LIttle Birdie Crafts and Booksmith Classics Challenge

Hello my lovelies. Here I am back in the game. Of crafting that is. I was recently contacted by the owners of a very special company in India. Little Birdie Crafts creates the most wonderful products. Harish, and Rashmi the owners, had asked if I would like to try their products. How could I say no!!! They had everything that I would be using in my bookmaking process. And more!! Little Birdie Crafts has what you need for your crafting needs. From gorgeous hand made flowers, to chalk paints, mixed media mediums, chipboard, stencils, papers, and more. Their natural section, with burlap is phenomenal! I was excited to receive my package!!

With that being said, I have created a very special project using their products for a book I made. I recently took a bookmaking course that has transformed my crafting to a different level. I simply adore making mini albums, so I knew this course would be right up my alley. Nik The Booksmith is a master booksmither! She creates books and journals like no other. Think...Junk journaling on steroids!!! When she finally offered her course, I just had to enroll. The secrets to her process revealed in her courses, are absolutely worth every penny I spend on them. Don't blink your eyes when one of her Tomes (books), or journals is put up for sale in her Etsy shop, or on Ebay...Because they sell out in minutes.
Now, I can't tell you how I constructed this Tome, but I will tell you all of the Little Birdie Crafts product I used for it. To purchase Nik's courses you can go to her Teachables site. For this book, I used what I learned in the Adventures in Booksmithing course. If you would like to see more of the kind of books and journals you can learn to create, go to Niks You Tube Channel..Prepare to be amazed!!!
For the Nik the Booksmith challenge, you had to create a hard covered book using what you learned in any of her courses, and choose a classic book to base it on. I chose The Secret Garden, so my book is filled with all things you would find in a beautiful garden. Thank you for taking the time to read this post.

For the cover, I painted it with Little Birdie Crafts chalk paint in Butternut Squash and added a light coat of Snow. The flowers for the cover and all of the pages where flowers were used are Valerie Ivory, Maidenhair Fern, Fiona Pastel, Noell Pastel. Rosalind Pastel, Paula Arctic Ice, Pearl Florette Celeste, Burlap Jeweled Florettes, and Burlap Floriana Natural.

 
This is a view from the spine. You can learn to create a few different spines. This is a curved one. Peaking out of the top of the  spine, is some cheesecloth and a bit of the Little Birdie Craft Burlap Ribbon roll.  There are so many ways to use the burlap ribbon.

This a view of the book closed using May Arts silk ribbon that I colored with spray.

Here is a view of the book opened untying the ribbon. I created 6 signatures for this book, with each signature having at least 8 folded papers.

From the top view, you can see the flowers sticking out of the book pages. There is a ton of coffee and tea stained papers in the book.

This is the cover of the first signature. I created an edge using a border punch and layered butterflies using Kraft paper, and sewing to the edge of the page. I added a butterfly from Lisa Audit designs.

Here is a dictionary page that is incorporated into the signature and I added the butterflies, and created an edge using Little birdie burlap that I cut from the Burlap ribbon roll, added the buttons and tied a tiny Sizzix tag to one of the buttons.

I created a tag using a small picture of flowers and added the butterfly on the top. Just pull it out of the pocket created from the dictionary page.

I was inspired by Amity Bloom to make her heirloom envelopes, so I embossed a plain white envelope, distress inked it, and added the butterfly. I tucked it in the pocket I created using 12x12 scrapbook paper that I coffee dyed. This would be the back of the first signature. I also sewed a zigzag around the edges.

Here is the from of another signature. I created a small ephemera piece using cheesecloth, the Little birdie burlap ribbon and a picture of sweet flowers. I added the Little Birdie flower to the edge that sticks out ever so slightly when the book is closed.

For the title piece, I painted a purchased frame using Little Birdie chalk paint in Snow. I backed it with some of the burlap ribbon, then glued around the inner perimeter of the frame some. Little Birdie Jute Twine design 2 natural. I then painted the metal frame with Butternut Squash paint and slightly distressed it after it  dried. I added the title to the back.

I pressed fern from my yard, encased it in wax paper and sewed it to a pocket envelope. I added a bit of lace, and used a loop pin with a tiny tag and a charm I made using my jewelry stash. I created and used a photo of a bee for the charm, and enclosed it with a glass cabochon.

I created a bookmark using a velvet ribbon and endcaps. I then added the loop pins with beads and charms from my jewelry making supplies.

I hope you enjoyed a look at my book.

There you have it. My first book I created from what I learned in the Adventures of Bookmaking course. I am totally hooked....

Here is just a preview of covers I am working on. Come back soon to see the finished books. Thank Heavens for my Dusty Attic!!

• Nik the Booksmith YouTube Channel
• Nik the Booksmith Online Studies
• The Booksmith Shop on Etsy
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