Oy. Sometimes, motherhood involves standing quietly by as your child melts down in agony and knowing just the right moment to go in for the hug. I'm traumatized. Can you tell?
ANYWAY, as I've been going through books and purging, I found my mother's old biology textbook. I've kept it for sentimental reasons: I pretended to be a college student studying biology when I was in third grade and mom was in dental hygiene school. The book she let me play with was actually her old high school book, a paperback printed on highly acidic, cheap paper that has yellowed beautifully with age. As my purging self contemplated throwing it in the recycling bin, I realized that I would rather tear it up and use it on cards.
So I made this.
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| A close-up so you can read how appropriate the text is for the image. I searched for hours to get this right! (Not really.) |
It's not bad for a first effort at tearing up a book...an act that made me look over my shoulder repeatedly in case my third-grade librarian should appear and yell at me for violating a book!
And isn't that tiny paper clip the cutest widdle ting ever?!?!? It's from a Tim Holtz hardware pack I picked up a few years ago. Eeep! I used one!!!!
And now for two points of business from my last post.
1. I heat-set the Memento ink on the fabric because it wasn't drying quickly enough and I worried it would smear. Memento is waterproof but I'm not sure how waterproof it is on fabric.
2. I will take some pictures of my calligraphy and illumination efforts to share, but I warn you...there's a reason I turned to rubber stamping. Calligraphy and illumination appealed to the medievalist in me, and they were fun, but they're not clean and simple, and I wasn't good at them.
supplies
stamps: Papertrey Turning a New Leaf
ink: Versacolor
paper: Papertrey vintage ivory
accessories: old biology book, paper clip, ribbon, glue stick, corner rounder
I am so sadden by Nick's encounter at the Children's clinic. It's just so sad, Susan.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry- so hard to see your kids going through hard stuff.
ReplyDeleteOh ! ...and meant to say I think your texty card is FAULOUS!
ReplyDeleteSusan, you probably don't even know me, but my boys both LOVED Yu-Gi-Oh when they were little. They are now 16 and 20 years old, and obviously don't give a hoot about those cards anymore. We have almost 800 of them - I kid you not! They are in two boxes, and I would be so happy to mail them to you! Here's a link to my blog where you can find my email and send me your address. bdengler4.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI really would love to send your son the cards! :)
What a nice world, though, really, that I was so sad about what happened to Nick one minute and then read Barb's post above and be so heartened the next by the sheer goodness of people. Life.
ReplyDeleteYour card is a brilliant use of your Mom's book and a way for that well-loved book to live on. (And, yes, the clip is the cutest!)
I have no idea what Yu-Gi-Oh cards are, but I'm so impressed that Barb has come to the rescue and offered to give you such a huge number of them. You meet the nicest people through blogs, don't you? BTW, the card is lovely and the words chosen were perfect. I feel the same guilt when I cut up a book, so I have one that I devote to paper projects. I hope your book has lots of pages and we'll see more projects with that beautiful naturally-aged paper.
ReplyDeleteLove your card - the simplicity of the design works brilliantly with the page from the biology book. Genius idea. So sorry to hear about Nick, I know all about Yu-Gi-Oh (Ben was obsessed, part of the ADHD thing, but has grown out of it now) and I really feel for Nick. Sending hugs to you both!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your son's troubles. THis is a really lovely card. Know what you mean about tearing up a book. I always have a little pang of guilt too.
ReplyDeleteThis card is STUNNING. I totally love it.
ReplyDeleteSaddened by what happened to your son . . . but heartened by Barb's generosity.
I have no idea what Yu-Gi-Oh cards are! Guess I'm lucky? xxx
Won't Nick be ecstatic when he receives 800 Yu-Gi-Oh cards from Barb?!? What a kind gesture. Your card is lovely. I'm glad you found a use for the pages of your book. :)
ReplyDeleteI am oh so saddened by your son's loss. We are past the Yu Gi Oh stage but I could imagine what it was like for him. Poor boy and poor Mom.
ReplyDeleteLove your card - simple and elegant.
