Hallowe'en is nearly here!

It's that time of year again.  The nights are drawing in, the leaves are tumbling down, and there's a definite nip in the air.  Yes it's autumn, and with autumn comes...Hallowe'en!

I've always loved Halloween, the dressing up, the decorations, and the whole vibe, despite the huge commercial circus that it has turned into.  It's hard to believe that, at one time, it was virtually impossible to get hold of Halloween costumes, spooky decor and the like.  We had to be inventive and create our own outfits out of mum's cast-offs, whereas now, you can pick up every conceivable object with a Halloween theme, along with your weekly supermarket shop.

But in spite of this rampant commercialism, there is something about Halloween which brings out the inner kid in me, and I love nothing more that playing with every spooky gadget and rummaging through the fancy dress outfits with my daughter.  No, the commercialisation of Halloween is here to stay, so we may as well embrace it.  Besides, I'm always fascinated by every year's new range of products, which somehow seem to get more gory/bloodthirsty every time, but it is interesting to see just how creative the range of Halloween products can get.  In particular, I love those products which have a slightly different slant on the whole Halloween theme, daring to veer away from the predictable pumpkin/witch's hat/spiderweb/black and orange combinations.

Which brings me neatly to my Etsy selections for this week.  As always, I'm staggered by the huge array of wonderful products out there, and the boundless creativity of the Etsy sellers, especially when it comes to Halloween-inspired creations.  Amongst my favourites are:

Vampire Journal...by IstriaDesign

This Vampire journal by IstriaDesign is dedicated to the little-known Jure Grando, the first vampire mentioned in the written word.  I love the originality of this item, and the combination of goth and vintage elements.  Wonderful stuff!

Haunted London pop-up book by niapaper

 

I've always loved pop-up books, and the way they can convey a miniature world in book form, almost like a doll's house.  Perfect for Halloween is this Haunted London pop-up book by niapaper, uncovering tales of ghosts in the capital, including the Tower of London, Kensington Palace and St. Paul's Cathedral.  Enjoy!

Skull Bats book by Idle Workshop

My final selection is this highly original Skull Bats handmade book by Idle Workshop.  Perfectly capturing the Halloween feel, the book contains 70 pages of wizard parchment and magnificent carved bat-winged skulls on the cover.  Exquisite!

Whatever you're doing this Halloween, enjoy yourself, and if you're working on any Halloween-inspired items, I'd love to hear about them.

Until next time,  have a great week!

Experiments in Copper Etching

I'm always interested in discovering new crafts, especially when I can incorporate them into my books in some way.  Recently I've been experimenting with copper etching, with the help of some wonderful tutorials on the Internet.  Basically, a design is applied to the surface of a copper blank, and this acts as a resist (meaning that areas left untouched will be etched, leaving your design as a raised surface).

Before

After

A number of suggestions were put forward as to the best resist to use, ranging from a Sharpie permanent marker, to acrylic paint to nail varnish.  I experimented with the Sharpie and nail varnish, and got satisfactory results with both.

After covering the back of the copper blank with resist, the etching process begins by suspending the piece in a tub of ferric chloride.  I purchased my ferric chlorid from Maplin, but I would imagine this would be available at art shops.  Opinion varies as to how long to leave the copper in the solution, but keep checking, and after 30 minutes or so, the solution should have worked its magic.

This is my first attempt, and admittedly, it looks a little 'rough', but I quite like that.  I added it to my most recent book creation, and I love the effect of the etched copper against the luxurious velvet effect covering.

Burgundy velvet postbinding journal by GlassRoofBooks

As always, searching around on Etsy, I found some amazing examples of 'proper' copper etching, which brought home to me how much of a beginner I am when it comes to etching, and also how many talented people there are out there.


I love these dragonfly earrings by KismetStudiosOnEtsy
Such a simple design, by highly effective

MarieOfSweden has some truly beautiful items in her shop.  I was spoilt for choice, but this etching is typical of her style.  Simply stunning.

These Shooting stars copper etched earrings are another of my favourites, by CabariBeads.  I love the patina effect, which adds depth to the imagery.








So there we have it.  Any tips by those in the know regarding copper etching, I'd love to hear from you.  And anyone who fancies having a go, I found the Internet tutorials below very helpful.

Happy etching!

Copperheart - Tutorial: How to etch copper

Hodgepodgerie: Etching Copper

Autumn Equinox: Copper Etching Tutorial

Psychedelia meets Victorian pin-up

My talented dressmaker friend Jane from Jane Moran Designs, at the Traders' Outlet in Sale gave me this wonderful piece of fabric, which so far I have been able to make two books from.  It's a remnant from one of her fabulous creations, and features some rather saucy images of scantily clad ladies, alongside some amazing colour combinations.  The whole piece has a 1960s psychedelic feel to it era, combined with pin-up pictures from the Victorian era, the style of which also made something of a comeback during the 1960s.

I've managed to use the more 'tasteful' parts of the fabric - editing out the naughtier bits, and have combined the vibrant fabric with bright orange endpapers.




I did consider adding a fancy Victoriana-inspired closure mechanism, but decided against it, as I think the fabric speaks for itself.

The remaining fabric was used to cover a miniature book, to which I have added a teal-coloured, silk dupion drawstring pouch.




I love this part of the fabric even more - all those swirly colour combinations are simply beautiful.  It got me searching on Etsy for items with a similar psychedelic vibe - here's a few of my favourites.


I love this abstract neon painting from ChromaMetalArt - such wonderful
colours.

  

This digital collage sheet from RetropolisPix captures the Victorian pin-up feel of my fabric.

These psychedelic push pins from Funkychickendesign are a great way to enjoy the psychedelic vibe.






Have a great week everyone!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/glassroofbooks