Autumn in a purse.

All the way from Australia, this hand made purse, filled to the brim with signs of autumn came in the post this morning. Isnt it great? And look inside! Two wonderful ATC´s. ´! Wow Stacey, not only have you arranged, hosted and organized the 17 Artist´s Round Robin, you also have had time and energy to create this. Thank you so much, you and D. are in my thoughts. xx

My hero!

 This bird came flying to my house today, all the way from My Hero Mary in the UK. You might have noticed, that in most of my mixed media art, I use cut outs, paper birds and leaves. These are cut and send by Mary, she is the lucky owner of "A Big Shot". Isnt she a wonderful friend?

Amazing! I think Ill be okay over the long dark winter, don`t you?`I shall enjoy this gift, Thank You Mary xx

October

Were asked to make an invitation, as a card, here it is. Hope the recipient likes :-)

ATC Mother Nature

5 beautiful ATC´s arrived yesterday, Mother Nature -  Two from The UK  - two from Australia and one from Canada. They are all lovely, one of the better swaps :-) Thanks to all.

3 Journals flying off!

Italy, The Nederlands and Brooklyn USA. Three journals on their merry way.
My contribution for The Journal Project 2012 is off to Brooklyn Art Library, and then on a year tour around the world. The journal to Holland is my 17 Artists-17 months Round Robin, that is finally leaving the nest. And last but not least, my swap with Letizia in Italy, my november page is done. One journal Ill never see again, it will be living in The States in a Library! One wont come back home for the next 17 months! But the third is traveling back and forward every month for a year :-)

Let the games begin...

 My "Blue is the Colour of..." Round Robin Journal, is now finally in the post. Thought it fitting wraped in blue tissue paper for it first leg on the 17 month long jurrney. Happy traveling.

Tutorial - Sketch Book

 I made a whole bunch of Sketch books for my shop on http://www.selfmade.dk/, and the demand for a tutorial made me want to show how I made my books. I originally bought a toturial on an American blog, on how to bind. Thanks to greenislesart.

 I used two sheets of normal A4 copy paper, for the cover,  and 10 sheets of paper from a Sketch Pad, good quality, for the pages.

 The cover is made up as a "normal" journal-page. The way I do mine, is shown on a earlier tutorial "House on the hill". You do yours as you like :-)

 The cover and the inside ( the 2 A4 copy papers)  - glued together.

 I then sew as well, on my good old trusted sewing machine. I zig-zag the edges, and depending on pattern and mood, I "applique" the page.

 The 10 sheets of drawing paper is trimmed to size A4.

 And then folded in half. Make sure the bend is even and sharp. Use any plastic object ex.: handle of siccors!

 Fit all pages, signatures, together, like a regular book, and make sure they are even. And fit the cover on.

Make three holes, -as the dots show, one in the middle and one at each end, using a dowel.

 For this I use a big old second hand book, as a support. (It will get damaged...) -open it up standing on its back and holding it, -fit sketch book into it, make sure all is fit and straight, and  make the holes with the dowel. -Make sure you push all the way through all pages and the cover.

 Bring back out onto your work surface. (I leave the dowel in the last hole, just for support...)

 Now, measure your thread, I use cotton knitting wool, twise as long as the book, and thread your needle.

 Lets call our three holes "middle -right - and left"! From the inside, go out through the MIDDLE and back in through RIGHT. Pull and leave a few inches hanging.

 Back out through LEFT, pull tight.

 And back in through the MIDDLE. Make sure that the start and the end thread is on either side of the long middle, as you now want to tie, to lock the long straight bit in the middle....

 Like this! Pull tight, tie and cut.

 From the other side. As you now have guessed, the colour of string is up to you :-) I know that you can get real bookbinding thread, waxed cotton etc. But I like the cotton wool, as I have it in my cubboard and it is strong enough for a sketch book.

Paper, paint, glue, wool and imagination, and you have books! But watch out - it becomes addictive!

Sketch books For Anna and Tina

A pile of sketch books are flying off to Anna in Edinburgh. She has a stall in november, selling all her beautiful prints, and will try and sell these...test the waters;-) In this pile, is a book for Tina in Texas. She is a sweet kind soul, who deserves a gift ;-)

5 new sketch books.

 I love how the paper that I always have laying under my journal when working, to protect the table top, turns out after a while. Thick with paint and ink, scribbles and notes. I NEVER throw it out, but recycle.

Today 5 new sketch books, came to life, using the scrap paper as a base. Love it :-)

Italy verses Denmark.

 Look at this beautiful Journal. It arrived from Italy, and is the One to One swap, that I am doing with Letizia.

 An envelope inside the front cover, was full of goodies, and I have put nice stuff in it for the return jurney.

 Letizia made a green page, for a joined work in progress, over the year that the journals are traveling back and forwards between I and DK. I put a bird and house on for my first layer. This way, my friend Mary will be traveling as well :-)

 This is Letizia´s first page in her journal. Lovely warm colours. The paper is lovely strong watercolor paper, which can take a lot of water and glue. Perfect.

And here is mine. Blue - rain - end of summer - The journal is going back on its journey tomorrow.

Art Journal på Selfmade

Art Journal på Selfmade

Selfmade

Selfmade