Hugs to your son!
Sorry to hear about Nick's sad experience! I love this card and
ReplyDeletethe story behind the book. It is
lovely to have something from your
mom mixed in with your beloved hobby.
I don't know Yu Gi Oh, we were into pogs. I'm sure there is still quite a large box at my ex's house.
ReplyDeleteI am also so saddened by stealing; at any age.
Love this card; your are so clever!
Soooo cute!! Love the paperclip and how you used the definition from the biology book :) So sorry to hear about the cards. Have never heard of them...but know the equivalent reaction would occur if some Lego disappeared at our house.
ReplyDeletePoor Nick-hope things are better today. Love the card-but I still can't tear up books. Must. get. over. it.
ReplyDeleteTotally love your card!!!!
ReplyDeleteTherese
www.tmalakart.blogspot.com
Before I retired from my career as a librarian in the public library, I bought some discarded books from our book sale thinking I would cut them up for card-making. I've been retired for three years now and still haven't been able to bring myself to cut pages out from any of the books!! Old habits die hard! But seeing that you were able to do it might inspire me!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry (on various levels) about Nick's deck of cards but how lovely that Barb will send you a bunch of them.
This is a beautiful card! I can imagine the anxiety you wrestled with before you tore into a BOOK! I'm so sorry for your son's loss. I hope it resolves itself so that your son doesn't have this unkindness permanently imprinted on his memory.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry your son's prized cards are missing. (I have no clue as to what they are exactly, but I will google them to find out.). What a blessing to have replacements offered to you. Your card is great - using the book is such a nice touch. I have yet to use book pages on a card, but am inspired by you.
ReplyDeletePoor Nick. And of all places to have that happen - no child should learn what it's like to be stolen from. Good grief, I can't make that grammatically correct...need more caffeine.
ReplyDeleteI unfortunately know what they are, and give thanks all the time that my two auties don't give a hoot about them.
Good for you, putting that book to use! Think of the memories every time you use a little bit of it, and it'll last you a very long time :)
Great card! I've always loved seeing people use book pages as background paper on cards. So far I haven't been able to rip up one of my books! LOL!! But most of all I'd have to have the perfect page for the card anyway and that's probably not going to happen unless I'd take the time to go on a search for the perfect book for what ever card theme I'm working on. The words on your book page fit perfectly with your stamped image. That's the only way I could use book pages on my cards.
ReplyDeleteI would feel ROBBED , too, if I were Nick! Poor boy! My friend Barb (see the comment above) is the sweetest. I hope you took up on her offer to send Nick some Yu-Gi-Oh cards! Stamping is the best therapy, isn't it? I love your use of text! Gorgeous!
ReplyDeletelovely card. sorry about the missing collection. that is hard.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful card! I have some old books I'm keeping around for that reason, but I can't bare to tear them up just yet. I'm sorry about your sons deck. We have had prized lego men walk out of our home, so we understand his pain.
ReplyDeleteSusan, your post brought back so many memories for me...of countless hours spent at speech therapy clinic with my own son, wondering if the cost would all be worth it one day. Yep, it was worth it! He's now a 22 yr old college student, and he loves to talk and laugh! Back in his day, it was Pokemon cards. My husband and I used to joke that when the day came when he'd want to go to college, we'd have to tell him, "Sorry, son! We spent all of your college money on packs of Pokemon cards!" :) Good times!
ReplyDeleteI hope you've found a resolution for Nick. And as you know, I love using old book text in my collage cards. The way you've made it work with a simpler design is lovely and inspiring. This is perfectly put together from text to graphic.
ReplyDeleteDivine art work! That's what I'm gonna do with my unloved college textbooks. Simplicity is truly an underrated word. Anyway, that Yu-Gi-Oh deck is a treasure, it's so hard to find 'powerful' cards. Don't worry Nick, good karma is coming!
ReplyDeleteI love Yu-Gi-Oh and i watch it until very end. Very intelligent person and not afraid to everyone and i know you don't have fear doing your cards just like Yugi was.
ReplyDelete