Papercraftpanda

Yesterday, the most beautiful light went out much earlier than I could have ever imagined. Please let me tell you about Freya. It would mean so much to me.

Freya was our baby. We brought her home before lockdown in 2020 and she made us laugh when we were scared, stressed and anxious. She was absolutely adored and brought so much sunshine to our lives in the 4 short years we were blessed to love her.

She was a terrible “retriever” (keep away was her game), but the best snuggler. She loved car rides and didn’t walk well on a leash, but she could sit up so pretty you’d think she was doing palates. Her favorite toy in the whole world was a stuffed Lamby we purchased many times over so she wouldn’t know it was gone after the squeaker was chewed out. She had a big squeaky ball and loved to get our attention by interrupting a conversation with well-timed squeaks.

She wasn’t scared of anything… except very tall men and the occasional firework finale. Whenever I got stressed out or upset, she would “emotion police” me by jumping on my chest and giving kisses. I miss that.

Freya loved food. You could say she was “food obsessed,” but that’d be an understatement. We always fed her exactly what she was supposed to have, but hey I’m not gonna lie… every one of us snuck her little bits now and then.

That’s why we knew, when she stopped eating, something was terribly wrong. She had a rare issue called canine septic peritonitis where a perforation somewhere in her system caused fluid to leak into her abdominal cavity. There is no underlying cause. Our incredible vet, who cried alongside us, told us we didn’t do anything wrong. We did everything right. Sometimes, things happen, she said. There is no reason. There is no sense.

I’ve played the footage of the last two days over in my head looking for clues- there is nothing. Why couldn’t this kind soul live to see another snowfall, or go for another ride in the car? I can’t pretend to understand and I don’t know when I will feel normal again. I miss her every moment. I hope I’ll see her again someday when it’s my turn to cross over. I’ll shake her sweet paw and sniff that spot between her eyes.

Thank you for listening.

The next is underway! I decided on Alice in Wonderland because it’s the source of one of my favorite conversations…

Alice comes to a fork in the road and asks the Cheshire Cat which way to go. The cat asks her, “Where are you going?” To which Alice replies, “I don’t know.” The cat is smug in his reply, “Then any road will do.”

This passage is always with me. It helps me when I don’t have a plan, or when plans change unexpectedly. Instead of freezing up, I remember the Cheshire cat’s smile and careful tone...If there is no plan, make it up as you go.

Next up for this chunky little book: sewing headbands, sanding and lacing in boards!!

I’m pressing my own polymer plate design into my mini cover! Before that, I had to protect the text block, cover the book in leather and add my fly leafs and paste downs. It was so much fun! The leather was a little picky and tried to erase my squares, but I managed. More pics coming after the book presses overnight!

Ready for some more MINIATURE EQUIPMENT!? Check out all this cute stuff… mini paring knives, a mini square, sewing frame! I thought you might all like to see these pieces. I included the manufacturer where possible :)

Mini Fine Binding Progress! The last few days, I’ve sewn tiny little endbands using silk thread so fine I thought I was gonna lose my mind! Also added teeny boards (chamfered!!) and tapes. These tapes will be laced on the boards (it’s a fine binding, after all!) with a full leather covering.

Tomorrow, I’ll cover the little book in my chosen leather and decorate the cover on Sunday. It’s almost done, everybody!!

Tiny little with lots of love and personality. So blessed to be studying at the 🥹🥰 !! Stay tuned for more funzies!

Omg 😳 look at this tiny little plough for !! It’s handcrafted by a man who no longer makes them (sadly), so a true treasure! The little laying press comes off for use on the bench and can be flipped over for backing on the other side. Everything is just like a full size plough, but in miniature!

Be still my heart, honestly ❤️ if you know of someone who makes miniature equipment please let us know!!

The tiny pages are cut out and folios collated into signatures! Afterward, we created the endsheets in a most unusual way.

Check this out: the cloth, which is usually attached to the spine, has instead been attached to the endsheets and sewn to the text block. Later, the cloth will be glued to the boards for extra support. I’ve never done it this way before, but it apparently helps with the opening and closing of a book so small.

Time to sew this little book together!

Letterpress printing complete! What I love about is they don’t require very much paper. These two sheets are the entire little book! How cute 🥰

The ink we chose is a lovely blue and the paper is a Reeves heavyweight that took the ink really well. Next up, we will cut the tiny folios from the larger sheets and fold, press and collate them into little signatures.

We are learning all about like this little tiny gem about Herbs! Look how tiny!! 🥹 Inwint be making one this small (thank goodness, my hands and patience aren’t ready for that yet) but we will make one measuring just under 3” (7.6 cm) in height.

So far, it’s clear that matetial choices really matter with these little babies! Thin and flexible is where it’s at. Right now, the class is trying to understand what qualifies as a “miniature” vs a “micro miniature” - if you know, tell me below! Would love to pass it on!

How about a little tropical vibe to break up your holiday feed?? I created this simple French Link Stitch journal using double sided card stock. Love the effect this has, as it gives us a beautiful hardcover with the illusion of endpapers. Like a little pop when you open the cover. The best part? No glue necessary! Just paper, thread and a needle.

If you want to try making one, I have the tutorial up on my blog. Check it out!

This has been the adorable view from my couch over the last few weeks. I had abdominal surgery and thought the recovery would be a piece of cake 🍰 Um…

I was wrong.

My husband was also surprised that I could be wrong, but here we are 😂

Given the over sharing on social media, I wasn’t sure if I should mention it. Now that I’m back on my feet, I feel better about giving this quick update. I am sorry I haven’t been here, but I hope you’ll forgive the absence 🙏

I have some new posts and a fun tutorial planned, so more goodness is on the way!

Before I go, how are you?? Have you ever had abdominal surgery of any kind? Was recovery tough or am I just crazy? ❤️‍🩹 Wait… maybe don’t answer that… haha
❤️