The nicest way I have ever heard Altered Books explained was “take an old, unloved, discarded book and ‘alter’ with embellishments or additions to return it to that state of being special and unreplaceable.”
That really captures what it is all about, recycling bits & pieces with our own personality to create something uniquely ‘you’.
A lot of my images are courtesy of Jackie’s Altered Pages and the stamps and glimmer mists are from Tattered Angels. Jackie has a special deal going for friends who follow my link to her space and sign up for the newsletter you get one free digital sheet collage to get you started on creative projects.
Links to where you can find out more about Altered Books include
http://www.alteredbookartists.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/alteredbooks A Yahoo group has 7,500 members around the world who contribute to a huge reference section and gallery. Note It is rated as an adult content site.
Even my blogspace got a little revamping lately, going for a cleaner template to let the creative pieces shine and setting up tabs for all the other details. Suggestions and ideas are always welcomed.
Hope you enjoyed pressed violets and feel inspired to create something special, share a link when you do so we can visit your creations too.
36 comments:
Hi Mandy! Your altered pages are so beautiful!
I'd love to do something like this with my struggling readers. I'm going to have to think about how to explain the project... I should print out these two pictures from your post and try out a few pages myself to demonstrate ... Kids and adults love to express themselves this way! Thanks so much for the sweet ideas here.
The violets are so sweet. Next year I'll have to collect some from the wild ones that grow around my house.
Hoping your days are going well~
Maria
Oh Mandy - that certainly is a treasure! I've always admired your art!
Thank you for your continued sweet comments on my blog! ;)
Love those pages Mandy
How pretty the violets are
Alison
Hi Mandy, thank you for stopping by my new blog. I've really enjoyed yours, and I love the altered pages, as Maria said, good for struggling readers, it may become a library project for my students also. I enjoyed my visit and became a Follower, if you like my blog please "Follow" if you have the time.
Love this Miss Mandy!
What a lovely post. I've never pressed flowers before but this is inspiring. What a lovely description from Altered Books too. You are right, it does capture what it is all about. I'm going to check out the links. Hope all great with you. Kindest, Pruxxx
Hi Mandy, Just beautiful...so romantic and special. I love them, I pressed flowers and leaves as a child. We moved around alot and it is a lovely reminder of all the different lovely gardens we had. I used to write the date and place picked under each pressing. Very exciting news about the move, cheers Katherine
That's really quite beautiful. I wish I were a crafter when I see things like this. Happy Violet Day!
I used to press flowers as a kid. The whole idea of altered books fascinates me. Never heard of it until now!
How wonderful! I love all your embellishments to the books. The flowers are beautiful. You made excellent selections.
We've pressed a lot of flowers. They are so delicate and fragile. I like to make bookmarks out of them. Nice post.
Teresa
That's how we press flowers too, my Momma taught us and I saw my daughter do it the other day...your pages are gorgeous!
That's how we press flowers too, my Momma taught us and I saw my daughter do it the other day...your pages are gorgeous!
I LOVE the concept of Altered Books~ what a GREAT gift idea for a friend or loved ones~ thanks for sharing!
I've pressed flowers before, but they never came quite as gorgeous as the ones you pictured!
Wow, I haven't pressed flowers in forever! But probably because they never came out as beautiful as yours! I think you may have inspired me to start up this art!!
Simply beautiful ma'am!
Your pressed violets are beautiful! My daughter used to press flowers in her little flower fairy press when she was a girl... it was a fun to do crafts with the flowers later.
I love pressed violets. They remind me of my mother-in-law.
=)
The idea is endlessly creative. That second photo is really beautiful!!
I tried pressing flowers with my oldest once, we stunk at it! Your images are beautiful!
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this!!
The violets are so pretty!
to look back on these are going to be such a treat.
xo
Those are some beautifully pressed violets :) I've never pressed flowers before but after seeing how wonderful yours came out, I'm tempted to give it a try!
I love altered books and I absolutely love what you did to yours!
Mandy, your altered book is wonderful. It is really a work of art. And the flower pressing is something we always did as children.
This was really a special post to me. It reminded me so much of my sister. She always pressed flowers and made lovely cards and pictures with them. I recall trying to do the flower 'pounding' with her. Something fun to do if you've never attempted it.
Thanks for this wonderful link on our little journey through Rainbow Summer School.
I really enjoyed it.
A+
Lovely pages. When I was a little girl, one of my favroite pastimes was pressing flowers. I used to drive my Mom crazy. Whenever she needed to use the Yellow Pages it would be filled with my dried flower specimens!
Nancy
Hi Mandy!
just beautiful job!
I love it!
xoxo
beautiful pages Mandy! Love love love pressed flowers, it's such an old fashioned thing to do, which makes it so beautiful to me. Thanks for joining in Revamp It 2010!
Beautiful pressed flower pages, Mandy. I haven't pressed flowers in ages - you've inspired me!
Your pages are lovely, Mandy! Also, your pressed flowers are the prettiest I've seen. It's nice to know they will live on, in your altered book!
Constance
The idea of pressing flowers is so romantic. The flowers you press will bring back memories of where you picked them. Beautiful book!
-Danielle
i used to press loats of flowers..have not done so in a long time...i need to find them and create something wonderful...thanks for reminding me and being so creative
Hi Mandy!
Your altered art/pressed flowers are just beautiful! How lovely to have such a beautiful book of inspitation to look at.
S. x
Oh your pages are just beautiful Mandy! Love them!
Loved these pages... oh my.... a treasure of beauty!
Your altered books are just beautiful!
You've given me some much needed inspiration, I have a stack of books waiting to be altered!
Mercedes
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