"The Buddha Book”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2016

I love journals and handmade books, and I add several new ones to my collection each year! My favorites are handmade books with "content". You may remember the “Knots Prayer” book from my Jan. 1 blog project which was filled with quotes.  This "ribbon bound" journal is one of the easiest books to create and making multiples is a breeze.  Match the quotes to the paper theme. They make marvelous gifts! I often create books a certain size because I have odd size papers etc. I had a stack of long skinny scraps of handmade paper, mat board scraps and some wallpaper pieces that were perfect for the covers. I will list the measurements for my book, but please do not be stuck with this size - make your book whatever size you want. Even though my book is "landscape" oriented, it can also be made "portrait" oriented. Remember if you don’t have handmade paper to use for your book you will need to make as many pages as you want.

Supplies:

• Matboard: back cover 4 x 9", front cover 4 x 1" and 4 x 8 ½”
• Pages: 3 ¾ x 8 ¾" handmade paper
• Scrap of tan heavy weight handmade paper for the temple
• Wallpaper for covers: two pieces 6 x 10 1/2"
• Solid color paper for inside the covers: two pieces 3 ¾ x 8 ¾”
• Spellbinders^TM Grand Calabur cutting and embossing machine
• Die: Joy Crafts Orientals 6002/0229
• Tonic® paper trimmer & scissors
• Ruler, sanding block
• Japanese screw punch & 1/8” bit
• Beacon ZipDry^TM adhesive, old cc to use for spreading the ZipDry™ adhesive
• Double sided foam tape or dots
• Approx. 24” of ½ sheer gold ribbon to match the wall paper for binding
• Clearsnap™  light brown Chalk ink pad, Stylus™ handle & tips
• Fine point pen to write the Buddha quotes

Instructions:

1. Die cut the Buddhist temple from the scrap of tan handmade paper.
2. Lightly sand the die cut to bring out some details.
3. Use the Stylus™ and light brown ink to shade around the edges. 

To create the journal:

1. Cut the 2 pieces of wallpaper 1 ½” larger than the mat board.    
2. Spread a thin coat of ZipDry™ adhesive onto the back side of the wallpaper.
3. Center the mat board piece for the back cover onto the wallpaper.
4. Miter the corners, leaving a tiny bit more than the thickness of the mat board.
5. Apply additional adhesive to the flaps if needed.
6. Secure the flaps to the other side of the mat board.
7. Apply the adhesive to the back side of the wallpaper.
8. Place the two front cover pieces of matboard onto the wallpaper, leaving ½” between the two pieces.
9. Miter the corners and wrap the flaps to the back side.
10. Apply a thin coat of adhesive to the matching papers and place in the back sides of the covers.
11. Measure ¾” from the top and bottom hinge part of journal and two places in between.
12. Use the Japanese Screw Punch to create holes.
13. Place the pages inside of the covers, mark and create holes in all of the pages. (Remember the pages are a bit smaller than the covers.)
14. Bind the journal using the ribbon to weave in and out of the holes, starting and ending at the top.
15. Tie a bow.
16. Attach the die cut with double side foam tape or dots.

      17. Fill the book with quotes

Note: You can find a lot of videos on the internet showing how to create many different ribbon bindings.

“AG Butterfly Plant Pick”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts  2016

January in Southeastern Arizona sometime is a little grey and dreary. Plants are resting and dreaming of sunshine and new growth. It is a good time of year to reflect back on the past year and start making plans for the current year. Creating the paper cast butterfly and small potted silk ivy is a breeze and makes a great gift. I keep several of these on hand as “cheer up gifts. It is a perfect gift for someone who is ill or in the hospital…….. the last thing they need to worry about is watering a plant!

Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• Casting mold: CP Butterfly
• A sunny window, heat gun or microwave oven
• Blender, small strainer, cello sponges and soft towels
• Scraps of white paper (think junk mail, etc.)
• Beacon QuickGrip^TM adhesive
• Silk Ivy plant, moss, flower foam, small terracotta pot, white plastic coffee stirrer
• 24 gauge green wire, Coiling Gizmo™
• Two ½” flat backed white pearl hearts, 1/8: flat backed round pearl, 2 small spaghetti beads
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Follow the direction for paper making and casting found in any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits or books to make slurry from the white scraps.
2. Cast one (or more) of the butterfly molds.
3. Dry the castings in a microwave oven, with a heat gun, or place it in a sunny window.
4. Create the antennas from the green wire and the Coiling Gizmo™.
5. Attach the spaghetti beads to the body of the butterfly, the antennas & flat backed round to the head and the two hearts to the wing area, the coffee stirrer to the back of the butterfly with QuickGrip™ adhesive.
6. Place the flower foam inside the pot.
7. Place the moss on top of the foam.
8. Cut the ivy plant apart.
9. Insert the silk ivy plant pieces into the moss covered foam.
10. Insert the butterfly plant pick into the pot.

“A Face in the Crowd”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2016

Faces are so wonderful. Each one is different (even though they say that we all have a “doppelganger” out there). Face molds are one more thing I collect. This one is actually a metal jewelry finding. It makes a great mold for paper casting and polymer clay. She is a bit exotic, maybe from Tahiti?

  

 Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• Microwave , heat tool or a sunny window
• Blender, strainer, cello sponges and soft towels
• Face mold (I used a metal jewelry piece)
• Scraps of off white, tan & brown paper (think junk mail, etc.)
• Spice in a brown color (great way to use up those outdated spices and it smells good too!)
• Beacon QuickGrip^TM Adhesive
• Envelopes to fit cards (or make your own with the AG envelope template)
• Scor-pal^TM (Love the new 1/8^” version)
• BowEasy™
• Approx. 24” of brown 7/8” Grow Grain ribbon
• Craft knife and cutting surface
• Scissors 

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions found in any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits to create a face casting. (I always make extra!)
2. Dry the casting.
3. Add more brown scrap to the slurry and create a sheet of heavy weight handmade paper (Create more sheets if you are going to make numerous cards. (one sheet will make 2 cards)
4. Sprinkle the spice onto the damp paper.
5. When the paper is dry, fold and tear it to make two pieces 5 ½ x 8 ½”.
6. Score and fold to create a 4 ¼ x 5 ½” cards.
7. Use the craft knife to cut a slit wide enough for the ribbon to fit at the left fold of the card.
8. Insert the ribbon, overlap the ends a tiny bit, cut it and adhere the ribbon to the card.
9. Use the BowEasy™ to tie a bow.
10. Attach the bow to the ribbon.
11. Attach the casting to the front right of the card with the QuickGrip™ adhesive.

“The Knot’s Prayer Book”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2016

This is one of my all time favorite handmade books. I make a least a dozen a year to give as gifts to loved ones who need something special to remind them that they are loved. I like to use handmade paper for the pages to make them even more special. You can make these any size; mine are 4 ¾ x 6”, only because I had matboard scrap pieces that size - and so that each folded page will be ¼ of a sheet of handmade paper.

 Supplies:

·        Any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits

·        A sunny window, heat gun or microwave oven

·        Blender, small strainer, cello sponges and soft towels

·        Scraps of off white or cream paper (think junk mail, etc.)

