Thursday 28 November 2013

Count down to Christmas starts here!

Hello you wonderful people. Not a huge amount to share with you, but it is all picking up here. The building work is really progressing now and I can see light at the end of the tunnel, I don't know what it is about building work, but it really unsettles me. Not just the upheaval of things being everywhere, or indeed the mess..., concrete dust just doesn't go away! However by the end of next week I should be able to start the fun part of dressing the area. Because I haven't had access to the studio as much as I would have like I moved my work table back to the dinning room and created a start book,
Pieces of card made into,
darts, and
glued together. Add a ribbon....
and there you go, a start book!
If you go onto You tube you will be able to find lots of examples of these books and how to make them. They are easy and great fun. Last weekend I explained to the Ephemera...etc group how to make them,







They are so cute, such happy faces. x

Right lets get down to more serious business... Christmas! Yippee, look what arrived on the wall last Sunday, a week early, 
My children's  advent calendars
Lovely fabric Santa with 24 pockets each, ready to except little notes from the Christmas fairies to tell the children where to search and hopefully find a gift. Now you may remember last year I did a Christmas book? Well I don't think my nerves could take on such a project at the moment, but what I am prepared to do is, drum roll please, The 24 tags of Christmas 2013, with storage book. It is entirely up to you whether you join in with the project or just call in and look at what I am doing each day until Christmas eve....so exciting. To start us off I am going to make the storage book now this is how I choose to make it for me. You can do it as you please. I shall be doing tags of all sizes that will fit within the book. I shall also be creating a hidden hinge, just to make things more interesting. You could use these tags on your gifts, hang them on a tree, Or make a Christmas picture out or them, it is up to YOU, I am just playing, having fun and sharing it with you.

The 24 tags of Christmas storage book
( If you are going to have a go at this book best do the hinge first, then the book cover. ) 

What you will need for the pages

1. Twelve, 12 x 12  pieces of paper, this will give you 24 pockets

What you will need for the book

1. Two pieces of 12 x 12 paper joined together. ( front book cover )
2. Cereal box card, two pieces, 21 cm x 16 cm. And two pieces 9 cm x 21 cm.
3. One piece of 12 x 12 paper for use on the inside cover of book
4. Double sided sticky tape.
5. Glue stick.
6. Scissors.
7. Paper trimmer

What you will need for the hidden hinge

1. Two 12 x 12 pages
2. Score board. ( you do not have to have one of these, but it makes life so much easier. ) I have the Martha Stewart 12 x 12 board which I highly recommend if you do enough paper craft
3. Bone folder, or a spoon.
4. Double sided sticky tape.
5. Scissors.
6. Paper trimmer.

Making the book cover


Cut out card board as stated
Join the pieces together with sticky tape
Join  both 12 x 12 together to cover front of book.
glue onto book cover, fold in the edges 
Cover the interior of the book with a contrasting paper. You may have to join two pieces together, if so join it on the hinged part as this will get covered over in time.

Set cover to one side.

Making pages for the book

With each 12 x 12 follow these simple instructions,

1. Fold up the bottom third, therefore 4 inches, use a bone folder to get a sharp edge.
2. Now fold in half.

The open end will join to the hidden hinge when we get there, but we are not assembling as yet as we need to decorate the pockets. I like to use papers that have pattern on both sides, be it same or different, but it really doesn't matter. Use what you have and decorate any plain pages.


Making the hinge, I have done my hinge in a totally  wrong colour for my book. I did this, in the hope it would show up better in the pictures for you . It is my intention to spray this all black before I build my book.

Join together two pieces of 12 x 12 paper.
Then using either a ruler or a scoring board,  make these folds
Score at 2 inch, 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch, 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, 1/2 inch 1/2 inch, 1/4 inch, keep going until you have got twelve mountain folds, those are the two 1/2 inch scores, then another 1/4 inch score and a last 2 inch score.
Before you start folding, trim to the size of your pages, 8 inches, 20 cms, or there abouts.

I hope this helps!
Fold on all these score lines.
Add double sided tape to one of each of the 1/2 inch score and stick them together. It should look like these two pictures below. I know it is quite tricky, but have ago.
When you have finished, check it fits you book cover. Better still, make the hinge first and then customize the book spine so you know it fits. It sounds very complex, but experiment and have ago, it is how we learn. Check out You Tube, there will be demonstrations on there I am sure.
This is the BACK, add doubled stick tape to this.
Cover the other piece of cereal card, 9 cms x 21 cms, in decorative paper.
Glue hinge to card.
Do NOT add this to your book yet, decorate your pages first. I will deal with this on Friday, until then my lovely's goodbye. xxxxx 

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