A Whole Lotta Making Going On!

Ah, summer, how I love thee!  Afternoons at the pool are our favorite activity.  When I'm not swimming with my little guy, I've been using my weeks off from Farmers Market to get some new inventory ready.  I've been inspired by some new papers:

Boy, do I love that bicycle print.  It comes in other colors and previously I had the green & teal on gray version, but I think I might love this gray & white on black version even more.

I'm also excited to use this leaf-print paper:

I've been working on a new batch of vintage dress-pattern journals this week as well.  These have been a popular item at Market so it was time to make more:

These are much more time-consuming to make than vintage-book journals, because I have to cut the book board, then glue the cover papers to the board...but I really love these.  I hate it when I hear people say how they've thrown away so many old patterns...because even if you aren't going to sew the garment, the artwork on the envelope is beautiful and there are oh so many uses for the pattern tissue.

I'm also doing a few Bingo Books for a customer.  I used to do make a lot of these back when I first started doing shows, but then online sellers really raised their prices on vintage Bingo cards so I don't do so many any more.  These cards actually belonged to my grandparents, and since they weren't heavy chipboard, I just glued them to book board so they would be sturdy enough to make a journal.  These are nice sized, a little bigger than 4 x 6.

So that's what's been going on around here.  I've got one more Saturday to sleep in before I'll be back at the Farmers Market on July 25.  You can find me at 2nd & Court with lots of new stuff.  Come say hi!

Black and White....and Yellow!

Yellow has never been one of my favorite colors.  I don't wear a lot of yellow and I don't have a lot of yellow stuff in my house.  But over the last several months, I've noticed that I'm increasingly drawn to it.  And I do recall reading somewhere that yellow is the color that makes people feel the happiest, so that alone is a good reason to bring a little more yellow into my world. 

I think my attraction to yellow started last year when I got my hands on this paper:

It was love at first sight!  I absolutely love this paper.  It's bright, cheerful, sweet--it makes me happy just looking at it.  In case you're wondering, it is a lotka paper (made from the Daphne plant!) and you can find it at Paper Source.

When I make a journal from an old book, I let the book's cover art take the lead when it comes to choosing the papers for the inside covers; I like for them to match, or at least coordinate with, the cover art.  Some covers give me some leeway as to what colors I can use inside, while other books don't leave much choice (in my opinion, which is, of course, the right one!).  Take for instance, this cover, from the 1974 edition of Better Homes & Gardens "Creative Decorating on a Budget":

There was no question whatsoever about what paper to put inside this cover.  And I really like it when the book cover makes my decision-making/design process simple and easy.  (Isn't the living room featured on this cover totally awesome?  I wish my living room looked like this and I am not kidding!)  Of course, I could have used a black and white paper inside this journal and it would have worked.  I did consider this paper:

I love chevrons, but it was clear that the daisies were the right match.  Instead, I put the black & white chevron paper inside this journal:

Because daisies are too girly for this macho Handyman's Book journal anyway. (Both journals are available in my shop, by the way.)

Making these journals made me think about the whole black/white/yellow combination.  I realize I see it everywhere--and by everywhere, I mean craft stores and in magazines.  I thought about this pillow cover that I made a few weeks ago:

Wouldn't this throw pillow look perfect in that 1974 living room?  And yet those fabrics are new; I just bought them last summer and I finally got around to using them in February! 

All this thinking about yellow also reminded me of my favorite scarf that I've been wearing nearly every day this winter:

I knit this way-long infinity scarf in October & November, just in time for the onslaught of arctic weather we've been having; the yarn is Loops & Threads Cozy Wool from Michael's and I love it.  It's light and cozy and warm and knits up nicely.  It's a 50/50 wool acrylic blend.  I had never entertained the idea of knitting anything yellow until I saw this yarn and fell in love with it.  The color itself is so warm and it goes great with all my gray and black shirts.  My winter wardrobe tends to be very monochromatic and boring so I need some colorful scarves to mix it up a little. 

