a drop of pulp: alicia's initial contributions to deb's book, through the eye glass

i'm being a bit intentionally obscure on my post because i want debs to be at least a little surprised when i'm finally finished. but, i haven't posted in awhile either so feel i should post something.

so, without further ado, here are some photos i posted on my blog yesterday, as well as a few more showing what i did last night.

this piece is not complete, obviously, but it's a vintage lace covered glass-like dish of sorts with a lid. next post you can see it's purpose, but the glassy front felt eye-glass-esque and befitting for the title of the book.

this is a handle of sorts that serves a purpose that will soon be revealed.

just a bit of detail -- some crystal beads.

detail of another part of a page (told ya i'm being obscure!):

more pretty little beads. these are from the 1940s and are ever so pretty and somewhat shiny.

replicas of late 1800s train tickets, proving that the lovely couple (see deb's previous posts if you don't know what i'm talking about) got out and about in the world.

part of a collection of mementos and trinkets collected along the way. this button is from one of her dresses. i got two of them from my mum years ago and they were actually from the late 1800s, right when the story takes place. i couldn't resist splitting the pair so deb could have one in her book.

another peek at some of the treasures...

if you can tell me what this is, i'll give you a buck (close up detail of something special).

part of a pocket. i am not in love with this yet so i will either add to it or recreate it. i keep vacillating about this piece.

i made this out of candle wax, an old chinese coin, copper paint and a baby wipe. it's part of a collection of goodies to go into the above pocket.

a glimpse of a portion of the front of what the above wax seal is on.

i'm not sure where yet, but i MUST use this eye-glass looking lens. it has a five on it which represents the five of us who are working on each others books. such a lovely old lens!


that was my previous obscure post from my blog. last night, i got lots more done... and will show things a little more "finished".

this is the camio shown above that fits into the round glass-like "box" shown above. okay, it's a petri dish. shhhh. i've aged vintage lace, ribbon and fabrics. around the edge, you will see little metal "bits". these are pins -- like the kinds used for sewing. i had to cut them in half with wire cutters as they were initially too long but i wanted some extra detail around the edges. i think i'll add more.

no project is complete (for me) without a wee bit o' crackle! you can see it WAY better in the enlarged version of this photo.

sometimes i get my heart set on something without thinking. i aged these old hinges for days in vinegar only to find (once they were perfect) that they were way too big. whoops! i'll use them in another project of course, and have already come up with an alternative idea for this.

this is a special little bottom part on the main page:

...it's the top of a compartment, hinged with leather from a vintage dress (it wasn't mine!) and old metal bits. i made this box out of foam core and lots of other things and part of the lid warped. it will be fixed and flat by the time i'm done, thus less "gappy".

the flap door opens up to reveal a pretty little black velvet lined compartment, but i'm not going to tell you what will be living in the compartment yet.

with any luck, i should have this completed within the next week or so and will have LOTS more photos and perhaps a video too -- debs is such an inspiration and had the most fantastic idea. it will help to reveal how things unfold, move, etc., i think.

Alicia's Book: The Museum of Forgotten Things, almost ready!

i have made some new additions to my book and gotten new photos taken. i have a few more pages to complete (three of which are started) and may or may not post those later. one of them does not fit the "museum of forgotten things" theme, but rather is a tribute to us five ladies working on the book and it's flight around the world. i also have yet to finish the cover, but should be doing so tomorrow.

page one is finally complete: charlotte. her page has some things i'd gotten from lisa j. and debs. i wanted to incorporate as much of everyone as i could into my pages, even though you'll be doing your own pages too... just felt right.



the top waxy-charlotte part opens up so you can read the charlotte poem:

page two is also complete and one you've seen lots of already so likely isn't too exciting. also, i lost my real dude photo that is supposed to go into the frame so rather than sew the frame on now i kind of glued it in a more temporary fashion so i can replace him later. whoops! supposedly that's a real diamond that i glued onto the flower. i don't really care for diamonds but i liked the little sparkle it added (i can't believe i of all people wanted something "sparkly"!).


page three is barely started and i'm not finishing it until the book makes its way back to me next year (primarily due to the fact that there will be bones, and such), so i SHOULDN'T post it, but i am. i sewed the pages together to form a folder of sorts and it will be stuffed with goodies later. this is more of a personal page and probably doesn't seem "forgotten" to most, but the super succinct reasoning is that i always wanted to be a forensic chick. that's a real dental x-ray and there is really dna on the slide. this is a funny shot -- during my very last stitch on this page, my needle broke.

i have to add some fabric to the page behind this piece, and a hinge, but here is a better shot of page six:

the top piece opens up to reveal another image (then the bottom piece will be hinged to open another time, revealing something else, but i'll save that for later peeks too). recognize some of the fabric, lisa j?


11/16 update:

this is page 5 -- there are 5 of us playing -- the nest has five little crystals in it -- the book, like the bird, is flying around the world... just a little tribute page that doesn't fit with the theme, but i don't care. ;)


and a couple of peeks at the new page four (old page four is now page six) -- a glass tube and broken glass watchmaker vial from the late 1800s with fabulous little pieces of paper from debbie, and on amazing fabrics from lisa j:

this looks cooler in person -- a spider web i made and sewed onto fabric before rusting it.

this page makes me thankful that i don't often sew. i sustained numerous injuries including a self breast needle biopsy, a needle under a finger nail and a hole in my thigh (accidentally sewed something to my jeans). i should stick with paint and paper. ;)

alicia's book: the museum of forgotten things

11/05 UPDATE:

i added new, thick pages (foam core) so there will be more room to play in. that's what the above page is made out of. will send along the ribbony stuff for the sticks. here are some side shots, even though the twigs aren't all cut.



sorry again for the crap photos. i'll really replace them soon but i got a couple emails wanting peeks so... here are some bad ones. ;)

i will be cured by tomorrow and will work on finishing pages and taking great photos (with the camera on the proper setting and with the room light on this time, haha).

p.s. i've used some goodies i've gotten from lisa j and debs. it felt sooo right!

10/21 UPDATE:

i'm pretty behind on updates, i think! since my last post, i have added some things to my book. i lined the outer cover with black handmade banana leaf paper (which the top piece will be affixed to once i'm done) and the inside with red velvet... kind of like a museum exhibit.


the pocket will be sewn into the back at the end in case anyone wants to sew on any sort of little trinket while they have it. a note from each participating artist and or other goodies will be placed in the pocket.

i've nearly completed the second page (the bone page is first, but i have to do that afterward -- you'll see why when you get it). basically, it's a story about a lady and her life. the passing of her husband, how he died, etc. it's a totally made up story but i had to research surnames and origins, first names/origins, fonts used in 1920s publications, etc. i wrote her obituary as well as a couple of diary pages and basically confessed her "forgotten" sin -- only she never really forgot. she almost never left her house for nearly 50 years, at least not until the last 2 or 3, and really had a sad life. that's why she looks so miserable. horrible photo, i know.

here is the back of the bundle of goodies:

all spread out (feel free to untie the twine when you get it to read everything -- quite a fascinating story, lol). even the peacock feature ties into the whole story.:

all of this will fit sweetly into a pocket i fashioned out of one of the fold-down pages. the pocket, of course, will be embellished and decorated to fit with the story of it all, but i haven't gotten that far yet.

i received an email today that my dick blick order finally shipped (only placed the damn order like 8 days ago) so i'll have my black patina for the front piece soon!

next steps: bone page, medical slide page and omg, i have no idea what i will do for the forth. how can anatomy fit into "forgotten"? (wait! i forgot i had a spleen!!)