I have watch hours on hours of altered book video's. I must tell you that though all altered book artist's have thier own uniqueness, yours has truly tantalized my creativity. Thank you so much for showing your pros, cons & technique with the glue & cutting blade.

@MyMeriArt

6 жыл бұрын

Sharon Carty thank you so much!!!

Thank you! This is the most helpful video I've found to guide my foray into altered book making so far. Your explanations and examples helped make the process of starting much less scary and gives me a great deal of courage to soldier on in case of a mistake.

@MyMeriArt

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for your kind words. It has been a long time since I altered a book like this -- maybe it is time to do it again✂️✂️✂️

OMG gluing down the sides of the book only is perfect, that is useful info I'm going to bank lol thanks.

Just discovered your video. Thanks for showing what went wrong and how you figured out the solution to the problem. Showing mistakes is as informative as showing how to do things right. Appreciate the review on different glues.

@MyMeriArt

7 жыл бұрын

Karen R hi there Karen. I keep telling myself I need to do another of these altered books;) I will probably make an entire new set if mistakes LOL Thank you for stopping by and for leaving me a comment

I loved this video! Its going to help out alot! and I love your humor! You kinda remind me of Julia Childs, but instead of cooking, altered books. lol Love it!

New subbie so many years after this one was made and now to go find this AMAZING book you came up with. Thank you also for sharing your knowledge and the 'what worked and didn't work' with us all. I learnt so much from watching this video.

@MyMeriArt

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Kerry, thank you for subscibing to my channel. I see you found both the videos I made on this book. They were some of the first ones I uploaded and so much has changed since then!

Was wandering through when I missed your live and found this presentation. Thank you for the "DO NOTs" and also for the "DO THISs" (?THISes?) Enjoyable and the finished book is lovely.

@MyMeriArt

2 жыл бұрын

Awww, Rachel, I think you found the 2nd-ever (or maybe it was the 3rd-ever) video I uploaded to my channel. Thank you for watching 🌹🌹🌹

Eight years ago ?! Meri -you are a Mazing 🤩🤩🤩 > I actually broke a book I was reading - and I have no idea how to repair it 👀 > I will be careful in the future - with my book reading ! Thanks for another informative video.👋🏼

@MyMeriArt

2 жыл бұрын

Lol -- times fly by🌹🌹🌹

A beautiful, well-thought out demonstration!

Thanks for the info I want to make a box

Meri this is extremely lovely!! Thanks for sharing!! I just love your art! I shared this wonderful video!😍💙🦋

So cute this is on my to do list now 👍❤️🖌

@MyMeriArt

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Beth

What an excellent tutorial! Thank you for taking the time, and sharing this. I look forward to more altered book demonstrations and your personal techniques.

I've been watching your old videos; and trying to keep up with your lives. You are so enjoyable to watch, thinking to myself about all the new adhesives available today. Hugs dear, thank you for sharing!

Thank you for sharing this. This was just packed with helpful information. Loved that you showed in that one book your results from different glues, it was very helpful.

This is a very informative video, thanks for sharing all of your trials. I love that spray doily technique.

Glad you kept the 'Dream' book :) ..... Wonderful techniques !! Thank you for sharingyour creativeness..... !!!

Never would have thought to do things this way.Thank you So Much!

I make a glue by cooking some cornstarch with water into a medium gravy consistency, then adding about another half of elmer's glue blue label. That gives you a longer drying time if you need it. The black label or the dollar tree kind is not permanent enough. I put a couple of drops of clove oil in to keep any bugs away. I finally found out that Yes paste is a corn dextrine product and is acid free. I use it a lot, but I was taught to water it down to the consistency of melted ice cream. When I lived in Maine, I had trouble with bugs, but here in AK, I've never experienced any problem and I use Yes paste or the glue mixture above a lot for my projects. The Weldbond is very strong and makes a good glue for a lot of things.

