Monday, October 30, 2017

Too Beautiful to Behold (almost)

I've always wanted an excuse to buy yards and yards of beautiful silk ribbon! And I decided to splurge and buy some to use on my altered books.

I shopped on Etsy of course and found this gorgeous ribbon at Victorian Gypsy Girl . Her prices are very reasonable (she has a sale going NOW) and she was wonderful to get my order off right away and give a little extra too! The other thing that helped me decide to buy from her was this,

These skeins are made by the ladies of Fair Trade who use new sari remnants. They cut and tear the remnants into long thin strips and then sew or tie them end to end to make a long ribbon. Then it is folded and twisted into a skein.

Okay....are you ready?


I made the photo a little smaller so that you're not blinded by so much beauty!

Now...do you want to see ALL of it?


I've wrapped it around a tie holder that I got at the thrift store.


The colors are so vibrant! I grabbed 2 books that I've made to see which colors would compliment them. 

The Autumn book....


and the Pretty Lady book. This art (the pretty lady) is by the talented artist Vanessa at Fanciful Twist. She has been a special blog friend for years. I got the card from her and glued it on the cover of my book. Her Etsy shop is HERE.


I wrapped some ribbon to form a little flower and sewed a button in the center.


Enjoy your day and gaze at something beautiful whenever you can! 🌹

I’m joining Mosaic Monday HERE .

46 comments:

Cranberry Morning said...

The ribbon is gorgeous! I have another friend who also makes altered books. They are truly labors of love!

Susie said...

Diane, I love all the wonderful colors. Your books are very nice, you talented girl. Love the idea of reusing the pretty card. Looks like you may have a new enterprise going there. :):) Blessings for a fun filled week. xoxo, Susie

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

Hi Diane, yes that ribbon is so pretty and it really makes your books look so nice. It looks like you have a lot of fun making and creating your books.
Hope you have a Happy Halloween and week.
Julie

Latane Barton said...

Aren't you clever!! Love the ribbon and the way you have chosen to use it and to display it. Wow.

September Violets said...

What a colourful bonanza of silk ribbons! Love how you display the ribbons. Your new books look great with the silk embellishments.
Have a great week!
Wendy xo

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

love the colors

Linda @ A La Carte said...

That is gorgeous ribbon and it really adds to your altered art books!

Maggie said...

Beautiful silk ribbons in deep rich tones, a wonderful enhancement to your wonderful altered books. I love the idea of the ladies making them from new but recycled sari silks.
Happy Mosaic Monday, may your day be filled with beautiful things to see.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, your new ribbons are gorgeous. I love all the pretty colors. They look beautiful on your books too, you are creative.

Happy Monday, enjoy your day and new week!

podso said...

Oh gorgeous colors. Do you fill your altered books or are they blank inside for journaling, etc.? They are lovely! I too like to make altered books but haven't in awhile.

It's me said...

Great Colors...love the ribbon....love Ria happy week x ❤️

Lorrie said...

Such rich and gorgeous colours in those ribbons. And I love that they are made from remnants in a fair trade manner. Win, win! They look beautiful on your books.

Arlene G said...

I may steal that flower idea to use on some of my cross stitch finishes...it is beautiful.

Terra said...

Your altered books are very pretty, and the ribbons displayed on the tie rack could be in your living room as a vibrant sculpture.

ellen b. said...

Colorful ribbon and I like that holder to keep them neat and tidy. Happy Mosaic Monday to you. Hope your week goes well.

HappyK said...

Beautiful ribbons. Such vibrant colors.

Ricki Treleaven said...

Wow, I love the pretty ribbon! I also like the book with Vanessa's card on it. You are so creative, Diane!

Terri D said...

So beautiful! What a wonderful idea!!

Cherdecor said...

OOO-La-La! The colors are vibrant! YOu are so creative! I like the card that you attached also. Your books are so beautiful! Have a great week!

Debbie said...

i suspect you feel about ribbon, the way i feel about yarn, i just get so excited when i hold it and look at it!!

the ribbon is really beautiful, i like what you did with it on those books. it's very creative!!

