I'm Evelyn Spikes, a retired high school English teacher who lives in the NE corner of Oregon.   I began rubber stamping about 2 years before I retired in 2002.   I've always loved the visual arts, but I certainly didn't practice any.   My mother gave me colored pencils when I was in junior high, and I used them to draw and color some Christmas cards.  That was the extent of it. 

Towards the end of my 34 years of teaching, I began attending Stampin' Up parties because friends invited me.  I always bought about $40 in product and then never used it.    Finally, one Christmas, two friends sat with me and helped me finish cards I had started the previous year.   I kept saying, "Stamping just isn't for me."    However, that attitude changed.   After a year of burning up the eBay route over-paying for stamps and inks, I worked as a consultant with Dream Impressions for another year.    That seems so long ago.  I joined PennywiseArts Yahoo group and made some wonderful online friends, many of whom I was able to meet at two of the annual World's Largest Shoebox parties---a weekend retreat in Issaquah, Washington.   By then, I was fully involved in rubber stamping and related crafts.

Take some time out of your schedule and go check out Evelyn's Flicker gallery. You won't be sorry!  She is so full of talent and inspiration! 

Our conversation with Evelyn continues in May. Be watching!

Butterfly Yuzen Mini-Book
By: Evelyn Spikes, Guest Artist

Finished Size:  3" x 3"

This mini-book is a good idea for that special more-than-a-card occasion.   Although the sizes can vary, I prefer the 3-inch size.  It will tuck into a card envelope with some extra postage.    I've chosen to decorate the pages with stamped images and words, but photos would work well, too.   A piece of black and gold Yuzen paper determined the 'theme' of this particular book---butterflies in black and gold.

Supplies:
Note: Supplies for this project are determined by the size; for the 3-inch book, the cover paper was cut 1 inch larger (a 5-inch book would require decorative paper cut in 6-inch squares). Stamps:
Butterfly stamps and images: Hero Arts, Nature Arts, River City Rubber
Works, All Night Media
Papers:
4 - 3" squares of thin matt board, cardboard, chipboard.   I cut up
cardboard that came in a pack of cardstock.
4 - 4" squares of patterned paper for the covers
4 - 2.75" squares of solid cardstock/paper to cover the inside  (I chose light
yellow)
4 - 2.5" squares of contrasting solid cardstock/paper for the page  (black for
this book)
6 - 1.5" pieces of grosgrain ribbon for hinges (again, I chose black to
complement the cover)
4 - 1" x 2" pieces of the patterned paper to disguise the ribbon on the exterior
2 - 3" pieces of ribbon trim for front and back covers
Inks:
Metallic Gold pigment ink
Other:
Gold embossing powder
Grungeboard crown  embellishment with black jewels
Gold Krylon pen
Strong adhesive 

Directions:

1. Cover cardboard with patterned paper.  Adhere 2.75" squares (yellow) to inside of each patterned square.   Adhere black pieces to two of the yellow liners.   The other two will be adhered after the ribbon 'hinges' are attached.   







2. Lay out the four pages in a line, with the black pieces on opposite ends.  Carefully place two ribbons equal distance apart UNDERNEATH the first two and the last two pages.   Pages should be no more than .125" apart when ribbons are adhered.    With pages laid out as above, adhere ribbon hinges on top to connect the  2^nd and 3^rd pages.    Then glue the black layer to both of those pages, which will cover up the interior hinges.  Use the small pieces of the patterned paper to hide the exterior hinges.







3. Some people might be more comfortable stamping the pages before adhering them to the book; because I often make decisions as I work, I did my stamping afterwards. That is always risky, particularly in the event of a mistake.   I never know exactly where I'm going when I create! 
4. Stamp and emboss each page.  I also cut out embossed butterflies to apply to two of the pages. 





5. Apply trim to front and back covers. Then plan your next one!