Welcome to another rousing edition of T stands for Tuesday where we grab a cup a and share what we’ve been up to. I’m taking a bit of liberty with that rule this week and I know our wonderful host, Elizabeth, won’t mind a bit.
Before we begin I must apologize for the poorly lit photos. My laundry room/craft room has both florescent and incandescent lighting. Choosing the right filter for proper lighting is nearly impossible.
Now on with the show…
As I was cleaning out the school supply shelf which holds both new and partially used supplies, I happened upon a spiral bound sketch book from one of the kids elementary school days. The cover and drawings were long since gone, the spirals smashed and many pages crumpled. I decided to salvage what I could before the whole thing ended up I the recycle bin.
So now what. I thought binding them into a journal would be a good choice but boring white pages have never made me want to use them them. Aged pages always draw me in.
This technique isn’t new, I’ve used it myself on many occasions. The one thing that really appeals to me is the randomness of dyeing or staining. You never know exactly what your going to get.
Since I had a large stack of papers I wanted to make sure that there was irregularity of staining throughout the pages. I sprinkled instant coffee grounds every few pages in the stack.
I used a spray bottle to gently wet the coffee to start the staining process.
After letting it sit for a while I poured in more water and used a second container filled with water to keep the papers submerged.
I left the pages for a day…perhaps a little longer.
Now I had a stack of really soggy papers. Since I don’t have the room to lay each out individually I had to come up with a quick and easy solution.
I used old shower rings through the wire shelving to hold a metal knitting needle. They were able to drip dry over the laundry sink. Worked perfectly.
Just look at those yummy pages…the color and texture really make me happy!
Now that I’ve got them all folded I have to decide what sort of book I want to make. The last book I made with coffee stained pages really turned out well. I cut up a suede jacket for the covers. I’m pretty sure I used all of the suede while making some Ren Fest pouches. It is garage sale season though so I might just get lucky and find something that speaks to me. Until then I will set these aside.
This should be my last really busy Tuesday for a while since most things are winding down for the summer break. I may start back with my knitting group occasionally which is Tuesday mornings. Of course.
Today I’m meeting girlfriends for a birthday lunch. Gosh, lots of May birthdays. It’s the last little hurrah before school is out on Thursday.
What are you doing today?
