October 27, 2012

Money, altered book style

This is an altered book (AB) about MONEY.  It was one of my most ambitious altered books and took me over a year to create.  It is also one of the most enjoyed altered books by people who have seen my ABs.  It has been handled a lot and scanned at least three times.  The second time I scanned it, I lost my computer and had no backup.  That will never happen again.  I had the AB posted on AlteredBookLover, but when I ran out of room a few years ago, I deleted all the photos and the descriptions.  I will never do that again, because once the photos are gone, they are gone from all blogs they are posted on that are associated with the same e-mail address.

You can see I have used a different account I created just to show this and my TIME AB, which some of you may already have seen.  Bleubeard and I are still around, though.  We appreciate that you have stopped by.  

I'm not sure how this is going to work, because I have never disabled "comments" before.  However, for continuity, the comments will only be shown at the very end of the AB.  So I ask that you hold your comments until you have seen the entire book.

For those of you who don't like using magazine images in your ABs, you will probably be disappointed.  Also, all the embellishments were created using whatever I had on hand, including several foreign coins.  

I know some of you believe I have a lot of toys (tools and supplies), but that is simply not the case.  I want to clear up that misconception.  My craft budget is sorely limited to what I can find at my Household Hazardous Waste Swap and Shop, at my favorite thrift store, in my neighbor's dumpster, or on the clearance table at Michael's.  I have been known to buy a few new items, though.  When I must buy something, I reach for coupons and never pay full price for anything. 

Now let's take a look at my MONEY AB.
 


As some of you may have read when I showed this on WOYWW one Wednesday, this AB was covered with a very stretchy and unruly tee shirt.  It seems the polymer clay piece I made for the front of the AB has broken, although it is still intact in this photo.


You can see I altered this book between 2006 and 2007.  This is the inside front cover.


On the left is a page I created using fabric, a used gift card, and a button all with a Christmas theme.  On the right is an image I cut from junk mail and a sentiment I wrote using a gold leafing pen.


Magazine images show I completed this in 2007.


As I was picking this up to scan it, I tore the book.  Although it is sewn, the continued wear and tear seem to have been a bit much for it.


More magazine images are complimented by a bandaids on the left and printing onto some of my handmade paper (hmp) on the right.


Several magazine images were used for this spread.


I managed to cut off the word "game" I made from letter stickers on the left page.


I noticed after I scanned this, the real, albeit outdated bank card had the same number on it as the one I'm now using.


This was an ad I got in the mail, then turned it


into a three page spread. I added little pigs, a bank vault, and some copper paint to the mix.


For the second time in not too long after I started scanning, I tore this book.  And yes, that is a real stone I added to the page.


Has anyone heard of the Dire Straits song (one of their most successful, in fact) "Money for nothing?"  I used the title, along with a part of the last line in each stanza: "for free" (without the chicks).   I printed the words out on some paper I spritzed, then carried the same paper onto the next page.  I included two Ozzy Osbourne bucks, as well as a couple of Asian coins and a faux US coin in the title.   On the right, I wrote a "Momism," which reads "Mom told me money doesn't grow on trees."


This magazine image on the left is actually an interactive page (see below).  Of course, you should get a chuckle out of Yuppie Chow, which I added to the scrapbook paper background using two types of masking tape.


By opening the overlay on the left, you see yet another image.  Both page titles were created using a Dymo label maker.


More scrapbook paper, a gift from my scrapping friend Kathy, a price tag, Dymo label for the sentiment, and a magazine image were used for the left side of this spread.  I wrapped a section of flower stems and leaves with faux money, then added leaves made of money for this spread that also included a sentiment and magazine image, along with a backing of green rice paper.


Instead of scanning the top of this two page spread, I must have gotten the bottom instead.  You can't see the page on the left held a two sided pamphlet that was held together using two brads at the top.  The crown I made for the guy (found in a magazine) on the right was some of my hand painted paper.


This two page spread went together quickly, since I cut a triangle and printed the words on my hmp for the left side, while I used a magazine image for the right side of the spread.


This spread might have been what I call "tip-in mentality."  Instead of side by side images, I created the two pages


back to back.  You can see where I pieced the two images together as shown to the right of the larger foot.  The sentiment was printed on my hmp.  A tape transfer was used to make the spread on the right.  I added sticker letters for the sentiment, along with some letters I stamped on some of my hmp.  Paint was splashed on the background.

Please continue to the next section.