Linda's Magic Workshop - Linda Britt Design

Last week I started sharing my vision of a book for my friend, Michelle, who helped me press and collect the flowers from our 2008 trip to Ecuador.  My next step was to visit my neighbor who is a talented bookbinder.  I took my finished pages (at least I thought so at the time) and hoped he would have some suggestions for putting the book together. We discussed making an accordion of folded paper to hold each page or making a box to hold the loose pages.  I took home two books on bookmaking to read and experiment.  One of the requirements I had was to make sure I could open the pages fully without damaging the dried flora.  That presented challenges of protecting the flowers and I used a translucent paper to cover the dried flower cut smaller that the floral page.  It would be easy to lift the translucent cover to see the actual flower. Somewhere about this time I realized that I had 2 different widths of pages.  That would never do!  To solve that issue I ma

Once in a while I clean off a shelf in my studio and find things I put aside for inspiration or a project.  This week I found the pressed flowers from the trip to Ecuador.  They were stacked between construction paper in a folder and are in pretty good condition.  There were even moth wings we collected. In between other projects (like using older clays in jewelry and making soup and jerky), I decided to take pictures of the  pressed flowers for a photo book and research how to mount them.   I want to give a book to my friend, Michelle, who helped me collect the flowers as a memory of our trip.  Michelle and her husband, Chan, went to Ecuador with Peter and me in 2008.  I remember Michelle asking what I ever did with the pressed flowers and my answer was ‘nothing’.  Guess it is time to do ‘something’.  Today I set up the camera on a tripod outside in natural light and started shooting.  Next was editing the photos and deciding the book layout.  I’m almost done with the

What could be better that silver bug pendants for my spring collection?  Turns out at the rate I'm going it may be my  summer collection!  Nevertheless bugs it is!  This is the second silver bug and the third is done except for finishing.   I have several bug stamps that I am using for the basic bug and then I add dimension and faceted CZ gem stones.  I thought you might enjoy seeing the process.  This is the stamp! This is the silver clay that in stamped and drying on a curved surface These are the dimensional pieces drying After I made the curved front and back, I placed ball supports  that will help keep the curved shapes.  This is a hollow piece.  The front and back are connected and all the dimensional pieces applied.  You can see what a difference the stone makes! I fired the piece in my kiln, sanded, polished and patina'd it.  How do you like it?  Please leave a comment!