bo bunny press" with 2 pockets and a piece of ribbon and twill with a spooky scull on a vintage bingo card. there is a creepy hand attached with wire and a wire attached to the bottom pocket on which you may hang special little halloween trinkets.
a close -up of pages 5 and 6
pages 7 and 8
4 pockets decorate these pages with "daisy d's" bats a-flying! yikes!
close -up
"haunted" open a bit, showing drawers closed.
showing open drawers ...
hey, what's peeking out of that drawer?
ooooh, an old medicine bottle with a "ohsocute" label! you have got to check this out http://flickr.com/photos/lovemanor/page2/ this lady makes the best labels and shares them with us! i love her stuff! anyway, i have not cleaned the inside of the bottle, i thought it was cool like it is, but i have sealed the cork stopper with wax and disinfected the outside.
here are the double-sided tags that i have tucked in some pockets. the backs are solid colormate card-stock in halloween colors.
"haunted laying flat with drawers open.
here is the spine and front of the altered book album.
this is the back and spine of "haunted"
just a few words about my altered book albums, i use only acid/lignin free papers and embellishments so that photographs can be stored in a safe environment. if you feel just a bit queasy about the idea of cutting, tearing and gluing a book, let me share these thoughts; altering books started centuries ago with the italian monks, papyrus or perhaps parchment manuscripts were scraped to remove the words, and then, other works were written on the top of the previous, sometimes with the first writings still showing through. it was done because of the high cost of parchment. in the victorian era it became popular to tear pictures from one book and add them to another to illustrate that book. altered books are a wonderful way to create a journal of your thoughts, feelings and impressions. it's completely free form with no rules. you can paint, collage, use some of the text from a page, block out the rest, and maybe add your own to it. you can create drawers, niches, doors with tiny hardware from the home improvement centers or design your own. some years ago when i started creating scrapbook albums, i was also playing with altered books. i had just taken an altered book out of press and realized that when it sprang open, it was just like the albums i was making, so i decided to make an altered book just for photographs, with photo-safe products and that is when these books were born.
i never use first editions, lol, i don't even use vintage books for these albums. these are books that might end up in the landfill, so i recycle, or re-purpose, i like to say. they will most likely never close shut, will never open flat, and will always have bumpy pages. that's the charm and uniqueness of each album. the bindings have been reinforced, but care will still need to be taken. they must be stored upright.
these are my passion, i love the feel , look and smell of them! if you have never tried to create one, you should! no rules, no mistakes, just create!
thanks for peeking, lets bring on the holidays! any questions? email me. thanks all! -rebecca