Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Pasted Violets

Blogging for Natasha's Revamp It party in shades of pretty violets pressed in books and revamped in the good old fashioned way.

Have you tried pressing flowers before? Violets are lovely fresh in salad but you can press and preserve them very easily in a phone book if you change the paper regularly. Have been lucky see vintage scrapbooks up close in museums where folks have pressed flowers from special occasions and inspired me to create an altered book on a similar theme.
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:

Maria said...

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

Cape Cod Rambling Rose said...

Oh Mandy - that certainly is a treasure! I've always admired your art!

Thank you for your continued sweet comments on my blog! ;)

Alison Gibbs said...

Love those pages Mandy
How pretty the violets are
Alison

Ocean Breezes and Country Sneezes said...

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.

Krista said...

Love this Miss Mandy!

Flotsam Friends said...

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

the old boathouse said...

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

Cheryl said...

That's really quite beautiful. I wish I were a crafter when I see things like this. Happy Violet Day!

Tina said...

I used to press flowers as a kid. The whole idea of altered books fascinates me. Never heard of it until now!

Unknown said...

How wonderful! I love all your embellishments to the books. The flowers are beautiful. You made excellent selections.

Anonymous said...

We've pressed a lot of flowers. They are so delicate and fragile. I like to make bookmarks out of them. Nice post.

Teresa

Carol said...

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!

Carol said...

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!

Mary said...

I LOVE the concept of Altered Books~ what a GREAT gift idea for a friend or loved ones~ thanks for sharing!

Erin | Bygone Living said...

I've pressed flowers before, but they never came quite as gorgeous as the ones you pictured!

Erin Emanuel said...

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!

GardenOfDaisies said...

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.

Susan Anderson said...

I love pressed violets. They remind me of my mother-in-law.

=)

People Who Know Me Would Say: said...

The idea is endlessly creative. That second photo is really beautiful!!

Terra said...

I tried pressing flowers with my oldest once, we stunk at it! Your images are beautiful!

Christi S said...

Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this!!

Cheryl D. said...

The violets are so pretty!

christina said...

to look back on these are going to be such a treat.
xo

Unknown said...

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!

Jenny said...

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+

Fete et Fleur said...

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

Marina Capano said...

Hi Mandy!
just beautiful job!
I love it!

xoxo

Natasha Burns said...

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!

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

Beautiful pressed flower pages, Mandy. I haven't pressed flowers in ages - you've inspired me!

rochambeau said...

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

Blessed Serendipity said...

The idea of pressing flowers is so romantic. The flowers you press will bring back memories of where you picked them. Beautiful book!

-Danielle

Rebecca E. Parsons/Cre8Tiva said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Heather ~Pretty Petals said...

Oh your pages are just beautiful Mandy! Love them!

Brenda @ Its A Beautiful Life said...

Loved these pages... oh my.... a treasure of beauty!

Mercedes Spencer @ Liberty Biberty said...

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