So there you have it: my love affair with yellow.  I think it's permanent.  I feel pretty happy, too. 

Bright April

Holy moly, I think spring has finally arrived!! 

I just finished this journal up this morning.  I love the bright colors inside and the beautiful illustration on the cover.  It's a discarded vintage book I've never seen before, but serendipity put it in my hands in a timely manner. 

We've gone a week without snow.  That's a record!  I am getting excited for spring flowers, craft shows, and playing outside.  Finally. 

What are you looking forward to this spring? 

Here are a few more spring-ish journals I've finished lately and will share:

This is an upcycled 1966 book about Iowa and it makes an adorable journal or scrapbook (I think.).  The whole book is included, so you can learn a little bit of Iowa history while you're filling the blank pages. 

I'm thinking about planting some flowers and also about garden journals; they're one of my favorite type of books to make.  Old agriculture textbooks make great garden journals too, as well as old garden books.  Here are a few:

The paper you see on the inside cover here is oil paper, and it is awesome.  I think it looks like a cross between a Monet painting and tye-die.  Love it.  Will definitely be getting some more. 

Big things are in the works here in Papercake world: May is going to be a fun and super-busy month.  I can't wait.  When I know all the details, I will share.  Lots to look forward to! 

Happy April and happy SPRING!

New for 2013.

Despite the lack of blogging going on around here, I have been getting some work done playing with all the ideas that chase each other through my head.  Here's a few things I've been working on lately:

8 x 10 collage on board: $35; available on my etsy shop.

handmade ribbon-tie journal, $24; available on my etsy shop

 

 Despite a leaky hot water heater that soaked the floor of my studio (luckily not much damage was sustained) a couple of days ago, I have more stuff in progress that I am excited about and having a lot of fun with.  More books, more collages, and more ideas.  One of the best feelings for me is to have ideas dancing around in my brain, just ready to be brought to life.  For me, January is a perfect time for creative experimentation.  I do some of my best work in the dark, cold month of January.  And believe me, this January is particularly dark and cold!  What better way to spend it than creating?

I am gearing up for another fun-filled year of craft shows, of course.  I've been wanting to try some new shows a little farther from home for quite a while, and this year I am determined to pursue that, even if it means taking the family with me.  I am happy to say that on March 9, I'll be in St. Louis for Green With Indie; it's an independent show with a focus on re-purposed, upcycled/recycled handmade goods.  Sounded like a perfect show for me so I got the hubby to agree that a little family trip to St. Louis would be oh-so-fun.  This will be Jacob's first really long car trip so it should be interesting.  Notice I didn't predict the car ride being fun, just interesting; trying to be realistic!

Best wishes for your creative endeavors in 2013. 

New stuff!

Yesterday was a very productive day, aided in no small part by singing along to some old Dixie Chicks tunes at top volume.  Hope my neighbors don't mind too much.  I tried something new and like how these turned out:

Ever since I started making collages using the images from vintage patterns, I've amassed quite a collection of old dress patterns.  More than I will ever use for collages, so I experimented with using some of them as covers for books.  Here's a glimpse inside:

Each of these books has two pockets, one in the front and one in the back.  The image stamped on the pocket is a Tim Holtz idea-ology stamp (I think I got mine at Hobby Lobby). 

Every time I cut book board, I always end up with pieces left over, so I decided to make a couple smaller books from the leftover pieces:

And luckily enough, I just happened to have some red envelopes that were just right for pockets for the red & yellow book:

I love, love, LOVE that red & yellow paper.  It's just so bright and happy looking. 

I'll be bringing these books to Market Day on Saturday if you want to see them live and in person. 

Market Day Preview: Girl Scout journal

I found this sweet little Girl Scout handbook from 1945 a couple of months ago; it's rare to find scouting books that aren't priced as collectibles, so of course I had to snatch it up!  Then last week, I came into a huge stash of awesome papers and cardstock, which worked out perfectly to make pockets for this journal.

This journal has two silver pockets, to match the sweet floral paper on the inside front and back covers.  It's the little things in life like metallic cardstock, that really make my day!  There are also some pages from the book included in the journal:

This is just one of the new items I'll be bringing to Market Day on Saturday.  Hope to see you there!  Remember, we'll be opening an hour earlier this month, at 8:00 a.m. 

Happy Independence Day

Just finished up this journal for Market Day this Saturday, and thought it was perfect to share on this day. 

Love that this historic quote from Patrick Henry is included on the back side of the title page. 

Happy Independence Day to all, especially to those who serve and sacrifice to protect and preserve freedom for all of us. 

Firsts

Getting ready for Art in the Garden tomorrow....this is my first time at this show and I'm looking forward to it.  You can find it at Ted Lare Design Center, 2701 Cumming Ave. near Cumming.  There's more info via their website at: www.tedsgardens.com, just click on the events tab.  There will be a variety of art and artists at this show. 

I've brought a lot (and I do mean a lot, like upwards of 400 or so) old books into the house, courtesy of some very generous folks (big thanks to Mindy, Beth, Susan, and Kathy!) who rescued these treasures and passed them along to me.  I'm having a great time going through them and discovering some that I haven't come across before, like this one:

 I was totally delighted to find this book, because I love Lucy (many years ago I named my dear cats Lucy and Ricky, after all.)  And I have never seen a Lucy book before.  This is from 1963, a takeoff on "the popular television series featuring Lucille Ball." 

There was also an adorable Wonder Book in the boxes.  This poor old book was literally falling apart, so it was ready to be turned into a journal.  This is the first Wonder Book journal I've done:

The illustrations are absolutely adorable, so I took the time to carefully cut each page of the book individually in order to include it.  The pages are pretty brittle, but I think they'll hold up okay.  This would make a great summer mini-book or garden journal or scrapbook.  Or just a book to write or draw in too. 

These are a couple of things I'll have in my booth at Art in the Garden tomorrow, should you want to drop by and say hello.  Lots of other new stuff as well.  The show goes from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Hope to see you there! 

Also, if anyone is looking for a scrapbook or guest book for a graduating senior....there's still time if you want something a little bit different.  Get in touch if I can help you out with that. 

Happy Friday, everyone.

Is This Heaven? No, it's the book sale!

Twice a year, spring and fall, finds me at the Planned Parenthood book sale over at the fairgrounds.  It is truly my idea of heaven--and judging from the line when the sale opened on Thursday afternoon, it's heaven for quite a few others as well!  I arrived five minutes before opening and there were probably a couple hundred people ahead of me.  Luckily the volunteers moved the line through the doors very quickly and I made a beeline for the vintage section first.  Scored some truly awesome books, a few that I have been looking for.  When this happens I know that karma is working for me.  I tried to be courteous and not pushy in my attempts to look through the books. I confess to being a bit greedy when it comes to getting my hands on old books to turn into journals.  Because every book sale, there's a little bit less to choose from, although of course there are still plenty of treasures. I am very happy with all my finds and have already got a new batch of journals underway. 

Friday afternoon I returned to the book sale to work a volunteer shift and had a great time doing that as well.  It is interesting to see what other folks are buying.  I've volunteered at the book sale before and will definitely do so again.  I am a longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood and am glad to be able to make a small contribution by volunteering.  Because without the book sale, I wouldn't have access to so many great old books all under one roof.  And Planned Parenthood gives access to so many important services that many folks might not be able to afford. 

Today is Sunday, so that  means that everything is half off at the book sale....and tomorrow, everything will be 75% off.  There will still be some great stuff left, so I will probably have to shop again.  You should, too! 

