Long concertina book with printed pages

When you have too many words for me to write without spending a fortune, one way to accommodate them is to print some onto pages that can be stitched in place.

Vicki came to me with the idea of producing a concertina book with a "This Is Your Life" style commentary for her Mum's 60th birthday. 

"This Is Your Life" was a favourite tv show in our house when I was younger. I've just looked it up... I never knew it started out as a way of honouring & helping servicemen returning home after war!

Having set out to write a 'few' words for me to add to a small book, Vicki got a bit carried away… to the tune of nearly 900 words! That would have taken a lo-oo-oo-ong time & taken up loads of space, not to mention blowing the budget before we got to the 2nd or 3rd paragraph!

She wrote such a great story, I couldn't just say "sorry, no chance" could I?!

Even when I suggested using printed text, I wasn't really sure how… but she agreed anyway.

I wanted to keep it pretty much along similar lines to the card she like originally, with Khadi Cotton Rag Bougainvillea petal paper… it is so gorgeous. As usual, ideas grew & Vicki asked for some blank pages to stick photographs in.

I decided to print extra pages onto plain white cotton rag paper & stitch them into the folds of the concertina… it took a bit of fiddling around with text & layout, but it was soon obvious that the book needed to be longer than normal…. double the length, about 41 inches / 104 cm…. as I only wanted a single sheet of text per fold. Photographs could be glued onto the petal paper, or even on the reverse, depending how many she wanted to use.

 

It folded down into a book about 3/4 inch / 2 cm deep. I kept the same folded cover as the cards, but gave it a spine… I was really pleased with how this 60th birthday "card" worked out & Vicki was happy too!

Wedding Table Names fit for a Princess!

Not everyone wants numbers on their tables do they? 

But if they did, a little bit of calligraphy can go a long way to making something 

that is often quite plain, look special...

Table numbers on book pages are not only for the literary lovers with a literary or bookish themed wedding. They can add a a bit of a vintage feel… 

or 'shabby chic' seems to be the description of the moment for those that watch the trends! 

I usually have a fair eye for fitting words into spaces, but when a collection are going to be displayed together, it's worthwhile being a little more prudent! 

A typed & centred list of names clearly shows which is longest & how long they each are in relation to each other. So long as the longest will fit, the rest should follow!

I wrote my list with a page above as a guide to begin with, then folded my paper over name by name…. lining each one up & making minor adjustments to spacing as I went.

As well as being Princess for a day, this bride was sharing her day with Disney princesses too!

 These dictionary pages were a perfect fit to be displayed in 5 x 7 inch frames. 

A mega accordion book- 5 feet long!

What a love story this turned out to be! A lovely lady called Lisa asked about an extra special love letter to include a marriage proposal. We decided on a concertina book with a couple of envelopes for keepsakes such as a show ticket & a pressed flower from milestone dates. Well…. the idea sort of grew… and grew.

We decided on colours early on; natural tones, charcoal & sand… layers of watercolour… more water… more colour… some acrylic...

I asked her to think about special events along the way… 

dates, places, songs etc… little things that tell their story...

She told me their tale of synchronicity & bliss, of cold feet & separation; yet always on each others mind…. until they finally re-united...

Just as their story has many strands, I wove snippets of songs alongside tender memories...

 layering their tale in a book of love… 

Extra pages stitched in, for her to write a personal letter in her own hand...

A proposal hidden at the very end...

books within books, pages to unfold...

quotes about love & words they have spoken…

 space for a ring to hide?

An Arty Card for a Teenager...

… that sleeps at every opportunity!

 "I don't take naps…. I take horizontal life pauses"

I've had these backgrounds painted for a while, so when my sister made a request for this brilliant quotation, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. All I had to do was pick a colour!

Then my niece decided that they'd make perfect 'Thank you' cards for her teachers…. of course she only let me know the day before she needed them. Kids eh! 

She was right though…. they're a perfect non-conventional extra special card

that can say anything that you want them to.

I love the freedom of making gestural marks reminiscent of writing but without the need for words.

 I even used up my last piece of fuchsia coloured paper for her [you owe me H!] It's such a shame…. I'll have to order some more paper now *smile*. It was a touch bright to go with the raspberry ribbon, but sanwaa tissue over the top toned it down just enough. 

Personalised Mothers Day Cards

Some of you may have noticed the link to "Inky Whispers"… 

I have found that creating a collection of cards in one place has led to more sales. It is much easier to see what is available & people seem happier asking for personalised messages, which I'm more than happy to write.

Mothering Sunday in the UK, is the 4th Sunday of Lent (the 40 days running up to Easter), that's March 30th this year. It evolved from honouring the Virgin Mary into a day to honour all mothers. It became customary for employers to encourage servants & apprentices living away from home to visit & honour their mothers.

