Monday 10 August 2009

Ruby Wedding Anniversary Gift

I have been working on this book for days - my original plan having been scuppered when the promised scans of photos did not materialize.

(Click on photos to enlarge)


We are going to a Ruby Wedding Anniversary party and I wanted to make a nice keepsake book for them - with photos taken over the years. It wasn't meant to be I guess, so I had a rethink and decided to make a book that all the family and friends could leave messages in.




I made some thick acetate covers for the outsides - which I embossed along the top and bottom edges - which I hope might protect the cover pages from mucky fingers.




This book is about half A4 size. I coloured all the flowers with a copic marker,





Ditto their initials, frame, and numbers, so that they all looked like red velvet and matched. The little vintage lace flowers are the same colour as the ribbon, which I mounted on plasterers joining mesh which I cut in half lengthwise. The remnants of which I used with the ribbons to tie it all together (No pun intended)

The inside covers of the front and back pages have the same paper as the front and back covers - and with personal messages on them so I won't show you those.

I cut all the pages into large tags.

One side of each inside page is stamped with a pattern etc with a blank 'plate' to write a message on. Below are just a sample of some of the pages there are too many to photograph and blog.


The reverse of the stamped pages have all different stamped images - with blank spaces for the messages. I used Tim Holtz stamps from Happy Daze




In between every 'pair' of pages is another with a poem on it.





I embossed some of the poem pages to add texture and interest- but each is the same colour 'ties in' with the overall theme




Not to everyone's taste - but I am an old romantic at heart






That's it - finished - a bit like marriage - 'For Better Or For Worse' - I tried my best.




After finally completing, after days of hard work and many aborted pages and ideas, I showed it to my husband just before he went out, and his parting words to me were...................

'I'm not being funny, and its nothing to do with your book, but I don't think that people who are having a good time and are drinking or drunk would be bothered with signing a book'.

(Anyone know the number of a quick locksmith!)

18 comments:

Momiji said...

lol..typical male comment! well I think its beautiful and so much work gone into it..I love the simple black and white stamped images too..they contrast well with the reds.

Claireabelle said...

Lottie its absolutely beautiful! If I get to my ruby wedding anniversary I would be honoured to recieve such a gift.

Im sure people would be more than happy to write messages in your book - drunk or sober!LOL

x

Unknown said...

Stunning work X

sam21ski said...

Lovely book Lottie and what a fab idea, I'm sure they will love it and treasure the memories of the occasion xxxx

Anonymous said...

Men,ay!
The couple will love this...I know I would - Im sure people will write in this if its passed around at the start of the evening.
A beautiful creation that will be treasured for many a year!

lottie said...

I had already planned to pass it around before our friends turn up for their surprise!

Thank you for all your comments

Jo Capper-Sandon said...

Oh how that last paragraph made me laugh....soooooooooo typical roflrofl Did you swipe him with it through the door lol

Its a beautiful keepsake. A brilliant idea. And so much work.You should be very pleased with the outcome, its fabulous.

Shairon said...

What a gorgeous gift Lotty! I am sure they appreciated all your beautiful design and work. I've just been to a Ruby wedding party yesterday (see card on my blog) and a book was passed around at the end of the party which we all signed and wrote a comment in. It was nothing compared to your work of art!

Angelnorth said...

*shakes head at DH* Wedding "guest books" are really popular and surely you could say the same there - guests drinking and having a good time etc. This is just lovely, Lottie! Such a lot of thought and work gone in to it and I've sure it will be treasured and enjoyed for a long time to come - fantastic job!

Carol Q said...

OMG Lottie - have you buried him under the patio for that comment! LOL typical male. it's a gorgeous book and a beautiful keepsake. you can see how much hard work went into it.

Anonymous said...

wow is that ever gorgeous, and so elegant

Rika said...

Your book is absolutely beautiful!

June Houck said...

This is magnificent; I don't see where you used Maggie's digi stamp...

June Houck
Proud DT member @ Cuttlebug Challenge blog
http://www.cuttlebugchallenge.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

What a lovely idea and a beautiful book Lottie?

Men!!! lol!x

Cassie said...

this is just beautiful! so elegant too!

Vanessa (aka V'ness, Nessa, oldschool) said...

I'd change more than the locks :)
wow...awesome little book!!!

LazyKay said...

Stunning, stunning, stunning. Beautiful work, beautiful words and a brilliant and original idea.

(Let your DH explain his black eye when you get there!)

xxxxxxxxxxx

Meda said...

I think your album is just beautiful. The cover is too cluttered for my taste but the pages are spectacular with that red/white/black color combination....! And I love the images you chose, the tag shaped pages the red pages with white writing space.....ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. And a piece of advice: ignore the hubby's opinion on romance, they are not made of the same dough we women are :D