Typing-Book Sketchpad & Typewriter Tablet

To continue my typewriter theme this week, here are a couple tablets I just finished.  The larger one is a sketchpad upcycled from an old typing book.  I love these.  The small one is paper-over-board, a good size to tuck in your bag to jot down important or not-so-important stuff.  I just love this typewriter paper; if you need some too, you can find via Paper Source (www.paper-source.com).  The inside of these look like this:

Red faux-crocodile for the typewriter tablet. 

Funky, retro checks for the typing-book sketchpad. 

(This fabulous paper is from Hollander's, www.hollanders.com)

I have another old typing book I'm going to do, and the plan is to put the typewriter

paper on the inside covers.  Because I just can't resist. 



I love this part.

Deciding which paper to use for the inside covers of my journals is probably my favorite part of the creative process.  For reasons I can't quite explain, it is just so much fun for me.  For some covers, it's an easy choice.  For others, I have to spend a bit more time debating; like with this cover from a 1930 Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, which I scored on ebay.  (Book police, please note: this book is possibly a first edition, true.  However, it was already in pieces when it was put up for auction on ebay, so I didn't destroy a valuable artifact.  Thank you.)  The cover is simple, just silver with black text, so theoretically lots of papers would "match" it.  But I had the book for about ten days before I made a commitment, and I'm glad I waited until my most recent order from Paper Source arrived, because this fan-tab-ulous red floral paper was perfect.  I love red.  I love the contrast between the plain cover and the floral inside.  I love that it won't be too matchy-matchy.  The finished journal looks like this:

I have made a few journals out of old BH&G books, inspired by a special order from a customer, and I love working with them.  They are a nice size and just perfect for upcycling.  And since Meredith Corporation is located right here in Des Moines, I like to think of it as not just repurposing these old books, but repurposing locally. 

A Giveaway!

Today I'm participating in my first-ever blog giveaway, as I was flattered to be asked by Britni over at booknookclub.blogspot.com to be part of her 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways.  So hop on over to her blog and leave a comment to get your chance to win an upcycled journal made by yours truly.  You can choose one from my etsy shop OR you can let me know if there's a certain type of book or title you'd really love to have and I can see what I have in my craft-show inventory or even create it if it's a book I happen to have in my stash (okay, stashes, plural.  Which, I am told, are "all over the house.")  I want to make sure the winner of this giveaway gets a book he or she will love. 

One book's journey to me

I was at Half Price Books this morning, which lately has become a weekly routine for me.  It's always been one of my favorite places; I even worked there for a few months back in the day.  Today, while I was waiting for my trade-in offer to be assessed, I was browsing in the "Nostalgia" section, as I often do.  I came across this sewing book, Modern Tailoring For Women, from 1947:

We've all heard the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover."  Well, I do just that, all the time, obviously!  I liked the cover of this one, so I took a look inside:

Most of the old books I deconstruct to make into journals have the name of one or more previous owners inside, and many have stamps from schools and libraries.  I have taken apart books from all over the country and a couple from England.  But the name and library stamp inside this book are pretty close to home: Mrs. Fife was my 8th-grade Language Arts teacher!  I know it must be her old book, because I'm pretty sure there was only one Pat Fife from my hometown of Carlisle.  I've wondered before if I would ever come across a book that had been owned by someone I know, and it's finally happened.  Small world.  It's little stuff like this that delights me. 

December Daily: cover & first page

This is the book I'm using for this year's December Daily.  It's one I made; it measures about 5 in. wide and 6 in. long.  This is the first time using a spiral book; last year I didn't bind the book until I had all the pages mostly finished, so this will be a little different.  And yes, it's red and pink, not red and green.  Because I like to be a little different.  I'm not sure yet what I will do to embellish the cover, maybe some bling, or maybe nothing at all...haven't decided yet.  Plenty of time for that.

This is what the inside cover and title page looks like.  The inside covers of this book are done in this awesome faux crocodile paper that doesn't even feel like paper.  I like incorporating different textures into my books.

