I'm Published!


An article of mine is published in a magazine!!! It's my first time being published!

(I know that I write for Ink and Fairydust every issue, but considering the fact that I'm on the editorial staff, I'm not going to count that. This is my first time getting published anywhere besides I&F. !).

Me and the article. For some reason I actually managed to get a good photo of myself with the self-timer. Score!
See? That's ME! :D

The magazine is Mater et Magistra, a very good Catholic homeschooling magazine. I wrote an article about Ink and Fairydust, the free e-mag that I spend hours on each month.



Speaking of Ink and Fairydust... check out our Summer 2011 issue! It's a bit shorter than most issues... but very, very good nonetheless. I'm rather proud of my comic this month. :)



Thanks for humoring me, I just HAD to share. I know this isn't a super huge publication, but it's the first thing that I've seen something I wrote in print. 'Tis exciting. :D

Secret Book Box {Tutorial}


...although I suppose it is not so secret once I've blogged about it, eh?


This is the first project in my Destroyable Books blog series. More about that {here}.

I love books. And I love secrets. And I especially love hollow books.

I've made one before {check it out!}, and my little sister asked if I could make one for her. It was the perfect opportunity to make a tutorial, make the perfect first post in this series, and make my sister smile.

You will need:

  • a destroyable book
  • an x-acto or utility knife
  • extra blades (if you are smarter than I was!)
  • Mod Podge
  • a plastic baggie and tape


Gather supplies

Begin cutting the paper.

(Leave 3-4 pages in the front uncut.)

You want to cut as evenly as possible (grab a ruler if you need). I used the text margins as a guideline.

Cutting will take a long time. It took me over 2 hours to cut through this 400+ page book.

If at all possible, use several blades. You could easily go through 3 or 4 x-acto blades for this project. Don't have extra blades? It's still possible to make a secret book box! I'm living proof of that. It just got harder and harder to cut the pages nicely.

(My utility knife photo is for tutorial-purposes only. I didn't actually use it because it's blade was more worn out than my x-acto's).

The hardest part is cutting the corners properly. I accidentally tore/bent several pages because I was not careful with the corners.

TIP-- I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier. Before you begin cutting, use an automatic drill to drill a hole in each of the 4 corners (fold the cover back so you don't drill through that). All you have to do then is cut straight lines connecting the dots.


While cutting out the pages, I found this interesting picture. So I had fun with it. :)


Keep cutting. Just keep cutting. Cut, cut, cut. Soon you'll have a nice big pile of papers....

Cut until you are some 10-20 pages shy of the back cover.

Cover the front cover (and the first few pages). This will keep the glue from sticking to the cover.


Mod Podge the outside edges of the book, set them under several heavy things, and let dry.
I would have used dictionaries, but these storybooks were nearer. I think it shows, that I have little siblings.

You also have the option of gluing on the inside of the hollow part-- so that from the outside, the book doesn't look like it has any glue on it.


You're book won't be pretty at this point. The insides will be all ragged...


Take one of the uncut pages from the front and glue it onto the top already-cut page.

Cut it into an X.

Fold the "X" and glue it down.
The edges should look better now.

The next step is to glue a piece of paper on the bottom.
I used an illustration from the book, but you could also use scrapbook paper, etc.

Addie had me change the picture on the inside
The finished book safe!

And the proud owner of said book.

Don't you just love little girl treasures?


P.S. Check out my old secret compartment box!

P.P.S. Want to see more book crafts? You can find them {here}.
Did YOU make something using or inspired by this tutorial? Please leave a comment, I would love to check it out!

Destroyable Books




when you judge a book by its cover


interesting things happen

I know what you are thinking: Did I read the title of this post correctly? Did she seriously say destroyable books?! IS SHE DESTROYING BOOKS?!

The answer is YES.
Don't get me wrong. I love books. They are some of the most miraculous and wonderful things in all of creation. One of my favorite things to do is snuggle up with a good book, the smell of old paper and binding-glue adding an extra dimension to the story trapped within it's pages.

The thing is, bookart fascinates me. There is not much out there, and since books are so amazing, book art is something that I would love to explore.

