remember i told you about the paperbag swag book project?! well, round two was to be finished and sent off by the end of february... however, i was late... if this was school, the teacher woulda put a big fat "F" on my desk.... but thankfully, there are no grades and some understanding people in the group.... all these images are for cathy's book... her theme was inspiration and she loves keys and richard scarry so i did an alice in wonderland sorta thing....
it took 2 or 3 tries to get this baby down and glued.... the first times were pure frustration and probably hormones mixed with lack of real sleep.... but with encouragement from both the group and my husband (who got more than an earful of my woes), i kept trekkin' at it and it turned out fairly well... the door took soooo long because it's been ages since i've attempted pop-up elements... i need to bust out all the books from college for the next round... also, my main concern was avoiding the crease in the book... i didn't want the illustration to have to get folded and eventually ruined from all the bending...
each book has 5 spreads, but somehow i managed to add an extra spread in cathy's book... how? well, i didn't want the left side of the "girl with key" illustration to be glued down in the book... so it was left floating but that meant, there was still the left part of the book to illustrate as well as the other side of the illustration... so to deal with the added dilemma, i made a pocket on the left side... this has the illustration of the girl and the flower... then i filled the pocket with paper- its stuffed to the brim but it didn't help that the pocket was made too tight... then on the right side, i added a tree with another pocket, stuffed with a couple handmade notecards....
lastly, there are pockets between the pages too- part of the paperbag book design... well, by this time i was out of energy and definitely time... so i made another pocket from retro wallpaper and filled it with buttons, embellishments, and who knows what else?! it was 3:30am as i finished the last of it.... needless to say, the book is very fat now, and hard to close.... i might have went overboard... oh well... so now, to work on the next book that came my way.... amy's....
this has got to be your best work yet!! I wish i could join in one of the swaps but I'm not that arty crafty inclined!
Posted by: Denise | March 05, 2007 at 11:20 PM
What wonderful work! I love the top spread...it's great!
Posted by: Erin | March 06, 2007 at 02:03 AM
What a great swap partner you are. Your fustration has certainly paid off :)
Posted by: Lindsey | March 06, 2007 at 04:58 AM
i second what denise said. this may be my favorite yet, although i still have very fond feeling for the kitchen illo you did. what a treasure.
Posted by: risa | March 06, 2007 at 08:38 AM
GASP, it's phenomenal! Just gorgeous.
Posted by: roz | March 06, 2007 at 09:35 AM
I found your site while looking for paperbag book inspirations. (Our doll club is going to be doing this as a project for our next meeting.) Can I just say "WOW"!! I love your style of illustrations. So sweet and funny. How do you cut out all of your little arms and hands?
Posted by: Tami | March 06, 2007 at 11:30 AM
The book looks great ellia. well worth the wait!
Posted by: jenb | March 06, 2007 at 01:19 PM
unbelieveable. Simply stunning work,Ellia.
Posted by: kiwi | March 06, 2007 at 01:53 PM
Wow! You are so generous with your time and talents! I have said it before, but I just LOVE seeing all your projects!
Posted by: Jane | March 06, 2007 at 06:33 PM
OH MY WORD........ A BOOK....... blink blink you are exercising those creative muscles!!!
Posted by: Tanya Nichols | March 06, 2007 at 06:44 PM
ellia, you're fabulous!! how i wish the book is for me! :D
Posted by: li li | March 06, 2007 at 07:45 PM
What could I say, everytime you put a new creation up, I am at awe, I love your work, and tks for the email. I can't wait to see my creation.
Posted by: brenda | March 07, 2007 at 07:26 AM
i can't even imagine the amount of work that went into this! it's amazing!!!
Posted by: Diane Duda | March 07, 2007 at 12:13 PM
ahhhhhhhh....
that is the coolest.
i love the alice in wonderland theme
and the pop up door...
you are soooo talented,
every time i come here
i leave amazed!
:)
Posted by: gkgirl | March 07, 2007 at 12:16 PM
GASP! I AM IN AWE!! You are so ding-dang talented!
Posted by: Melissa R. Garrett | March 07, 2007 at 01:27 PM
Absolutely amazing. I love that closure with flowers, and the little door, and all the color. Amazing!
Posted by: Hagit | March 11, 2007 at 12:43 AM
Just had to say this is beyond amazing!!! Wonderful work Ellia. How lucky is Cathy ...
Posted by: Jhoanna | March 11, 2007 at 05:31 PM
ellia, I second every GASP! and OH MY WORD! You really out-did yourself on this one!! I also zoomed right in on the flower closures... absolutely perfect.
Posted by: Storme | March 13, 2007 at 05:05 AM