This Could Be Useful

It's time for a Grungeboard Extravaganza over at Grungy Monday, the brilliant weekly challenge hosted by Linda at Studio L3 and featuring all sorts of fantastic Tim Holtz techniques and ideas.   The design team inspirations are fabulous, and if you haven't already, pop along to see Linda' lovely book and the gorgeous artwork from Brenda and Dawn.
I think it's a first for me this week in that I can't ever remember making something useful before.  Inspired by my Tim Holtz Haberdashery stamps I have made a needle book, so now I'll have no excuse for not sewing on buttons etc, because I should be able to find a needle.

I haven't used Grunge paper for ages, and had quite forgotten that really weird smell it seems to have.  Anyway, my grunge paper ends have been cut with the Scallops Alterations die, and then I have painted one side with Paperartsy Fresco Finish, Baltic Blue, and the other with Ice Blue. This paint gives a fabulous soft chalky finish that I just love.  The edges are coloured with a little Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Some ric rac is just adding a bit of decoration inside the back cover.  The pages are made from from some scraps of natural linen, as is the cover, which I have stamped with Coffee Archival Ink, and then stitched to some paper. I have added three buttons as an embellishment, and then after sewing my book together, have glued this to the front cover.  I have stamped the pages with various sewing motifs. but they don't seem to show up very well in photos.
Now I'm going on a needle hunt to fill up my new needle book.