Sunday, May 13, 2012

turn back the calendar to 2011

I'm late, I'm late.......for Kaite's 2011 birthday!!!!  Okay, I was over-the-top busy last year, so as a reward for her patience, I wanted to give her a little something special.  A side result from my renewed beading interest this year, are these little brooches (there's another in my previous post).  I expect that I will be making more of them as the year progresses.  Hey!!  Perhaps I'll even make one for myself!!  I wonder what colour that will be?  This one is lemony and quite delicious! 

Buttons from the family button box, a few sequins and miscellaneous beads.  Stacked, back and boucle/bocce stitches.  The stick in the background is an honest to goodness, chewed by a beaver, stick!!!  Picked up at Skookum Lake in Northern Ontario (close to Sault Ste Marie) a couple of years ago.



You might not know this, but I have a weird and wonderful facination with handmade books.  No, I've never taken a lesson, but I've purchased books to teach myself a few techniques.  Some, of course, are far beyond my fledgling capabilities, but this one was fairly easy and fun to do.  I found the instructions for it in Making Handmade Books by Alisa Golden.  I've played with a few of the one-sheet-of-paper folded type books and am happy with the results.  I hope to do more of this in the future!

Back to this book!  It's heavy watercolour paper (I forget the weight).  I cut and folded the book first and then proceeded to paint and embellish.  I made it a while ago, so actually forget exactly what I did.  However, I will tell you that it included acrylic ink & paint, watercolour pencils & crayons, regular pencil crayons, distress ink, pearls, gesso, acrylic matte medium.  I also pasted in some of my citra solve paper and a folded origami envelope, made out of that same paper.  I distressed the edges and then finished it off with some of my machine wrapped braid, a leaf and a few beads.  A little obsessive, but all-in-all a satisfying exercise.









The final result in all it's fresh green colour!!!





9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The lemon drop is delicious. I love the green book. Wait ... is she getting that, too? It's beautiful. Make another if you don't keep that one. :o)
Diane

Anne Marie - Toronto said...

Thanks, Diane! Yes, lucky Kaite did get the little book as well. Don't worry though, because I'll definitely be making more of these in the future.

Linda Kittmer said...

Beautiful work Anne Marie. I love that book. Lucky Kaite! I'm sure she loved them both.

kaiteM said...

I do, I do - love them both, the book is beautiful and as intriguing as a mystery novel because it really is a mystery to me. And my gorgeous lemon chiffon brooch is my favourite present ever!
Both more than well worth the wait - thankyou Anne Marie.

Anne Marie - Toronto said...

Thanks, Linda!! The book was fun to make. Of course, it was hard to part with it, but I know that I can always re-create the feeling, if not the actual book.

Kaite, enough already!!! The pleasure was in the giving!

Beth@IHaveANotion.com said...

AMRI- the broches are devine!!! Love both of them so far!!! and the book is cute!! Not so much creating for me of late... I have the work from hell this time around.

Anne Marie - Toronto said...

Thanks, Beth!!! I loved working on both little projects and do intend to make more in the future. I'm sorry about the work thing, but a little dash of creativity will help to make it all better.

Magpie's Mumblings said...

The colour in both the brooch and the little book is spectacular! Lucky Kaite indeed. I'm sure she was more than happy to wait a little while to get such special goodies!

Betsy said...

I love the broches! I also love handmade/altered books. Yours is great!