Bookbinding Kits!

My bookbinding kit supplies have arrived and I've put them together and am ready to share! Sometimes bookbinding supplies, especially wooden boards, can be hard to find and even harder to cut down to the size you need without big power tools. Take the stress and hassle away with these kits:

Shine kit - $23.00

Bookbinding class - $15.00

Bookbinding class & Shine kit - $33.00

Included in the "SHINE" kit:

- one pair of 5x7" wooden covers (bamboo plywood). Ready for holes to be drilled (perhaps painted?!) and then sewn together with your favorite papers!

- 10 double-sided patterned papers

- piercing & drilling templates

- 1 skein of coordinating thread (color may vary from photo)

- 1 curved needle

- 1 "piercing" needle

- 1 ephemera package with 40 die cuts (to embellish the cover or tie into the binding)

- 3 pearls

- 7 jewels

- 5 sequins

- 2 feather paper clips

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Yuletide kit - $20.00
Bookbinding class - $15.00
Bookbinding class & Yuletide kit - $30.00

Included in the "YULETIDE" kit:

- one pair of 5x7" wooden covers (bamboo plywood). Ready for holes to be drilled (perhaps painted?!) and then sewn together with your favorite papers!

- 10 double-sided patterned papers

- piercing & drilling templates

- 1 skein of coordinating thread (color may vary from photo)

- 1 curved needle

- 1 "piercing" needle

- 1 ephemera package with 61 die cuts (to embellish the cover or tie into the binding)

- 3 pearls

- 7 jewels

- 8 round sequins

- 1 snowflake sequin

- 2 Christmas tree paper clips

If you visit my etsy shop use discount code CYBERMONDAY for free shipping worldwide until Tuesday! I only have a limited number of each kit so ask Santa FAST! :)

Thank you SO MUCH and happy shopping!

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Free Snowflake Cut File!

I was inspired by an advertisement I saw in a Madrid clothing store and thought I'd offer up a free cut file!

You can download it HERE and I've included the .png, .studio3, .dxf. and .svg files. I'm hoping to make a layout with it soon and I'd love to see what you make with it too!!

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Coptic Bookbinding Class by Paige Evans

COPTIC BOOKBINDING by Paige Evans is now available!!

 I love making these beautiful books and giving them away as gifts. You can use them as journals, "smash books" or art journals, wedding sign-in books, at baby showers, as a scrapbook, making lists, for instax photos, book reviews, a wonderful Christmas gift, and so much more! I love the exposed binding and tying charms, bits, and baubles into the binding.



Behind the scenes of the filming process:


The class is only $15 and includes a PDF of written instructions along with the link to the YouTube video showing the start-to-finish process (please tell me the email you use with YouTube and you will have access within 24 hours!) as well as where to find supplies for making coptic books.

I will also have custom kits for those who want everything in one nice little package or don't have the supplies on hand. There will be an "everyday" beautiful kit and a seasonal Christmas kit. I'll do another blog post about those here next week!

 If you're just looking for wood covers I have some available for $8/pair in my etsy shop.

Check out the gallery of my handmade books so you can get ideas and inspiration:
https://picasaweb.google.com/117973140783906578689/MyHandmadeBooks

Visit and participate in the class Pinterest gallery - once everyone has made their book, please upload and share it here!
https://www.pinterest.com/paigeevans/coptic-bookbinding-by-paige-evans/

Detail images of the coptic book we learn how to make in this class:

And here is a short preview of the YouTube instructional video:

To purchase the class, you can go to my etsy shop OR simply leave your email address below and I'll send an invoice! THANK YOU so much for your support, it means the world to me! Now let's make some beautiful books together!

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Goofy Girl Layout

Do you ever see a layout that you just HAVE to scraplift immediately? That's how I felt about a page I came across recently created by Caroline Free:

I just LOVE the stitching of the concentric circles and HAD to try it out myself, but instead of circles, I used hearts. Here's my scraplift of her amazing layout!

GOOFY GIRL by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: Now that both Fox and Jane are in school for 3-5 hours every weekday, I feel like I have a lot of time to myself (time for another baby?!? Ahhhh! I just don't know!) so I've been filling my hours with hand stitching projects. Itching for some stitching!

JOURNALING SAYS: You crack me up dear Jane with your silly poses and correct use of props! Love you!

HOW TO: Download the nesting hearts cut file from the Silhouette design store:

I added one more heart by copying/pasting/enlarging the biggest heart. Use a pen or pencil instead of a blade to draw the hearts onto white cardstock. Pierce holes 1/4" apart all around the hearts. Backstitch through the hearts using a different color of thread for each one. Add two photos on the bottom right corner and embellish with the "color-on-color" technique.

SUPPLIES: Cardstock, Thickers: American Crafts; Chipboard: Maggie Holmes; Arrow: Pink Paislee; Thread: DMC; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo

How do you feel about scraplifting?

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20k

I reached a social media milestone yesterday - 20k instagram followers!

I am SO humbled and SO grateful for every single one of you friends who follow me along in this adventure called life. I know my feed is all over the place - from crafty endeavors to family pics to bookbinding and traveling and much more... it's a little slice of my crazy life! And I dunno why I'm posting about it here on my blog when I should be sharing it on instagram lol. Anyway, I'd love to celebrate with a giveaway, but I dunno if it should be another handmade book or scrappy supplies or a gift card or a combination of those things??? I'd love your input :)

Thanks again friends! I wish we could all get together and celebrate!

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December Daily Albums

I love the concept and idea behind Ali Edwards' "December Daily." The traditions and goings-on that make the holidays so important deserved to be remembered always! My mini albums with our daily December activities are our family's absolute favorite to flip through. I thought I'd spend a few moments looking at three years' worth of December Dailies!

