Still more pages

I liked this image which compared the growth of the Euro to the American dollar. It was the perfect way to introduce the two humorous sayings. The one on the top reads "Money isn't everything, but it ranks right up there with oxygen." The bottom one is "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance." The background for both pages began with a cheap white napkin that I spritzed with several color washes from Ranger.
I began this spread by creating grids on the pages using a green highlighter. I added the images that I thought best went with the saying I printed on hmp. The saying reads "Banks lend by creating credit. They create the means of payment out of nothing."

It took forever for me to come up with a title for this page. For months this page sat without one, since the only thing I could think of was "All the Presidents' Men," which didn't apply, since they were actually Presidents. Finally the light dawned and I had the title that had eluded me for so long. The background is green paper, the images are from various magazines, the puzzle pieces are covered in my hmp, and the title, printed on my hmp, sits on magic mesh.
A spirelli and rick-rack were the only items used on the left. I cut the unique image, which looked like it could be turned into a spirelli piece, then wrapped it with fine gold thread and added an image in the center.

For the right side, I began with dark purple paint, added gessoed rubber stamped keys. Over that I added the image from a magazine. The money tag in the top right got in the scan by accident.

I found money images in everything, including the image on the left that came in the mail as the front of an anniversary card for some company.

On the right, I rolled up green tape, leaving the sticky side out. I dipped the tape in gold embossing powder and heated it, then formed it into the cent sign. I added the information about copper, which came from the inside of the card on the left.
I had so many images of money, I had to do something. Since these images were all linear, I hated to cut around them. I used green ribbon as filler, along with a dime wrapper and a real coin for accent.

The background for this collage (the hundred dollar bills) began as a gift bag. The rest of the images are from various sources. The money clip is raised on the page using pop dots.

"The measure of a man's worth" started with the ruler image on the left. When I saw the image, I started thinking not about money, but about the ruler. To compliment the title, I found this picture of a swimming team from Hawaii from the 20s or 30s and turned it into a tape transfer. Using restraint, I sponged bits of light green paint on the page, then added the tape transfer. The left background is a piece of green tissue like paper that is more opaque than regular tissue paper. Unfortunately, it wrinkled like tissue paper when I applied it using glue stick. Finally, I swiped the words cut from various sources with a green highlighter pen.

Not one of my best spreads, this page started with a green tissue paper, to which I added the title I printed on my hmp. The image is a blow up of the eye and pyramid on the back of the American one dollar bill.
This was also a simple spread. I really liked the image, but it was an ad for "Mony." I disguised the ad by adding a different title I found. Not sure I wouldn't jazz this page up a bit, if I did it again. I think it would look good on a black background.
Do you want a bit of contradiction in your life? Here is one. So, IS time money or not? You decide. The hands at the top left are for a clock and were added using a black brad. They twist to any time.

What would a money book be without paying homage to the money used in board games? Some of my favorite games are represented here. The title, "Game On," was made using a Dymo label maker. The background was made using two colors of green Patio paint applied with sea sponge. The image in the upper right corner is a two-sided chipboard "money" flash card. I punched a hole in it and turned it into a tag by using a brad to secure it to the page. It hangs off the page, and can be seen in some of the overall book photos.

Like potato chips, you can't make just one "Money Games" spread. More games are represented here. The title was made using a Dymo label maker. The background was made using two colors of green Patio paint applied with sea sponge.
The inspiration for this page began with the photo culled from a magazine. I immediately thought of cork for the background, but inadvertently cut it an inch too short, as I did the ugly orange and white dot scrapbook paper in the background. Gluing the paper to size was no problem, but I couldn't do that with cork. So, I glued it over the ugly paper, thus being able to hide the seam. I colored Starbucks stirrer sticks using a scratch repair pen and added them using E-6000. I had a heck of a time trying to get the images adhered to the cork. I used gel medium and even that didn't want to stay. I wanted to add the message using tape, but I didn't have any red tape. Using my finger, I colored the tape red, then added some money bands my bank gave me (until they learned they weren't allowed to hand them out, but had to destroy them).
Color became an issue when I printed the title to this spread using my hmp. As you can see, it really doesn't match like I thought it did when I held it to the image. To get a good color match, always use a full spectrum light, such as an Ott light. The background is dyed paper towel, which wraps to the next page. The dunce cap is from a flyer I got in the mail and the image is from a magazine.

I found this image in a two page spread in a magazine. It was too wide for my book, but not long enough. Not to be discouraged, I created little extender flaps and covered them with dyed paper towels that I extended onto adjoining pages. To mask the shortness, I used play money to frame the image. As you can see, I named it "Windfall."
Here is most of the image. It's a bit large for my scanner, but you are seeing most of it. Please note the buckled image. That happened when I used white glue to adhere the image and didn't spread it properly. White glue is very wet and magazine pages are thin. The combination makes it nearly impossible to use together if you want a smooth image. If there's one thing I learned in making this book, it is that you must use only a thin layer or white glue if you are using magazine images. Now I use an old credit card to spread the glue around the image. The key is to spread it completely and thin.

A dyed paper towel, continued from the previous page, was used as the background for the left side of this spread, over which I added a smaller version of a magazine image I used in the beginning of the book.

You really have to click on the larger view to appreciate the right spread. I started with H20s for the background, then tore and alternated blue paper and vellum to simulate the ocean. Last was the sandpaper to simulate the sand. I used a two sided faux twenty dollar bill to make the boat origami style. You can learn how to fold just about anything into any shape by searching for "origami" on the Internet. I added the sail using one of the "eyes" I created and described earlier. Lastly, I added the magazine image of the beach ball and umbrella, which was used as the inspiration for this spread.
I had the words "Slow Boat to China" and planned to use it in my Asian book, but when I found these boat images, I changed my mind. I began by painting the right page using H20s. I drew a crude island and painted it green, then matched the image to the island. Next, I added the magazine image on the left and drew the image I thought the man holding the telescope could see, which was a larger version of the small island image. These three images were from two different trade magazines, which I receive free each month.

I was tired of using all magazine images, so I created this collage using the book title from the dust jacket and some rubber stamp images from Claudine Hellmuth's collection on my hmp, along with one magazine image, more hmp, and one small pressed maple leaf. I chose to keep the book page as the background. After all, it's one of the best canvases/backgrounds you can use in an AB.