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

sue cole interesting recipes for glue, Sue -- thank you for sharing -- clove oil to keep the bugs away -- I find that very interesting. I use the YES paste when I want the pages to lay very flat but have never watered it down but I usually just experiment with projects on my own. I really am a fan of Weldbond and have used it on a lot of different projects. Thank you for sharing

Your tips and hints were marvelous. thank you so much for sharing. really enjoyed your video and your final book was marvellous. xxx

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Barbara Hewer Thank you very much Barbara. This altered book was my first one with drawers. It was a fun experience

I found this video really helpful. I'm new at altering books, and your advice will definitely help me "fine tune" my skills. 👍

Wow I love this book Meri x

@MyMeriArt

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Janet🌹🌹🌹 that book went to a lady in a swap many years ago, lol. This video is one of the first I uploaded on KZread. Thanks for watching🌹🌹🌹

Very informative... probably saved me from trying this and quitting when it turned out to be so much work! With your hints, I might just give it a go. And I know what you mean about the book... I altered a book for an art journal and ended up reading the back half of it! Thanks for the tips!

@MyMeriArt

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you Jackie

Very cool! Great tips, info & ideas! :) tyfs!

@MyMeriArt

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you

What a gorgeous book, Meri. Someone was extremely lucky to receive it in the swap. Thanks for sharing your tips. I may well give this a go some time soon, when I catch up with my Book of Days, DLP and JKIS.

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

G-G- Gaia thank you! It was fun to do. And boy do I understand having to xarch up on projects - I am catching up on a few myself.

I love your Dollie idea!!

Thank you Adriana. LOL The Julia Childs of Altered Books!!I do like French Cooking!! But she would cook my goose if I tried to alter one of her books -- that might be a fun project someday though!

Hi, I'm in a swap group and about to make my first altered book with drawers...your video is an excellent start to my process. I think by seeing this I can hopefully avoid some of the problems you encountered. Thank-you for being so clear with your information. I will become a subscriber as a result. Take care, Amanda xox

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Amanda Scott-Burton tgank you so much, and thank you for subscribing. This project was my first altered book with drawers. I learned a lot! I hope that it helps you with your swap, if even a little. Best wishes for a successful finish and swap.

Thank you for sharing .... and I especially the doilie technique. I will be using this for sure !!!

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Ann Ricci thank you Ann; the doily technique is lots of fun to do. I use old thread doilies with holes in them and ones that are not woven too tight. Too tight of a weave will not allow paint or ink to spray through.

Great info in this video! Weld bond is my all purpose go to glue, I use it all time.

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

sk crafter Thank you for watching. I completely agree with you about Weldbond glue. I am not that far away from having to buy another gallon of it. It is a good glue IMHO

Love the idea of drawers.

Wonderful! I've been trying to figure out how to make something like this, and you covered all the bases! Thank you!

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Michael Hetisimer thank you, I hope my video helps in some small way.

Love your doily technique

@MyMeriArt

5 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!!!

Thanku for sharing your knowledge,i loved this project,

So glad you mentioned this on your most recent video upload or I would never have seen it. This one is heading to my vault right now, thanks for all the useful info, Meri!

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

Hi Kim -- I had done altered books before this one, but this was my first altered book with drawers. It was a learning experience, especially the gluing; but in the end it turned out. Thanks for watching

great idea and tutorial!! thank you so much for sharing!!

Wow! I'm still new to this genre of art, so having watched this video really helps. I might try do this, as my family has unused books in the garage, that are just waiting for a makeover! Lol Really appreciate what you've shared :D

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Thank you Keruki. You know, I was new to doing books with drawers when I uploaded this video. I had to do a couple tries. Those garage books might come on handy;)

Nice! Very, very helpful video. Thanks !!!

Hi, I just love you. Your work ethics are wonderful.

Thank you so very much for this! I've been wanting to try this out before and I've been waiting to get good instructions!!!

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Crafting Vicky Vicky this is one of my first attempt of making a book with drawers. It was a total learning experience for me, too, and I am happy to share what I learned.