I put the title page together in less than ten minutes using whatever happened to be within arm's reach of my work table and tool box (yes, I have a big tool box in my art room.  Which, I'm proud to say, I loaded into my vehicle all by myself this past spring at Menard's because I became impatient waiting on the guys at the store to help me).  The "celebrate life" sticker is by Cosmo Cricket and is 2 or 3 years old.  I stuck the sticker on a scrap from a file folder, and used a smaller scrap for the "December 2011" tag, and on both pieces I rounded the corners then edged the pieces with some StazOn ink in Blazing Red.  Then I stuck some ribbon in the middle.  I used a scrap of the book's cover paper for the background to make it coordinate with the cover, yet not too matchy-matchy.  I don't usually go for matchy-matchy.  Another thing that is consistent about these little books of mine from year to year is that I always use my own handwriting to tell the stories I document.  It is quicker and easier and my handwriting is pretty legible.  Plus I think it adds a pesonal touch to the book that I wouldn't get with typed journaling. 

Today's goal is to upload and print photos from yesterday and get them in the book.  I always start new projects like this one with lots of enthusiasm which eventually wanes over the course of the month, and there are always days where I scramble to put something in because I forgot to take photos.  But right now I'm filled with that new-project enthusiasm so I'll get a good start on this book.  

In the News...

Yes, this is two consecutive posts that contain the word "news" in the title, but I couldn't come up with anything better, and it really is pertinent. 
If you read The Des Moines Sunday Register (which I'm sure people everywhere in America, not just here in Iowa, do) you might have seen the "Handmade in Iowa" article on page 2 of the Iowa Life section.  Thanks to Paula Reece for including me.  And for spelling my name right.  I'm not kidding about that.  My name has been misspelled throughout my life.  Not to mention mis-pronounced.  So I was very happy for some good, free publicity.  Great timing, too: Market Day is this Saturday, Aug. 27.  And East Village Sunday Bazaar is just two weeks away!  Which means I've got to get busy and stay busy making more books. 

In other important news, I'm also pleased to announce that my journals and cards are now available at White Rabbit Gallery, at 109 South Linn in Iowa City.  You can find out more at www.whiterabbitgallery.com.  Definitely worth an in-person visit the next time you're in the Iowa City area.  You won't be disappointed.  I hadn't been to downtown Iowa City for many years and it was fun to have some time to walk around the ped mall and pretend I was nineteen again.

Back to my paper and glue!

Big News!

Something very exciting happened a few days ago.....
I travelled south to Osceola to King's Canyon Fine Art and am proud to say that my journals and cards are now available there.  King's Canyon is a wonderful place to visit; there is a wide variety of gorgeous art and handmade items by many Iowa artists.  And they serve delicious lunches, Tuesday through Saturday.  You can find out more on at www.kingscanyonart.com.  If you like them on facebook, you'll even get their weekly lunch menus.  I had a great time talking with Sara King and her mom, Cheryl, on Tuesday.  Sara even invited me to teach a class this fall....wow!  I am very excited about that.  I am really lucky to meet people like Sara, who I met last year at the East Village Sunday Bazaar, which I am looking forward to doing again this year every Sunday during September and October. 

The other big news will be in your Sunday, Aug. 14 edition of The Des Moines Register.  I am going to be featured in the "Handmade in Iowa" series, which has featured several people I know from Market Day and as well as the ladies of Ephemera, so I feel quite fortunate to be in such good company!

Little Bird Book

The little man and I have become bird watchers these past few months; since we started feeding birds (and other "outdoor pets" as the bags of bird seed refer to the squirrels, ground squirrels, and rabbits who also enjoy devouring bird seed) we have enjoyed learning more about and identifying different birds.  Then I remembered this gorgeous bird and floral print paper that I've had for a couple of years but have only used once or twice and realized it would make a good cover paper.  And luckily I had a lotka paper in a very vibrant hot pink that matched perfectly for the endpapers of this little blank book. 

Books & Begonias

This is what's blooming around our house right now: new handmade spiral books and begonias in the backyard.  Love, love, love summertime!