Sunday 12 January 2014

Working on Dad’s Album Again

After a long break while we moved house, I have at last started working again on the album about my dad’s life. All I had done before was the first page, on his ancestry. I have a lot of material about his father’s side of the family, but since sorting through all his stuff, I have found further material relating to his mother, my Scottish grandmother, so I have decided to do a second ancestry page, this time with a slightly more feminine flavour, to reflect this remarkable lady.

The first step was to cut a piece of card to create a large pocket on the page. I used a piece from one of the Tim Holtz paper stacks, using the back of a piece whose front I didn’t like. I cut a template from a piece of scrap paper, and you can see that the curve at the bottom, marked with a cross, was rejected, in favour of the one at the top.

01 Template for Curved Opening

After cutting the curve, I distressed the edges of the piece with Vintage Photo Distress Ink, using an Inkylicious Ink Duster.

02 Inking the Curved Opening

I then cut a piece from another Tim Holtz sheet (sorry, can’t tell you exactly which stacks these come from because the sheets are all mixed up in the box, but I know I’ve got Lost and Found, and Crowded Attic, and I think most of them are from the former). This piece was for the flap to cover the opening in the pocket.

03 Inking the Flap Piece

In this picture, I have applied Scotch Quick Dry adhesive to the back of the strip – too much glue, I’m afraid, and it all oozed out making rather a mess!!

04 Glueing the Flap Piece

After wiping up the excess, I ran my brayer over it to make sure it was firmly stuck down.

05 Attaching the Flap Piece

I cut the flap in a curve, and ran my Black Soot Distress Ink pad along the cut edge.

06 The Flap Cut to a Curve

To make the closure, I am using two brads and a length of thread. However, these brads are hollow metal ones and I thought the thread might catch, or wear on the metal edges, so I filled the brads from behind with Polyfilla One Fill (or joint compound for my US readers).

07 Filling the Backs of the Brads

Selecting the thread for the closure. I chose a natural coloured linen thread which I waxed by running it through a lump of beeswax. This strengthens the thread and smooths the surface.

08 Waxed Thread for the Closure

I made a hole for each brad, and before placing the brad in the flap, I threaded the linen thread through and tied a knot, and then fastened it, and the back of the brad, with Scotch Quick Dry adhesive.

I punched two small circles from scrap card and glued these down over the backs of the brads.

09 Punching Circles to Cover Brad Backs

I gathered up a few vintage spools and an old tobacco tin I found amongst Dad’s things and photographed them. Once printed, these will be cut out, embossed and applied as embellishments.

10 Vintage Objects for Printing and Cutting

This thimble will receive similar treatment.

11 Thimble for Printing and Cutting

Finally for today, I painted the inside of the flap with black acrylic paint which covers up the circle of card over the back of the brad and the knot in the thread.

12 Inside of Flap Painted

I have also been working on scanning various papers and documents, and also some 3-D items – these will be printed out and used to embellish the album.

I have enjoyed beginning work on this project again. I have so much material that it is going to end up as a very thick book indeed, and will probably take me years to complete at this rate!

5 comments:

  1. Great start! You will obviously enjoy doing this as a fitting memory to your lovely dad

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  2. How awesome will this be! You are such an artist and so patient. I'm very happy for you that you finally have some time to spend in your ARTHaven.

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  3. Hi Shoshi, so glad to see you are enjoying working on this album again, it will be a wonderful way to remember your Dad. i love the large envelope you've created and the vintage images will be perfect embellishments - what a good idea!
    I did a lot of work on our family tree, but haven't had chance to do any for ages - it fascinates me to know about my roots and I think it's so important to pass the story on.
    It was my second "Show 'n' Tell Monday" yesterday - maybe you would like to link up with this post, it would be perfect! :o)
    http://www.artyfartyannie.com/2014/01/show-n-tell-monday-2.html

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  4. Good to see you working in the new art haven. What a wonderful project to begin with too,!

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