Connie said...

These are just that special something that made your books go from lovely to amazing :) They look beautiful.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

I'm in utter awe of your talent... and what a fantastic excuse to buy yards of ribbon! (I am not crafty at all, but I adore your books -- and silk ribbon!!)

There is a Fair Trade store downtown (a few blocks from our urban apartment here in Eugene) and I love shopping there; beautiful stuff -- and such a painless and happy way to do a little tiny bit of good in this world!

Anonymous said...

Diane, such gorgeous silky ribbons! And I love how the tie holder is perfect to hold them. xo

Stacey said...

Those are just so pretty! Great thinking. :)

Carla from The River said...

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

Angie said...

Diane - the tie holder picture got me - the volume and the variety - Wow. And then - to get a peek into the end product - so charming. Thanks for sharing beauty with us today!

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

These ribbons are so beautiful and I love that they are fair trade, too. Your altered books are wonderful. Such a pretty card, too. Hugs xo Karen

Anonymous said...

Absolutely beautiful and so unique.

BeachGypsy said...

Great find on the pretty silk ribbons, love them! Your books you make are so so unique and pretty, how did you get started making them and how many have you made so far? I love the one with the lady/card on the front. It's been chilly here too, especially Sunday, we had an outdoor event to attend and halfway through it I WAS FREEZing, ha ha tODAY WASpretty nippy as well, sweater weather and I sure love it. I can't believe after today IT'S NOVEMBER ALREADY!!

Karen thisoldhouse2.com said...

Love that altered book project! Great addition, the silk ribbon..



Janey and Co. said...

I like ribbons too....and those books are beautiful. How clever to repurpose the tie holder.
Thanks for the suggestion to join princess sassy.....which I did. Janey

Maggie Ann said...

Good Morning! I love it that you do things that I've only dreamed of doing. Altered book art fascinates me and yours are lovely. The flower you created is so pretty and the silk colors are indeed delicious. That tie holder is pretty neat also. I got up early to take meds and stayed up to clean the kitchen (which needed some loving attention) but now I'm sleep deprived! sometimes a girl just can't win.

MadSnapper said...

I have never seen or heard of ribbons like this and they really are beautiful. on your books they are special. what a great idea for decorating your books. and using a card works perfectly. I am sending your post to a friend that is into crafts and does things like this. I have zero craft genes

Vee said...

The ribbons are exquisite! And so is your work. (Love how you are storing the ribbons...clever idea!)

Mia said...

Beautiful silk ribbon! I love it, too! So bright colours! The two books are amazing! I LLLLOVE the autumn book! Perfect for the season. Kisses, my friend.

Michele M./ Finch Rest said...

How neat, and so well represented. This is a cute and fun post, Diane.

Hugs.

Maggie Ann said...

Diane, thank you for the link to the Oscar Wilde stories. I just listened to 'The Happy Prince' and it is touching and enchanting! I loved it, and will listen to more of the other stories tomorrow if not yet tonight. the reader is fantastic..he just brought that story to life. Thanks so much for the blessing.

Maggie Ann said...

Just checked ebay and they have these bookplates of the little girl reading in front of the fire.....if you are interested. Antioch Bookplates by W. Hullidge $12.87 how about that!

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Very beautiful bright ribbon and such a pretty way to display and use it, Diane! I love the books you made. Hope you had a very Happy Halloween!

Danice G said...

So pretty Diane. The books look so good. What a creative art form.

handmade by amalia said...

Your books look amazing with these lush ribbons, the perfect finishing touch.
Amalia
xo

EL RINCON DE CHELO said...

Que bonitos detalles!!

Jeanie said...

Your silks are a wonderful find! What a joyful feeling they offer with their rainbow of colors and lovely texture!

Lowcarb team member said...

Just love all of the colours ...

All the best Jan

Jenn Jilks said...

They are beautiful! A lovely hobby!

Deborah Montgomery said...

Beautiful! I love these altered books, and the silk ribbon adds so much loveliness to them. Love your idea of using the tie holder for all the ribbons. Must be so nice just to look at them! xo Deborah