That doilie print is gorgeous

Lots of great tips - thank you for sharing your experiences x

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

***** thank you for watching my altered book video -- it is a constant learning process, that is for sure -- but a fun one;)

Adriana, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You for this video. I'm getting ready to do my first altered book and really didn't know what kind of glue to use for the pages. This will (hopefully) save me a lot of headaches. I just subscribed to you channel. Pam R

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

I hope it helps you in some small way +Pam R . This book was my first altered book with drawers and I had a lot to learn about gluing and cutting the niches. At the same time it was one of my first videos so I was going through a KZread learning curve. Good luck on your altered book. They are fun to do.

I guess if I used a longer blade then I could keep it straight for deeper sections? Thanks for showing me your techniques - really helpful!

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

+SuperFreehugger It may work to use a longer blade, but you still would need to work at keeping a straight cut as you work down through the pages. For me, I found that was easier to do if I worked through small sections of pages glued together rather than the entire bulk of the pages glued at once.

Thank you for all the ways you preserved and made notes on your experiments so that you could show us the pros and cons of each method, what did and didn't work, the problems, and how you solved them. At the very end, to "fix" the doily images, what type of fixative do you recommend? I don't know anything about fixatives. Was it purchased from an art store?

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

It kind of depends. If you do not mind a matte spray. A spray fixative is best. Several people like a product called SpectraFix because it is non-toxic and can be used indoors. I bought some but have not used. I used a Krylon archival spray varnish if I remember. glossy mediums tend to be sticky after the book is closed and stored and especially if the weather is hot and humid. Keep in mind that there is a difference in applying a fixative to the page and sealing it -- well in my mind. If I am working with a soluble medium like water soluble spray inks or anything that will run (or move) when wet I always spray with a fixative spray first. Some people will use hair spray to fix a page but I stay away from it -- perfumes and such. But a fixative spray will not seal a glossy acrylic paint or medium so that the pages will not stick together -- sealing a page with a matte medium works but it removes anything that is shiny, you can wax a finished page but be sure you are finished with it and be aware that if a heat source is applied later you risk melting the wax -- Jennibelli has an informative video on sealing pages if you search her channel. I have several videos on sealing old sticky pages with different products -- and some of them show the disastrous results. This may be more than you want to know, but a matte spray fixative to keep soluble mediums from running and wax, clear gesso or a matte medium seal to prevent glossy from sticking -- I am personally waiting for a perfect sealant -- have not found it yet

New subscriber here! Thank you so much for showing us what "not" to do, it's just as important as showing what to do :)

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

Thank you for subscribing grammie2bay I watch your channel and so enjoy it. This was one of the first videos I did and my first altered book with drawers. I learned a lot about gluing and cutting out those niches ;)

Great info, thank you!

Wow!!!! Love love love. Where did you find your little boxes?

very cool doily trick, love it... i ordered ppa glue from amazon, nowhere around here

@MyMeriArt

7 жыл бұрын

Thank you Lynette. I know what you mean a out PPA. It is not in the stores in my area either. Thanks for stopping by

Meri!! Thank you! I want to do this!!! Xo

Hey - I had an idea. With the drawers - could you make the front of the drawer bigger than the gap (very slightly) so then it would sit over the opening and hide any slight angling on the edges of the drawer? Would that work - and give a neat finish?

Love it, TFS!!!

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Lizzy Wurmann thank you so much, Lizzy

Very interesting and creative

thanks for all the info and examples of the glues. I've used elmers by the gallon for years and loved it BUT since they "improved" it my heart is broken! none of my formulas or tecnekes work right! I'm trying to find a new glue! I'm going to employ your more organised method of testing. thanks

thanks for all the info and examples of the glues. I've used elmers by the gallon for years and loved it BUT since they "improved" it my heart is broken! none of my formulas or tecnekes work right! I'm trying to find a new glue! I'm going to employ your more organised method of testing. thanks ln

Great idea and so pretty too! I have subscribed to your channel! TFS luv! ♥

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

digupstuff thank you Elizabeth; this altered book was really a fun project (took some time too, but it was worth it)

Hello Meridel :) Thank you for your tips on gluing pages together :) I appreciate you taking the time to give us all of the info :) I dont know if you have done the wall paper paste painty papers, but if you haven't tried it, you should check out Barb Owens video on that, it is just amazing, and since you have the gallon of wall paper paste you will have plenty to try it with :) I really love the drawer book :) tfs, and I hope you have an Outstanding Day :) amy

Mod Podge is a wonder!

