Two posts in two days? unbelievable!

This is the baby book I have been working on to take with us to the UK.  I found the batiked fabric before the baby was born, thinking it would be ok for either boy or girl.  Loved the little batiked teddy bears and Samuel's Auntie Selam said sky blue would be a good choice and that was before his birth! she must be psychic!

a couple of sample pages

and the adorable recipient!  I think he is maybe 3 weeks old here. Love that dimple in his cheek!

I mentioned in the last post that I really should learn another go to stitching for my books.  I did!  One day as I was running to a doctor's appointment, I grabbed a copy of Bound and Lettered.  Vol 8 No. 2 in case you are wondering.  When I get them in the mail, I sit and look through and set them aside usually so I knew I would be entertained having it with me to read instead of the old magazines at the doctors' office.  This particular stitching pattern is in the magazine but the binding is a bit different.  I have lots of leather to use for flexible spines whereas they showed a matte board spine with single strands of beads.  The beads I happened to use are a tear drop shape and they fit together very well.  I need more of them! This means another trip to Shipwreck Beads might be in my future but unfortunately it will have to wait until I come home from conference this summer.  Erin and I have talked about going to a couple of Renaissance Faires in WA state in late August. Maybe we can squeeze in a trip to Shipwreck as well.

And now, back to my studio. There's always something needing doing in there, even if it is just cleaning off my desk to find a bit of workspace...

Wow! this blogging stuff is hard work! I can't believe it has been a month since I wrote something.

It has been a busy month as I have been making books and trying to get a few must dos done before July.
Slowly, my list is dwindling and that is a good thing! The company books went to the accountant earlier than usual - yay me!

I have been working on more decorated letters, thinking that a "set" of them would be a good tool when teaching a class. I like how this one turned out.

I have also been researching a few things for an upcoming trip to the UK. Must see and do things that would be nice to fit into just two weeks.  Checking google maps sure makes it easy to see how far places are apart and how long they estimate it will take to drive there... I wonder how accurate they are. Looks like we/I will be driving something like this....and getting used to a stick shift very quickly!!  This might be a bigger version of what we have rented...

Trying to find anything calligraphic to see and high on my list is to see the Birmingham Museum exhibit of the Staffordshire Hoard.  Do you remember seeing it in the news?  Definitely want to see that!  and of course, one can't go to Birmingham without visiting the Pen Museum.  And what would a visit to the UK without seeing the Chalice Well in Glastonbury?!  Erin has given me a list of things I must purchase for her from the gift shop!  There's lots more we need to try and pack into two weeks and also visit family!

One of the books I made this month I have already mailed off to Selam in Eritrea.  Selam is a sister of our nephew's wife.  We are hoping to see Jake and Furtuna in England this summer along with their beautiful new baby boy, Sam.  Baby gets a baby book and his auntie Selam gets a new journal.  I do hope it gets there to her soon.  The post office couldn't give me a time frame of when it might arrive.  Airmail, maybe two to three weeks?!

front cover

There are inside pockets that hopefully she will like...

more pockets

and even a secret one, holding a little book that I find good for addresses, etc when travelling

and finally, the spine.  I really should learn another one!  oh just a minute, I have and used it on my travel journal which is coming up in a post very soon...

Earlier this month we had a suprise visit from our cousin Lainya and her adorable little girl, Ellah.  They had just opened a gift I have had sitting here since this little one was born in September '09!!!

I had completely forgotten what the card I made was like. 

And there you have part of my month of June. I can't believe there are only a few more days left.

Next week, several of us who going to conference in Red Deer in August are getting together to finally stitch the little books we are donating for the gift bags every participant will receive at registration.  The paper was cut and has been folded, the cover artwork was done, photocopied and cut, the end cover, cut, the colour surprise origami paper has been cut and the info page is done and cut.  That just leaves the stitching!! I have tried several different methods of hole making - we are doing japanese binding, four holes - and I think the awl might win out.  We'll see, and I will try and remember to take pics!  They may show up on the Alphabeas blog instead of this one though.