Forgotten things

Hello dear friends and welcome along to my latest DT post for Our Creative Corner.  The challenge set this month by the delightful Anne was to come up with something we'd forgotten about - a technique, a product, anything really that we hadn't used for a while.  I was rummaging through my stash looking for inspiration (as you do) when I found the instructions for a miniature book that I used to make quite often when there were weddings to go to.  I would make this for the bride and groom with a lovely old prayer inside and I'd make sure it was on the bride's plate at the reception - well everyone else has a wedding favour and this one was a special keepsake for the bride and groom.

This time though, my little book has a special message for a dear friend who is about to start chemo after two lots of surgery for breast cancer.  She is such a brave and positive person and I know she will appreciate the sentiment inside.  First of all, here's the little box I made to hold my book.  You can see how tiny it is by the 50p piece alongside.

Inside the little book the verse reads:

There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.  

One is called Yesterday, and the other is called Tomorrow.

So Today is the right day to love,

believe, do and most of all, live

- Dalai Lama -

The cover is made from a strip of thin paper (not card as that would be too thick to fold) cut from the long side of an A4 sheet.  The width of the strip should be exactly 37mm and then, if you fold the strip into 8, each little square will be 37 x 37 mm.  Now you need to follow the directions I've scanned and reproduced at the bottom rather than me try to explain them.  I can't remember where I got this from and as it was a few years ago when I downloaded it, I'm not surprised!  I think the lady was called Janine Anderson so if you see this Janine, thank you for your inspiration.  Now, I made one little change to the instructions which I think you'll be able to see where I've altered "behind" to "in front of".  Otherwise, I hope its self-explanatory.  Have a go with plain paper before using any nice designer stuff.  I'm sure you could make a simpler cover for a miniature book but really, once you've got the hang of this one, its quite straightforward.

Once the cover is made, you can make a little book to go inside by cutting another strip of plain paper from the long side of an A4 sheet, this time just 34 mm wide.  Mark this every 30 mm into 10 and then fold it accordian style.  The last section will be slightly shorter than the rest but that doesn't matter because it won't be seen as the first and last sections will be slipped into the pockets on the inside of the cover.  You'll want to stamp or decorate your pages first though.

I like to tie my book up with ribbon fastened across the back of the cover and topped with the decorative panels on the front and back.  This tiny die and the embossing folder have been in my stash for years - more things I'd forgotten about!

I put a little square of gold crepe paper behind the die and then rubbed gold rub'n'buff round the page edges to age them a bit.  The box was given the same treatment and then topped off with one of my handmade crochet hearts using a fine cotton thread and the smallest hook I could find.

Hope you like my little book and heart topped box and I'm so pleased I found the instructions as I'd never have remembered how to make it.  Thanks so much for popping by and I hope you'll be inspired by all the lovely examples made by my teamies this month and come up with some forgotten things of your own for our challenge at Our Creative Corner.  Margie x

Instructions for miniature book cover: