Altered Book Cover

Over on Lots to Do challenge this week, you have to incorporate a cracked effect into your piece. I have been working on this altered book for many years, (I first started it at a class in the USA! at least 6 years or more ago!) and I thought I would incorporate a cracked effect into the cover. As usual with all my artwork, one idea led to another , and I envisaged a cracked utee effect on the front, along with another technique I found on a blog last week.

I used an old dressmaking pattern on the front, ( luck would have it , the pattern said Front View) and covered it in a mixture of Claudine's Studio Multi Medium Matte and traditional tan paint ( how did I live without this colour before!) . I had some gorgeous paper ribbon and old lace picked up from my favourite shop, Heselden Hats this week, which I glued down the spine, and around the edges. I then stamped one of the new Stitchels stamps in Fired Brick Distress ink onto Claudine's sticky back canvas, and cut them out. I just love this new stamp, it stamps just as it looks.
The distress ink gave a worn look to the flowers. I wasn't sure what to do with the corner of the book, where the sleeve part of the pattern had a rounded edge, so I cut the cover off ! Then I put a cracked texture mat from Carolines also stamped in fired brick behind it, and covered the inside of the cover with more canvas inked in fired brick, and stamped the Stitchels stamp in tattered rose distress ink and covered the join in the paper ribbon. The " perfectly fitted " stamp from the Ephemera plate finished it off.

Finally I used clear buttons ( this is a technique I found on a blog last week, unfortunately I did not bookmark it) and stuck old dictionary pages behind them with Glossy Accents, cut out, and used pink wire through the holes as thread. I used the words, button and altered, and some of the paper ribbon. I then peeled off the backing and folded them over the cut corner, and down the edge of the spine.

I was rather pleased with the whole effect, and although I haven't shown you I discovered a wonderful technique while making this book.. I have left that for tomorrow.