Happy Birthday Annie!

My book is about Annie....and here it is. Lisa's instructions made it possible for me to complete this project at home where I pulled together special embellishments. I also had time to think about what lettering I wanted to use. Two guild members gave me advice on the transfer packages so I was able to add photos. However, I did use three originals in the piece.


I used a button binding using three antique buttons for the front and four antique flat shell buttons for the back. (The buttons on the front were given to me by my sister-in-law, Pat)



This has to be one of my favorite buttons...and I know Annie will love it too!


The strips of fabric were anchored using a zig-zag and straight stitch. The top of the binding was folded over and stitched down to give a smooth look. However, the bottom was left untouched. I love all the fibers and fabric strips just dangling! So messy.....I love that!



This is the last button I sewed on...and going through all the layers of canvas and muslin was not easy. Two broken needles later...the job was done!



This is the inside cover view. The day before I mailed it, I added three gold safety pins that held coffee stained tags. I wrote the Colophon and bits of sentiments to Annie.



I added text to the branches...writing my name, the date, and Annie's name. I also added an amber crystal for the bird's eye. I thought this page made the perfect introduction page.



I was not pleased with the results for this page from the workshop so I made some design changes. I wanted to write the text in the green area that framed the letter "A". So I added layered fabric pieces over my original script and sewed a bead that matched perfectly the colors for this page. I used oil pastels to shade the letter "A", too. Now I am very happy with the final result!



I love this page....maybe it is the Roman lettering on top of the bright colors of yellow and green! I meant to bounce the last two letters in "raised" but it was late at night...and I am thrilled I just didn't misspell the word! So the three buttons were added to take care of this design error. I added a sparkle netting over the family farm photo to give the page more interest. I used a white gel pen to write Annie's birthday.



I made a good beginning for this page in the workshop. I was going to add little notes in the pockets but later decided on photos of us instead. The first pocket holds a photo of her only. The "sisters" image is a rubber stamp image on card stock and then sewn. I lettered text from a Chattel mortgage that my parents had signed. In another project...I am going to do more text from this document.



This page was another one almost completed from the workshop. I added written text surround the "K" for kindness. I wanted additional texture, so I lettered on printed cotton fabric, ripped it and then glued it in place using fabric glue. I made sure to add this printed fabric for my cover piece. I wanted all the fabric I used to be cohesive.



I did use an original photo in this piece. My sweet sister on her wedding day. Originally I was going to letter "wedding" using the Roman hand but then decided on less formal and went with my own style of copperplate for "love". Under the fabric strip with the wedding date is text written describing the church and location.


I also used original photos of her boys for this page. I adhered the photos using French knots. They are grown men now with families of their own. I really liked these photos because Annie dressed them in the same style shirts! In the pocket is a photo that Annie or her husband had taken of the boys during a Christmas holiday. At some point, Mom sent this to me and I am glad I saved it just for this book. It was a Polaroid photo so I am pretty sure there was not another photo.



OMG....I almost threw this page out! I was so frustrated doing my lettering at night. The hand I chose was Uncial and the lettering looked really great. The next morning before heading to work...I stopped in my studio to look over what I thought was a terrific piece of art until I discovered that I had misspelled two words! Double Darn! So from that point forward....I did ALL my lettering first thing in the morning. I added silk fabric first treated with Jacquard No Flow and then re-lettered "strength". I painted gesso over the misspelled wording and rewrote the words also on sheer fabric treated with no flow. Then this was sewn on top of the gesso. The brass button layered on top of fabric pieces was used to anchor the page.



I did a photo transfer to cotton fabric using my scanner and home ink-jet printer. The transfers really turned out great. I also added additional text under the blue fabric on the right. I really enjoyed writing hidden text on the pages. The embellishment is a "J" for Journey from Tim Holtz's collection.



Uncle Chuck and Aunt Dorothy were our favorites! Aren't they a stunning couple! I added a fabric tape measure because that is what I remember most about Aunt Dorothy was her sewing abilities....well....along with her cooking, decorating, and the ability to laugh and have fun skills!



Joy describes Aunt Joan, my mother's only sister. I also wrote hidden text for Annie on this page as well. The "Joy" was written using brush lettering and then touching up using a sharpie.


This vintage photo of the little boy just looks like he wants to be a farmer....so that is what he gets to be. I also added hidden text of what was written on the back of the photo. It may give clues to who he is.



Four Generations is one of my favorite photos....I was nervous about writing on top of the fabric transfer...but that worked out just fine. So I wrote their names and ages. The little girl, Merle, is my maternal grandmother.


This page is a school photo of mom. I added the names of all her daughters on one side and the sons on the other. It was amazing that the last two pages became a tribute to our mom and dad.



Again, this is one of my favorite photos of my dad. I had written that I use it a lot in my artwork and that is definitely the truth. I decided to add the text using Blackletter with a parallel pen. I did not retouch as I really liked the texture the ink left.


I used the funky letter style that Lisa has in her new book "Modern Mark Making". They are a lot of fun to do....and I used sharpie pens.



Watercolor paper was used to make her card. I used the same colors for the card as I used on the pages. I rubber stamped "be yourself" image and then added personal text to the backside.


This is the inside back cover.



This is the back cover showing the four antique shell buttons.

My fabric book arrived safely to Annie's house...and she absolutely loves this book and will treasure it always!