Creating …. and Handmade books….

I decided yesterday to take Sunday and do some “stamping” work….so I called my friend and helper Gail to see what she was doing Sunday afternoon. You know..sometimes you just need to stop the hectic everyday life and take some time to do some fun things. Of course, Gail was ready and willing to come stamp and create.  Gail always amazes me at some of the things she makes. I think she must go to every book, bead, and doll class that comes around. She is a master beader…. has a fantastic case full of all kinds of wonderful beaded bracelets, necklaces, and gosh knows what else.  She also makes sculptured dolls, and has attended many a doll conference.  She has a new book on dolls, which I am tempted to get, simply because it goes through all the steps of making beautiful wire, sculptured dolls, and all their ornate “dressings’. I told her one weekend we’d have to sit down and make a doll.  If you’ve ever seen the dolls made by Elinor Peace Bailey… that’s the kind I am talking about!!  she holds workshops, teaching others how to create their own unique doll. They are absolutely gorgeous. The dolls in this book Gail bought are of a similar type in that they are “sculpted” free form… not like a porcelain doll, or the plastic body dolls like you see in stores. Click on the link above and you can see all types of dolls Elinor creates. I was fortunate enough to meet Elinor one day here in Albuquerque, and also got to gaze through her “journal” where she makes notes, and scibbles , and diagrams of dolls and things she wants to create!!

Back to Gail… she brought with her a gorgeous little hand made book with a Washi cover. She not only sewed the signatures, she made the spine, covered all the bookboard and put it all together. That is the first set of pictures here.