·        Spellbinders^TM Grand Calabur™ cutting and embossing machine

·        Embossing plate or folder with an abstract design

·        Merc Art^TM black embossing metal: 4 ¾ x 6”

·        Mat board: 4 ¾ x 6”

·        Two scraps of black card stock 4 ¾ x 6”,  4 ¾ x 3” and piece for the title

·        Sheets of handmade paper: 4 ¼ x 11” folded in half

·        Scor-pal^TM

·        Westcott^TM paper trimmer & scissors

·        Japanese screw punch & 1/8” bit

·        Arnold Grummer^TM Cotton Linter

·        Beacon QuickGrip^TM and Beacon ZipDry^TM

·        Old credit card to use for spreading the ZipDry™ adhesive

·        Heavy black thread for binding, large eyed needle

·        Various black and or white beads

·        Computer generated verbiage (see below)

·        Wide Scor-tape^TM or sheets

·        ColorBox^TM Chalk charcoal and white ink pads
Alphabet stamp set

                                   

Instructions:

1.      Follow the direction for paper making found in any of the Arnold Grummer paper making kits or books to make slurry from the white scraps.

2.      Create numerous sheets of medium weight handmade paper.

3.      When the paper is dry cut or tear it into two long sheets 4 1/2 x 11”.

4.      Score and fold the sheets in half. Repeat for as many sheets as you want in your book.

5.      Attach the folded pages to each other (back of one page to the front of the next page) with ZipDry™ adhesive.

6.      Score and fold the 4 ¼ x 3” spine piece of black card stock to accommodate the stack of folded pages.

7.      Attach the front and back cover pieces to the spine with QuickGrip™ adhesive.

8.      Use the Japanese screw punch to make holes in the book spine ½ “ from the top & bottom and on the edge of the title piece.

9.      Remove one side of the release paper from the Scor-Tape™ or sheet and place it on the back side of the black metal.

10.   Emboss the metal with a folder or plate using the Grand Calibur™.

11.   Remove the second piece of release paper from the Scor-Tape™ or sheet and attach the metal to the front cover.

12.   Stamp the title onto the scrap of black card stock with white ink.

13.   Computer generate and print the verbiage.

14.   Cut the verbiage pieces, ink the edges and attach each to a separate page of the book.

15.   Attach the pages to the book spine and cover with a piece of the heavy black thread.

16.   Place to thread in the middle of the pages and insert each end of the thread through the two holes in the spine.

17.   Tie the binding thread into a knot.

18.   Add more threads with lots of beads attached.

Note: The Knots Prayer:

Dear God: Please untie the Knots that are in my mind, my heart and my life.

Remove the have nots, the can nots, and the do nots that I have in my mind.

Erase all the will nots  and might nots that may find a home in my heart.

Release me from the could nots and would nots that obstruct my life.

And most of all dear God;

I ask that you remove fom my mind, my heart and my life all the “am nots” that I have allowed to hold me back, especially the thought, that I am not good enough!

Author know by God.

“Nativity Wreath”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2015

This is one of my favorite Christmas wreaths created this year. I have made over a dozen of them to give as gifts. Each one is a bit different shape or size. The recipients will be delighted to display them. They are just a small reminder of what the season is about. 

Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• A sunny window
• Blender, strainer, cello sponges and soft towels
• Scraps of white paper (think junk mail, etc.)
• Cotton Press Nativity casting mold
• Beacon QuickGrip^TMAdhesive
• One 10” rustic twig wreath
• Several 6-9” twigs
• Cinnamon sticks
• Tiny bit of moss
• Small metallic star
• Approx. 1 yard of wired star garland
• Approx. 8 “of wire for a hanger

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions found in any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits to create one of the Nativity paper casting.
2. When the casting is dry attach the star to the peak below the rook and the cinnamon sticks to the roof and base of the Nativity with QuickGrip™ adhesive.

Assemble the wreath:

1. Wrap the twig wreath with the wired star garland.
2. Create a hanger with the wire.
3. Insert and attach the twigs to the bottom center of the wreath to brace the Nativity casting.
4. Center and attach the nativity paper casting to the bottom of the wreath.

I often spend the whole day making castings, using many of the wonderful casting molds that have been available over the years from the Arnold Grummer Company.