Thank you

@MyMeriArt

7 жыл бұрын

Angela Franer and thank you for watching -- this was a fun project

i really enjoyed watching your tutorial!! you have a wonderful sense of humor that i so appreciate!! i am wondering if you wouldn't mind providing a little more insight on the way you ended up gluing your pages; you said that you glued the edges, did you mean that you just applied the medium to the exposed edges of the book? or did i totally miss what you said?!! (i do this quite often!!) i have tried to make a couple of altered books where the cut out sections were like a shaker box with glitter inside... it was a disaster!! the first time i held up my project to admire the pretty picture i'd created, it all fell out and landed all over everything, including Mr Kitty!! i really liked your idea for the little drawers, too!

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

Hi Bonnie. The altered book with drawers really was not my original idea -- just clarifying that right off. This book was done for a swap and it was my first experience with cutting niches and gluing pages. I originally started out gluing each page to each other, gluing the entire surface of the page. That was the YES paste section. While it worked with the YES, it was not as successful with the other wet glues. At that point I chatted with my art group and was advised to only glue the outside edges (you heard that right). I glued each side (top, bottom, side) separately and while the book was closed (I let each side dry before doing the next but a more experienced person may do all sides at once). I also allowed some of the glue to dribble inside but did not force it on every page. This time I used Weldbond glue (you can get it at the hardware - I bought at Ace -- cheaper to buy by the gallon and it works for a lot of different projects). This worked really good and I was happy with how the pages glued together. But as I showed in the video, I had a problem cutting the niche with my knife when it was glued in one section (the section was about an inch thick). As an aside, if you are handy with power tools and saws and the like (some people use a tool called a Dremel) the cutting of the niche may be easier -- or maybe a handy friend or hubby can cut the niches. But all I had was an Xacto, which I broke and a box cutter. They did not work well when all the pages were glued (along the outside borders) in one big section. My knife blade was not long enough to reach the bottom of the niche without me slanting the knife to reach the bottom. So on the last book (the one I actually finished and swapped) I separated the pages I wanted to glue together into five sections and glued each section separately (gluing around the borders). After each section was dry (over a period of a few days) I made a template for the niche and cut each section separately. This time I was only cutting to a depth of about 1/4 inch and lessened my tendency to want to slant the knife to reach the bottom of the section. After the niches were cut in all the sections I glued the sections to each other. I will say that the top section (the top that covers the top of the box) was thinner and no niches were cut from it. I also used YES paste on that top section and glued the pages across the entire page. Using the YES paste there stiffened the section nice and with that glue there is little to no warping. I am sure someone with the right power tools could do in a few hours what took me a lot longer but I had to use what I have and I just tried to learn from it -- hope all this makes sense. Post if you have more questions. (ps I had to edit this several times -- sorry for any typos -- tiny keyboard on phone!!)

Beautiful. It occurred to be whilst watching that if you painted your book with acrylic paint to start with you might not need to seal the book twice. However I've never done this before so I thought I'd ask you if that were possible.. I made a book cover ages ago and really enjoyed the process. Another question. What do you put in the hole you made?

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

doreen watson-read Hi Doreen. I am not sure about the strength of the acrylic paint layer. The glue seal is probably stronger. That is my first thought, but if you are making a boom with drawers and wanted to try it, I would not discourage your idea. If it does not hold, you could always put a glue layer over it. I used little jewelry gift boxes as drawers for the holes that were cut in the book. There is a show and tell video of the entire finished boom just prior to this one if you want to see the boxes and how they fit in the drawers. Thank you for watching and sharing your thoughts.

