Tuesday, August 19, 2014

150 mini albums

I saw this on Pinterest, with text: "Free Mini Album Tutorials", and got excited.
150 different mini scrapbook albums! Wow!

But - as one follow the link, that's not at all what one finds. :-(

There's a lot of tutorials, about scrapbooking. There's a lot of links to additional information, a lot of inspiration etc. 
Also, the linking system is pretty confusing.

So - I'll list the tutorials I found there here, to make it clear for me.

To get to the tutorials, you still need to go to her site. I'm not lifting anything. Not even linking to the specific tutorials.

1) Altered Recipe Book with binder machine
2) Scrapbook album from an old book (better with picture books)
3) smashbook from an old book

4) ATC book

5-25) Specific wire binder machine books and albums
Pocket Book
Triple Pocket Mini Scrapbook
File Folder Mini Scrapbook
Apron Mini Album
Coffee Sleeve Book
House Book
Christmas Card Tracker
Tall Envelope Mini Album
Crown Book
Envelope Tag Book
Bind It All Desktop Calendar
Fabric Cover for Bind-It-All
Birthday Card Book
Vintage Book
Credit Card Book
Gum Wrapper Chain Book
Boot Mini Book
Hybrid Christmas Book
Wine Tasting Journal
Recycled Container Books
7 Gypsies Book Handles Book

26) CD case mini album
(Could also be a kassette tape case album or video tape case album)
27) Circle book
28) Coffee filter book

29 - 36) Envelope books
Basic Envelope Scrapbook
Coin Envelope Mini Scrapbooks
Envelope Mini Album
Flip Flop Envie Book
Long Envelope Mini Scrapbook
Tall Envelope Mini Album
Envelope Tag Book

37) Exploding box
38) Explosion book

39 - 42) Fabric Books
Fabric Journal
Teesha Moore Fabric Art Journals
Fabric Cover for Spiral Bound Books
Remains of the Day Journals

43 - 44) File Folder books
File Folder Mini Album
File Folder Scrapbook
Wirebinder machine book from a file folder (already mentioned in earlier list)
 
45-47) Flag books
Basic Flag Mini Album Instructions
Gate Fold Flag Mini Book
Flip Flop Flag Mini Book

48) Flip album
49) Pocket fold book
50) Jacob's ladder book
51) junk journal
52) Library pocket matchbook
53) Maze book aka one page wonder :-D
54) Never ending mini scrapbook. (I really love this! It's pretty simple but genial way of folding the paper so that you get a piece that folds open over and over again, so it really is "never ending"

55) Accordion Origami Book
56) Blizzard Book
57) Shirt Book

58 - 60 ) paper bag books - from smaller ones to larger ones

61) Piano hinge book
62) Pocket Book
63) Project Life Mini Album
64) Purse Mini Scrapbooks

65 - 74 ) Recycled Books (or perhaps repurposed?)
Altoid Tin Mini Scrapbook
Coffee Sleeve Book
Gum Wrapper Chain Book
Jeans Pocket Mini Scrapbook
Potato Chip Book
Recycled Container Books
Ticket Book
Toilet Paper Mini Album
Triple Toilet Paper Mini Album
Recycled Soap Box Book 

75 - 83 ) Scrapbooks for Beginners
Premade Scrapbooks
Quick and Easy Mini Scrapbooks
Accordion Book
Accordion Pocket Book
Rubber Band Book
One Piece of Cardstock Mini Scrapbook
Tag Book
Folding Mini Scrapbook
Envelope Tag Book

84) Square Around Album
85) Standing Mini Album
86) Star Book
87) Triangular Book88) Tunnel Book
89) Vellum Pocket Book

90 - 96 ) Bookbinding Techniques
Chain Stitch
Coptic Binding
Duct Tape Binding
Glue Binding
Japanese Stab Binding
Pamphlet Stitch
Sewn Tapes Binding

Monday, May 19, 2014

Designing

I have arrived to the point in my life when the existing patterns are not enough.
It's like with writing, if the book you want to read doesn't exist, you must write it - if the pattern I want to use in my craft doesn't exist, I must design it.

I have got a very good fiber craft education, and design was part of that. I know how to design.
My designs might not be the best in the world, but it really doesn't matter much what the rest of the world thinks, as I know what I need and want, and with several print on demand companies on the internet, I can get what I want - or give myself what I want...

Still... There is the doubt. Worries. Fear gnawing at my confidence and courage.
What if what I do isn't good?
What if it's not good enough?
What if... what if no-one else likes what I do?
I should be able to create something other people like, so I could get a little bit more income, to be able to afford what I want? What if no-one wants to buy my designs, and... If it doesn't generate income, it's useless, worthless, in vain...

And - at the same time I KNOW I'm good enough. I KNOW I like what I do. I would buy it. Spoonflower was created to give people the possibility to get the fabrics they wanted but didn't exist.

A couple of hours later:
Grr... I just can't get it to work! Something, somewhere is crooked enough to make the pattern not repeat properly! Dang!

Later that night:
A second effort to get it right. This time I actually straightened my spoon up and made it more symmetrical, so it was easier to work with. And I followed my husband's advice, and made the pattern in a grid, and I also checked that the horizontal line was straight, but for some weird reason I didn't bother checking the vertical line! And it wasn't... two pixels off. :-Z
Bah.
I'll continue tomorrow. New day, new effort. Even if I'll be late for the contest, I'll be able to produce my first pattern to Spoonflower and it is good.

Day after: This is it:

Monday, March 24, 2014

Pillows and Cushions

I have 676 pins on my Pillows and Cushions board.
That's almost 2 pillows a day, if I chose to make them...
But what would I do with them?

Monday, February 24, 2014

Linen Closet

I love linen closets.

Pottery Barn linen

I have been at Pinterest, looking at antique linens, and I'm filled with serenity. There is something very soothing, almost meditative in old linens... carefully prepared with thin, thin thread, embroidered and crocheted - or which ever way one chooses to make the lace... The tightly woven linens and cottons, smooth surfaces... I can feel how fresh linen feels against my skin in bed...
Ah!


And then I realized a couple of things.
1) I know how to make these. I can make these things. I can make lace in several different ways, crochet, knit, tatting, bobbin lace, sewn lace, richelieu, whitework... macramĂ©, teneriffa, this way and that way.  I can embroider. I can sew the sheets and all... I don't need vintage or antique linens, I can make my own! The only problem I see is that they don't weave linen this tight any more... but I can weave... and I can spin. Fine, smooth yarn and thread. I can make my own linen of this quality!
2) As I love these things, there are others who do, too... and might be prepared to pay for the work! And as this is special work, requires high level of craftsmanship and experience and all that, and the materials are relatively cheap I could ask quite a lot for doing this to people...
Would you buy a set of linens with YOUR monogram? Made for YOUR wedding, YOUR marriage, YOUR new home and life with your husband and future children? Get family heirlooms made especially for you?
How much would you pay?

Antique linen from French Garden Home