“Saint Nickolas Wreath”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2015

I enjoy creating small Christmas wreaths and hang them on my inside doors during the Christmas holidays, and once again I used one of my favorite Arnold Grummer/Cotton Press paper casting molds; Victorian Saint Nickolas. There are so many beautiful paper casting mold to choose from (yep, I have to admit I collect the molds and way too many other things too - smile). Follow along and see how easy it is to create a wreath for yourself or as a special gift.

Supplies:

• Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits
• A sunny window
• Blender, strainer, cello sponges and soft towels
• Scraps of white (think junk mail, etc.)
• Cotton Press Victorian Saint Nickolas casting mold
• Beacon QuickGrip^TM Adhesive
• Double sided foam tape
• Pastels, Chalks or powered eye shadow in red and brown, applicators
• DecoArt^TM Americana Line Dark Green paint, “Snow” paint &paint brush
• Several yards of dark green /white dot 1 ¼” ribbon
• Two 5” evergreen tree cut outs (chip board or wood)
• One 12” rustic twig wreath
• Several 6-9” twigs 

Instructions:

1. Follow the instructions found in any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits to create one of the Saint Nickolas paper casting.
2. When the castings are dry, lightly color each area with the chalks. (See sample for placement).
3. Add some dark green paint to the tree part of the casting.
4. When dry, add some “snow” paint to the tree part of the casting.
5. Paint the two large evergreen trees.
6. When they are dry add the “snow” paint to the trees. 

Assemble the wreath:

1. Weave the ribbon through the twig wreath.
2. Tie a large 4 loop bow and attach it to the top right of the wreath with QuickGrip™ adhesive.
3. Center and attach the Saint Nickolas paper casting on the right bottom of the wreath.
4. Attach the extra twigs to the left side of the wreath to help brace and secure the evergreen trees.
5. Layer the evergreen trees with foam tape between and attach them to the extra twigs and wreath.

  

Remember that I always make extra casting to have on hand when the mood to create a project strikes me. It is not unusual for me to make 50 to 100 castings at a time.

Christmas Card for Him

Featured in Blog Tonic USA

Michele Emerson-Roberts
DECEMBER 14, 2015 | BLOGTONICUSA

With over a foot of snow on the ground and more coming down, today is a great day to create a Christmas card with one of our favorite Tonic Studios Dies – Regal Reindeer. This versatile die from the Rococo Christmas die line. Michele created this modern Christmas card in more masculine colors perfect for anyone on your Christmas card list.

This black and cream card is created especially for the men in my life as well as my favorite brother-in-law who is a bit of a non- traditional person. Who knew how elegant it would be and is one of my favorites. This card would be gorgeous in traditional Christmas colors too.

Instructions:

1. Die cut and emboss two of the reindeer from the buff cardstock.
2. Die cut and emboss one of the sleighs from black. 
3. Lightly sand the sleigh.
4. Stamp the Christmas sentiment onto the buff card stock.
5. Layer it onto black with tiny pieces of foam tape between.
6. Create a 5 ½’square center step card from the G45™ black & cream cardstock.

Assemble the card:

1. Attach the layered stamped piece to the top right of the center step card with tiny pieces of foam tape or dots.
2. Glue one reindeer to the lower left, overlap and attach the 2nd reindeer more to the center of the card with foam tape.
3. Attach the sleigh to the lower right of the card with foam tape

Supplies:

Dies: Rococo Regal Reindeer 1018E, Rococo Santa’s Sleigh 1015E

Tools: Tonic personal paper cutterand scissors, Scor-Pal 

Adhesive: Tonic Craft Tacky Glue, double sided foam tape or dots 

Cardstock: Graphic 45 black & cream card stock, The Paper Cut Manila File Buff cardstock and envelopes for the cards 

Stamps: Impression Obsession: Christmas stamp 

Other: ColorBox Chalk Charcoal Ink pad, sanding block

Tis The Season for the Sniffles

Featured in Blog Tonic USA

Michele Emerson-Roberts

DECEMBER 9, 2015 | BLOGTONICUSA

DIY projects using Tonic Studios dies are simple to create and yield stunning results for any occasion. Michele Emerson-Roberts created this giftable DIY project perfect for teachers or to keep for yourself. After all it “Tis the Season for Sniffles”!