Very interesting!

@MyMeriArt

8 жыл бұрын

Thank you . . . I need to do more of these altered books!

Awesome. Off the charts. Those drawers! Wow. Thanks for sharing your experience with the glues. The pages at the front of the book, are those just smaller sections of pages glued together? Painted black? Just curious because I really want to try something like this for my daughter's birthday.

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

Tommye Bell thank you. The pages are regular pages that I altered. On some of them I added an insert. If you watch the show and tell of the same book in the video just prior to this one, you may get a better idea of how they were made. Best wishes on doing a book for your daughter. Thank you for watching.

Fantastic video, may I ask what you fixed the ink with?

@MyMeriArt

3 жыл бұрын

It was a long time ago. I really dont remember. I thought this was a question about walnut ink videos. I deleted that reply⚘⚘⚘

@melanienicholson2834

3 жыл бұрын

@@MyMeriArt you did wonderful job on this video.

@MyMeriArt

3 жыл бұрын

@@melanienicholson2834 thank you

Verry pretty book u made

@MyMeriArt

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you, it was given away in a swap years ago

@craftinghousekittyjen7246

3 жыл бұрын

@@MyMeriArt your welcome

Have fun doing your first altered book +Deb Paxton Valley Folk Art I learned a lot doing this book but it was fun.

@caseybanters7566

9 жыл бұрын

You should try a glue/paste called ModPodge. It's normally at any craft store and it shouldn't cost more than around 7$.

@caseybanters7566

9 жыл бұрын

You could also(for cutting the drawers) extend the box cutter blade as you move down.

@MyMeriArt

9 жыл бұрын

Casey Banters hi there Casey, thank you for your comments on my altered book video. I appreciate it when viewers leave helpful suggestions.

@Blazeakin25

8 жыл бұрын

+TheMeriAtelier exquse me i have many questions whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

Just subbednyou great tips thankyou.:)♡

@MyMeriArt

10 жыл бұрын

Penny Humphreys thank you Penny -- this was one of my first YoyTube videos. A fun project

i have a project coming up on this and im like the only one without a theme, ones got book of life another traveling and gah i have nothing

@MyMeriArt

7 жыл бұрын

music is Life I am not sure if you are asking for suggestions or just making a comment;) looking at your name, music might be a good theme. You could narrow it down to a particular type of music like classical, 50s, country, rock/roll -- I would look for old sheet music -- or maybe look for some books on composers, etc. not sure what you will find, though, as I am just trying to think through it -- I usually find if I go searching the thrift stores for something, just the right thing presents itself and may lead me down a different path of inspiration -- taking those first steps of getting started may lead you to a really interesting project -- best wishes

@musicislife6951

7 жыл бұрын

thanks for the advice, much appreciated!

🙂

I subscribed awesome romance videpo thanks

Did you break your finger?

thanks for all the info and examples of the glues. I've used elmers by the gallon for years and loved it BUT since they "improved" it my heart is broken! none of my formulas or tecnekes work right! I'm trying to find a new glue! I'm going to employ your more organised method of testing. thanks

thanks for all the info and examples of the glues. I've used elmers by the gallon for years and loved it BUT since they "improved" it my heart is broken! none of my formulas or tecnekes work right! I'm trying to find a new glue! I'm going to employ your more organised method of testing. thanks ln

thanks for all the info and examples of the glues. I've used elmers by the gallon for years and loved it BUT since they "improved" it my heart is broken! none of my formulas or tecnekes work right! I'm trying to find a new glue! I'm going to employ your more organised method of testing. thanks

@MyMeriArt

8 жыл бұрын

+Maryellen Basil Hi Maryellen, I learned a lot from trying different glues and techniques. it seems that the type of project often determine the proper glue to use. all I can say is to do as you have said and conduct some trials and experiments of your own to determine what to use for your project, let me know what you come up with