There's only a week to go, but a personalised message can be sent at any time…. every day is a day to tell your Mum that she's special in my book! 

Thoughtful new fathers might like the idea of an extra special card for the mother of their baby. Any mum with a young baby would appreciate someone thinking of her… it doesn't need to be much, and certainly needn't cost a fortune… little gestures go a long way…. 

These concertina cards, or accordion books, are folded treasures full of sentiment, and can be written to say any message you choose…. they are for special people…. when your thoughts are genuine & heartfelt… they say that you care…

A baby from Heaven...

Nevaeh is 'Heaven' spelled backwards, so for a baby girl that seems to be Heaven-sent, it could be a perfect name. This couple chose to alter the first e to an a.... more suited to a North Eastern accent perhaps? I don't know, but apparently a few people do this. The name Nevaeh has become popular over the last 10-15 years. 

"Babies are little bits of stardust sprinkled from heaven"

New Baby card on Khadi cotton rag paper with bougainvillea petals

I heard the tale that it became particularly popular after the Twin Towers... perhaps so for some people, but the initial surge of popularity came after a rock star with a daughter called Navaeh featured on MTV's Cribs! What astonished me though, was the amount of hostility that some people direct towards it.... what is all that about, eh?! (Take a look at Behind The Name if you want to see what I mean)

An accordion folded book aka a concertina card, 

with a wrap around cover tied with an organza ribbon

They make a lovely unique card, and if I'm making one, I might aswell make another... 

several more actually....

A selection of concertina books are available
in the shop > here

Concertina books make great keepsakes & over the years I've made them for so many occasions.... wedding invitations, secret love notes, thankyou cards.... cards for birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, weddings, christenings.... sympathy.... new job, retirement.... the list goes on....

Brush your teeth!

Some colour is needed, I think.... I seem to have been very neutral of late.

Some lively splashes of cerise, aqua & lime.... such fun... 

Designed with a child's or teenagers room in mind...

how many times have we heard or said these words or something similar?

Brush your teeth

Hang up your coat

Wipe your feet

Clean your room

Do your homework

Turn off the light

And remember

Mum & Dad love you x

The set of 3 is available here, but you can have a version made to suit...

with any colours or with your personal most used admonishments!

overall size 100 x 40 cm ( 40.25 x 15.75 inches)

2 canvasses 30 x 40 cm (11.75 x 15.75 inches)

1 canvas  40 x 40 cm (15.75 x 15.75 inches)

I'm trying to think what I said most to my two.... probably something about stamping up the stairs & washing up would be in there... & turning off the tv if they're not watching it! I'll have to ask them & see what they remember! We'll probably remember totally different things, I know me & my mum often used to talk about the same incidents in very different ways. 

My dad was definitely one for telling us to turn lights off... 

& to get our elbows off the table was high on the list!

The last photo isn't particularly clear, but it gives an idea of how the idea can be adapted.

Bright, Fun Hearts on Canvas

I'm enjoying having a little photo set ready & waiting to use whenever I want. There's a large unused building on the site that I've virtually taken over! We will only be here for a couple of months at most, but i'm going to take advantage!

 I love you,  I love you,  I love you,  I love you....

12" x 10" / 30 x 25 cm

 My heart sings because of You

12" x 10" / 30 x 25 cm

I can do these in any colours or size.... with any words you choose....  

Or with a name on.... great for a child's or teenager's room

white hearts on lilac

5" x 5" / 15 x15 cm

These hearts are a little wild.... fun & expressive.... great to show you care. They're great fun to do, if a little unpredictable... I'm never quite sure how they will turn out, they seem to have a life of their own & they all seem to have their own unique character!

Luxury New Baby Cards

 It's a little simplistic to call these "cards"... they're more of a concertina style book backed with a gorgeous handmade lokta paper.

This little baby has a Polish mum, so we have a card in English for Mum & Dad, 

& a Polish version for one set of grandparents from the other...

 The silvery glints really sparkle when they catch the light.... I used Schminke aluminium powder dropped into the wet gouache. I spotted it when I was looking for the gold powder in my last post & just had to try!! The aluminium has larger flakes & is slightly brighter, I think, than the silver powder I usually use (also from Schminke).

A strip of sanwaa tissue across the back of the book, with it's gold & silver flecks, 

co-ordinates nicely with the metallic shimmer of the lettering.

All tied together with silver twine!

There's a lovely blend of textures in these little books, making them a delight to hold...

can you see the laid-lines of the bamboo mould that the paper is dried on?

When open, they measure 6" x 16" / 15cm x 40.5cm. I folded these to form the concertina (or accordion) effect, but they could just as easily be rolled to form a scroll!

Thanks "G" from GN Jewellery for her time in translating for me!