Right now, I am the DOOM of unwanted books.

Don't worry. Unwanted books are not perfectly good books. The books I'm talking about are either 1) waterlogged or otherwise ruined volumes, or 2) those books whose content is worth next to nothing.
I do not desecrate good books. 

I just bring bad ones to life.

I think that we can all agree that the Reader's Digest Condensed Noteworthy Books of the Year books are worth far more for their covers than for the content inside of them. Especially when you can grab a stack of them at a thrift store for $2.

I am happy to announce that I'm starting up a new blog series: Creative Books. 
(I'm also debating with the title Bookish. Thoughts?)
I will be posting all sorts of book art, book crafts, and anything and everything that requires destroying bad books. And even more book things besides. This blog series will last.... well, kind of forever. I only have 5 projects finished so far, but there are so many things that can be done with unwanted books...

Where did I get this idea of destroying books? I'd like to introduce you to my inspiration: {Su Blackwell} . Talk about wow.



This post will serve as a main hub for my book art-- I will update it with each new project.


 PROJECTS:
________________________________________________











 

Paper Feather Tutorial

Bookish Adventures {A Photoshoot}
(Book Page Skirt)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Book Box with Scroll Saw Attempt and Tips





When I was 10... (Sketchbooks)

When I was 10 and 11...
  • I was finally double-digits
  • I did ballet but never got my pointe shoes like the rest of the class because my feet are weird
  • I started homeschooling
  • I read The Lord of the Rings for the first time-- but didn't understand most of it
  • I first began "building" my imaginary play-world of Nevdroonia. It all began with my little brother while we were reading Narnia on the hammock swings...
  • and I drew.
And some of those drawings have been saved in my sketchbooks.

And, as you know, I am "giving tours of my sketchbooks."
Because you, dear blog readers, asked for more artwork-- and I didn't have anything new for you! So you get to see all my old stuff. :)


Welcome to the tour of Sketchbooks Number 3 and 4!

You get two this week because they are both very short. :)

See the others on my YouTube channel or here on my blog.


Book the Third



and The Fourth

2 Quick Ideas

Hey, all! This weekend I am going to be at the American Chesterton Conference. I won't be able to post on my blog, I hope you understand!

Dad took off work for a few days and we have been busy unpacking the giant piles of moving boxes in the garage, so I didn't have time for much art and crafts!

However, I wanted to share two super-duper easy and quick projects that I managed to finish....


Project #1-- Perler Bead Headphone Decoration


I don't know about you, but in my family, getting headphones mixed up is a big deal.

I suppose this comes from having 8 people, and a total of 6 Apple products between us.

We have lots of plain white earbuds, and they are always getting lost or mixed up or getting other people's earwax on them (ewww!).


I've tried marking my earbuds with Sharpies but it kept coming off.


I got this idea from from The Beading Gem's Journal. 

All you do is take one of those perler beads (you know, the iron-able, fus-able beads that were all the rage in my middle school).... and cut it down the middle.


Use your fingernails to open the bead and string it onto the headphone wires! (Note: do not simply push the bead onto the wire, you risk pinching and breaking it).


Ta-da! Customized earbuds!

Project #2-- Chopping up a Skirt


Sorry I don't have a before picture!

This tired and gathered khakie skirt was one of my favorites-- I wore it all the time.

Unfortunately, it showed. It had several tears and the hem had unraveled.

Plus, I've grown quite a bit since I dot it, and the skirt was in the uncomforatble too-short-to-count-as-a-long-skirt-but-too-long-to-count-as-a-short-skirt stage. In other words: a wee bit unflattering.

It found it's way into the giveaway basket before I finally made up my mind to SAVE IT.

All I did was chop off the bottom layer of fabric. It didn't even need hemming! (I do have to wear my slips-shorts or leggings underneath, though-- it's long enough to be modest but short enough that I'm uncomfortable without it.)

(This photo illustrates what happens when the camera's self-timer doesn't work).

I then took the fabric from the bottom of the skirt and used it as a cowl-style scarf.

Well, I hope this was an interesting post... I'll be back to my normal posting schedule next week!
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