MY LATEST BLOG MAKEOVERS - BIKER SITES!!!!

Welcome to SkullBay and SNR Art Corner! I was totally thrilled to be commissioned to do two blog makeovers - for BIKER sites! And even more thrilled that Steve, Mr Skull N Roses himself (below) is really pleased with them.

Copyright BJL and Mr Skull N Roses

SkullBay and SNR Art Corner are add-ons to Mr Skull N Roses' main site, Biker Jewelry Info.

SkullBay is going to operate a little like eBay - but for biker jewellery, heavy metal designs, Goth etc. It's going to be a very exciting site!

SNR Art Corner is going to be a site showing art - jewellery design, paintings, fantasy art, digital art etc - so you may want to submit some of your work for display. The original painting I used for the background (with his permission) is by Dmitri Mitsuk.




I've also done buttons and blinkies (I bet this is the first biker blinkie ever!) and generally had a wonderful time with it all.

Anyone looking for a blog makeover with a difference? Contact me (email button in sidebar) or go to my Esty shop  to check out the packages I offer. Want freebies or to do it yourself? Check out my Blogology site (link under the header).

PORTFOLIO-STYLE SKETCHBOOK

Here's another of my handmade books - this one is a bit different: a portfolio-style sketchbook. 

I used a pamphlet stitch (see my tutorial in my Etsy shop if you want to make one), which just goes to show that a basic stitch needn't result in a boring book!

The front - generous grograin tape ties. The tapes run right through, front to back, hidden inside the detatchable cover. In my Etsy shop now!

Closeup of the titling: distressed, embossed and mounted with tiny brads in 3 separate pieces (which can be removed if required). Cover paper is Bockingford heavyweight watercolour paper.

Inner cover, showing the paste paper finish inside (I made the effect by paddling with my gloved fingers) which is slightly dimensional.

Showing the pages - 8 pages (16 sides) of Saunders Waterford hand-poured watercolour paper with a natural deckle edge. I've distressed the pages very lightly, allowing for journalling, artwork etc.

The back - also with tapes threaded through. The cover is distressed with walnut ink, coffee and tea, and I added little grains of coffee and walnut ink to achieve the 'foxed' effect.

Another closeup from a different angle, so you can see the tied tapes better.

The sketchbook is 11.5inches wide x 15 inches high (29cm x 38cm) and the pages are 11 inches x 14.75 inches (28cm x 37.75cm). It opens out to a huge 22 inches x 14.75inches (56cm x 37.75cm) - loads of space to work on!

I've just put this into my Etsy shop - finally feel I can let go of it (they're like my children, I can't always let them out the house, lol)

I'VE BEEN REVIEWED!

Well folks, I'm covered with blushes: an unsolicited review on Featured Product Reviews blog. And she says such nice things!

Thank you so much Millie - this just makes me want to try even harder!

ARTWORK NOW ON ETSY

I finally picked up my artwork on display at Amersham Gallery (that's how I did my back in) and thought you'd like to see the paintings before they go on to my Etsy shop.

This is my Kitchen Series - mixed media on cavas, very dimensional - a bit of fun to liven up any kitchen or dining room.

All four canvases are the same size:
Height:   12 inches or 30 cm
Width:    9.5 inches or 24cm
Depth:    Just under 1.5 inches or 4cm
Materials: acrylics, collage, ribbon, braid, papers, beads, plastic spoons 

COFFEE TIME

Till receipts, crackle glaze, charcoal drawn back in

Designs carry right round the edges - no need for framing

"Real" sugar and a real spoon

Hand-drawn, glazed lettering

CUPCAKES

Side view: ribbon, dimensional "icing" and topping

Another side view, showing dimension

Hand-drawn lettering with glazing, collage - "real" cake, all crumbly

TIME FOR TEA

"Real" sugar cube and a real spoon, dimensional cup & saucer

Tea is a crackle-glaze effect

Hand-drawn lettering, painted & glazed

Extreme closeup of the lettering

CAKE

Real fork, collage, dimensional "icing" with dribbled glaze

Separate cream and jam layers!

Vintage braid, paper doily, Toile de Joue tissue background

Hope you like them! Go here for more details.

PINK SATURDAY - THANK HEAVENS ALBUM

As always, I'm stumped for something pink to show on Pink Saturday (it's so not my colour, but I am a great believer in getting out of my comfort zone, and pink is so warm and friendly.)

So this week I decided to toot my own horn and show a little handmade album I've made: a very girlie Brag Book for a mother, grandmother, aunt etc.

 All photos copyright Susie Jefferson

A sweet little A5 handbag-sized Japanese stab-bound album decorated inside and out: the overall size is 15cm x 10.5cm (5.75in x 4.25in) with 12 pages of marbled pink card, all bound with pink organza ribbon.

The back cover

 Inner cover

 Showing pages

Another view of the front cover

Hope you like it! (I just put it into my Etsy shop - only took me about 2 hours to list it).

My blog of choice this week is U Create - with some wonderful make-its, including shaker style boxes, a twisted fabric flower drum light shade and all sorts of lovely stuff. Do take a look!




Don’t forget to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see all the other Pink Saturday posts!

NEW CHRISTMAS HEADERS & BACKGROUNDS

I've just designed some new headers and backgrounds with Christmassy & winter themes, if you'd like to look!

Here are the backgrounds
Here are the headers, plus an email button etc

I know some of you love my freebie headers, but aren't all that with the graphics packages - so I'm offering a custom header service for you. This means I'll add your blog name and one line of text to one of my premade freebie headers for a flat fee of $5.00 (I take PayPal) . This is a new idea I'm trying out, to see if there's any demand. Full details here in my sidebar.

Otherwise, check out my Etsy shop for details of my custom blog makeover packages.

Also new on Etsy: my tutorials for Japanese Stab-bound albums (6 variations) and Single Needle Coptic stitch books. End of advert, lol.

TWO NEW TUTORIALS UP ON ETSY

Copyright Susie Jefferson




Just to let interested parties know, there are two new bookbinding tutorials in my Etsy shop.

Exciting, huh? You betcha!

PINK SATURDAY - AUTOGRAPH BOOK

I found this adorable little autograph book (5in x 4in) on my travels - obviously owned by a very elderly lady, judging by the writing.


I know a lot of the Pink Saturday ladies are great churchgoers, so will be enchanted with these pages.

















For those of you who are not, these date from 1908, are written in pen&ink in a lovely (if wavering) script, so perfect for your altered art projects. Also some newspaper cuttings and a charming little watercolour.












As always, unretouched jpgs, very high resolution, so knock yourselves out! Click on them for the full-sized view, and allow some time for them to load.








Don't forget to right-click to save to your My Pictures folders.







Hope you enjoy them.







Incidentally, for those of you who were asking, I have now opened an Etsy store (details in the post below) with my first tutorial on a simple Japanese stab-bound album (so many of you wanted to know how to make them).



And, as promised, I have put the Fairy album (with the vintage roses) up for sale, along with the wedding album (see my previous Pink Saturday post further down, for all the views).
















Go here to visit Beverly at How Sweet The Sound and to see all the other Pink Saturday posts!