Let's Replicate an Antique "Expansive File"

Hello-hello!

I haven't posted anything on the blog for a while. but I do hope that you have been checking out some of my recent videos on YouTube.

At one of the estate sales in the downtown of our city a few months ago, I purchased a very peculiar item (well, I haven't see anything like it before, so it WAS peculiar to ME😊) - it was an "Expansive File". Even the word "expansive" sounded interesting, because today "expandable" would be used instead. Am I right?

Anyways, it was such a wonderful and a very old looking booklet from 1909 with several envelopes inside, bound in a way that allowed the booklet to expand when more and more contents would be added to it. The whole thing was then supposed to be kept closed with a ribbon. What a nice way to organize valuable receipt and papers from the past!

You can see the original file on the left (the larger one). The smaller version is my take on recreating the original. I liked the file so much! It's antique age allowed me to scan the pages, alter them and share the printalbes with you. You can add more embellishments to the cover, personalize it, stamp or stencil on the inside envelopes, and of course store cute bits and bobs inside. 

The files are available for free download from my Ko-Fi shop and there is also a video tutorial on my channel, where I walk you through the assembling process. 

I haven't created a dedicated blog post for another project that I liked so much!! I have a video where I share the "Easy-to-Fold" Specimen Slides, made with a digital kit of my own.

The kit can be purchased in my Etsy shop: 

Below you can find a link to an accompanying video tutorial that will explain to you in details how to assemble each style of the slides. I hope you enjoy crafting!

I hope you stop by to have a closer look at the slides! Don't forget to grab a freebie with the square slides in my Ko-Fi Shop here. 

I appreciate your stopping by and hope you have a wonderful day!

Let's make 'Window Pockets with Bookmarks', using a digital kit

Hello and happy Friday!

There is a new digital kit in my Etsy store and I really like this one. If you use the whole kit, you are going to have 10 rainbow pockets with double sided bookmarks in them. They look so cool together!

I have added a You Tube video for you to use while you are assembling your window pockets:

Let's have a closer look at all of them:

Here are the reverse sides:

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend!

Journals for Sale on Etsy

Hello everyone!

I have been asked whether I was making journals for sale, and as a matter of fact I have never done it before. I have of course sold some of my works if I was asked for something specific, but I have never created journals with the purpose of selling them in the first place. 

Well, since there has been an interest, there are now 4 mini journals available for sale in my Etsy:
Journal 1 
Journal 2

Journal 3

Journal 4

Each one measures 4 3/4" X 5 3/4" and has a 2" wide spine. 

The covers have been wrapped in fabric and have a decorative paper on top in the front, whereas the back is fabric only. The spines and the band-closures are made with genuine leather. Three out of four journals have tiny pressed flowers encased in the printed specimen slides in the front, and one journal has a printed image with the flowers instead. 

Each journal has 3 signatures and a little add-on notebook. I have used various kinds of papers alongside different book pages, as well as digital printables from many creators, including myself :)

I heat stamped the words "Nature Journal" in the front of the band closures. On some leather types the words came out less distinct. I need to practice this technique more and experiment with different thicknesses of leather. 

Here are all 4 journals together:

I have a flip though of each journal in the video format:

I hope you like the journals and find them inspiring. 

Thanks for hanging out with me :)

A new digital kit in my Etsy store and a Ko-Fi freebie

Hello!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the summer. Here in Texas the temperatures keep on rising and it's way better to be in- than outside. Early mornings begin with close to 83 degrees (+28°C). It's hot! :)

Anyways, there are a few updated that I wanted to share on the blog:

1 - There is a new digital kit in my Etsy store and I love it so much!!! It includes 14 pages of various nature themed printable elements. Once you are done assembling everything, you will have a lot of pieces to use.

Here is a picture of what the final result will look like:

I invite you to watch a really short video overview of the kit, too:

2 - In addition, I have a added a little freebie to my Ko-Fi page. The printable includes 4 base tags of neutral tones and 4 oval frames with children' portraits. You can use washi tape, die cuts, flowers and lace from your stash to spice up the tags. Below you can find a preview of the freebie and the examples of the tags that I have created with it:

That's all from me for now. 

I hope you have a wonderful peaceful and crafty day!

Gothic Butterflies - A Journal for 'Vectoria Designs'

Hello everyone!

Vectoria Designs are releasing a new digital collection, which is called "Gothic Butterflies" and I am very glad to share a journal that I created with it.

The collection is available in three versions, which can fit any pocket or crafty need:

Standard
Deluxe
Mini

Let me show you the journal closer, and at the bottom of the post you will also be able to find a link to a video overview and a tutorial for making the journal.

I hope you like the journal and the paper collection Gothic Butterflies!

Please, watch my video flip-through here - https://youtu.be/chTQSLCC598

The tutorial is available on my You Tube channel here - https://youtu.be/1VG5bYh2z1E

Although I do not show in too many details the process of adding the stitching, below you can find a diagram that could help you complete the stitching at your pace. It is not important how your stitches look like in the back, you need to make sure that the pattern in the front is correct and looks like on the diagram. I have also marked the places where I added the seed beads:

You can also download this PDF with the diagram and print it out in an "Actual Size". After cutting the template out, you can use it for transferring the precise placement of the holes onto the spine of your journal. 

Happy crafting and thanks for stopping by!