2012
For this album, my very first attempt at a December Daily (and, it's actually only 12 days in December! Hey, whatever works right?!) I used chipboard for the covers and hand cut the "12" using an exacto knife then painted them white. I covered the first page with embellishments so they'd peek through the large numbers.

The inside pages are made from an eclectic mix of holiday collections. I tried to fit a whole bunch of mini photos on each page to help tell the story. This was probably one of my favorite Christmases because we spent it with my family in Seattle.

2014
This album's covers are made from white-washed painted wood. I drilled holes into a "25" and then added brads and buttons to define the shapes.

The inside pages are once again a complete smörgåsbord of collections - I think by mixing and matching, they all go together!




2015
It's not December yet, but I wanted to get a head start on my December album. I went a unique route this time by using a MemoryDex as the foundation. I have about 4 metal "tag" dies and cut about 80 cards for the pages. There is still plenty of room to cut out our photos and add journaling!

A look at my MemoryDex style December Daily:

Putting in a little plug for a class: the entire start-to-finish process for my MemoryDex can be found in the A Heartfelt Christmas workshop that Wilna Furstenberg and I put together for the holiday season! Find out more about this class by clicking HERE.

What about you, do you love the December Daily?!

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Nordic Background Studio Calico Layout

I was asked if I wanted to make a layout with step-by-step pics using the Nordic-inspired background cut file I designed for November Studio Calico kits. Sure thang! Check out the post on the Studio Calico blog.

YES by Paige Evans

DESCRIPTION: Here is what the cut file I designed looks like - it comes in 12x12, 8.5x11, 6x8, and 4x6:

JOURNALING SAYS: I wish I could go to Christmas markets every single day! The sights, the sounds, and especially the smells, are glorious to behold! It puts me in such a festive mood.

HOW TO: Cut the 12x12 Nordic background from the light blue cardstock in the Canyonlands main Scrapbook kit. Trim patterned papers into 3/4" strips. Adhere the patterned paper strips onto cardstock (it doesn't matter which color because it will all be covered up - I used the gray cardstock from the Scrapbook kit). Adhere the cut background on top of the patterned paper strips. Layer the six emoji transparency circles in the center. Add a photo to a torn tag then secure with washi tape strips. Journal on a sticker with a black pen. Create the title with large wood veneer numbers topped with gold puffy stickers (Graf is short for Grafenwöhr which is the town we live and where this picture was taken) and place a "yes" acrylic shape below. Place a "million times yes" sticker under the acrylic "yes). Add a heart badge, wood veneer circle, and a few other bits & pieces to finish. 

SUPPLIES: Scrapbooking kit: Canyonlands by Studio Calico; Pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo; Nordic background: Paige Evans for Studio Calico

I also quickly wanted to share a couple of projects other ladies have made using this cut file! Up first, a fabulous card by Dana Fleckenstein:


@missmia88 turned the cut file into an amazing stitching project that she plans to use in her December Daily®. This just gives me chills, it's so amazing.


Lilin Fang shared a tutorial on the Studio Calico blog of how she used the cut file as a stencil to create a white textured background on a white layout.

 Thanks for lookin' and be sure to drop by and see the full post on the Studio Calico blog!

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Cute Janey

I took some pictures of Janey on the front porch yesterday for a layout. Yes, sometimes I take pictures just for the sake of scrapbooking them :) And then I altered them in Poladroid to create a Polaroid effect!

Gotta love technology! And cute girls :)

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Insta-Lately November 18th Edition

I take a lot of pictures - on my phone, with my camera, whatever can capture the moment! Many of them make it onto my instagram, but most do not. I love doing these "insta-lately" posts to document our goings-on for the past while. 

Never in a million years did I think I'd have a daughter with dark blond hair and blue eyes!

Eschenbach in der Oberfalz. I love my town.

Joey is all better now.

He's totally smiling here!

Soaking in the warm summer sunshine.

I've shared this many times before, but what can I say! One of my favorite homemade pieces.

Clothes shopping in Germany is a no-go most of the time so I've been doing most of my shopping online at Adornit!

So true!

That time I got strep throat twice in a month. So thankful for medicine!

Tracking our travels.

Posted this on national dog day. It's not Joey, but all Shibas look the same :)

I think this was from Stockholm, but don't hold me to that!

The eternal Christmas store on post: Käthe Wohlfahrt! Spirits are lifted the instant you walk inside.

Snippet of our life.

Råskog cart filled with fun things within arm's reach.

Bookbinding class behind-the-scenes shot.

Oh how I love an open book!

Pretty much an ad for our couch, but I just want to sit and read 99% of the time!

Last Monday morning it was really dark outside, but then there was a bit of sunshine, and I thought there had to be a rainbow and sure enough we walked outside and TA DA! Bravo bravo, good show, good show!

They put themselves like this! It's so rare it has to be documented every time.

Rachel is my cuddle snuggle buddy. She's the best cat in the whole wide world.

Epic houses in Gelnhausen.

At a photoshoot with my girlies!

It was sunny yesterday so after I went to OBI (like unto Home Depot) I drove just a little bit further and finally took a photo of the town of Pressath that I've been wanting to do for years. Check!

I had my family send me this Harbor Freight spinner tray (cuz they don't ship to APO addresses) and then spray painted it gold. Can't wait to fill it up with scrappy supplies!
A little alley in Weiden. I love the gentle curve, the colors, the ivy... I could go on and on.

Christmas at IKEA!

I went with a friend to IKEA this morning and once again wished I hadn't changed all my boxes to white. I'll have to start collecting one or two new colorful boxes every time I go to achieve this happy look once again.

Currently working on a project for Kerri Bradford Studio!

That's about all for now!

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