“Winter chills and sniffles go hand in hand. I love decorating for the holidays and this will be perfect sitting on an end table, mantel, or bathroom countertop or wherever you might need some tissues.

I will be making these tissue box surrounds for all of the holidays……already planned are Valentines’, Easter, Independence day, Halloween and Thanksgiving. With all the wonderful TONIC® dies to choose from DIY projects like this one are easy to create. And there is a die for every occasion making this project very versatile.

Instructions:

1. Score the clear plastic strip 4 times every 5 1/2”. (You will have an overlap piece left over….trim it to 1”.) 
2. Burnish the score lines. 
3. Glue the overlap with TONIC® Craft Tacky Glue. 
4. Set the surround aside to dry.
5. Die cut and emboss four each “ ’Tis the Season”, the small flourish die and the outside square “wreath” die from Kraft colored cardstock.
6. Apply the Tonic ®Craft glue to one piece of the die cut wreath. 
7. Center the wreath and attach it to one side of the surround. 
8. Center and attach the sentiment inside the wreath. *Repeat this step for all four sides of the surround.
9. Attach the small flourishes to the top of the white cardstock tissue box.
10. Place the tissue box inside the surround.

Supplies:

Dies: Verso Christmas Wreath die set 641e 

Tools:Tonic personal paper cutter and scissors, Scor-Pal™ 

Paper/Cardstock: The Paper Cut™ Kraft #709 Adhesives: Tonic Craft Tacky Glue 

Other: Clear flexible plastic strip 5 ½ x 25” strip White square tissue box (I made mine from white card stock)

“Victorian Saint Nickolas”

©Michele Emerson-Roberts 2015

I always make extra special Christmas cards for those extra special friends. The Cotton Press Victorian Saint Nickolas mold has been one of my favorites for years and gets used many times during the Christmas holidays. Coloring him is not difficult but looks like it. Using G45 Christmas cardstock for the card base and one of the versatile Tonic dies made the project go together in a jiffy.  I love these kinds of projects and think you will too.

Supplies:

·        Any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits

·        A sunny window

·        Blender, strainer, cello sponges and soft towels

·        Scraps of white (think junk mail, etc.)

·        Cotton Press Victorian Saint Nickolas casting mold

·        Beacon QuickGrip^TM and Beacon ZipDry^TM Adhesive

·        Double sided foam tape

·        Envelopes to fit cards

·        Scor-pal^TM

·        Westcott^TM™ Paper trimmer

·        Die: Tonic Gold^TM US #637E (Dragonfly Frame & Insert set.)

·        Spellbinders^TM Grand Calibur die cutting machine

·        Graphic45^TM Christmas cardstock

·        The Paper Cut™ BS204 Base Green for the frame

·        Pastels, Chalks or powered eye shadow in red, green and brown, applicators

·        Flower Soft™ Ivory or Polar White

Instructions:

1.      Follow the instructions found in any of the Arnold Grummer™ paper making kits to create one or more of the Saint Nickolas paper casting. (Note: I used the upper part of the mold)

2.      When the castings are dry, color each area with the chalks. (See sample for placement)

3.      Apply ZipDry™ adhesive to the fur cuff, rim of hat and ball of hat.

4.      Sprinkle with the Flower Soft™. (I used Ivory) 

5.      Allow it to dry.

6.      Die cut and emboss a frame for each card from the green cardstock.

7.      Create a 4 ¼ x 5 ½” card from the G45 Christmas cardstock.

Assemble the card:

1.      Center and attach the die cut frame to the center of the card with tiny pieces of foam tape.

2.      Center and attach the Saint Nickolas paper casting inside the frame.

Add a hand written message inside the card. Hand deliver or mail in a padded envelope or shallow box.