Altering a Book: A Project for Ephemera's Vintage Garden

Hello everyone! Thanks for stopping by today. Over the summer I have been a guest designer for Ephemera's Vintage Garden and it has been a wonderful experience. I love working with Debbie-Anne Parent's digital paper packs. I had the privilege of working with the Love and Romance Digital Paper Pack. The six papers are truely beautiful and so versatile that I had a hard time picking only 3 projects to work on. I know I will be using these papers more in the future. Please click on the link above to see these beautiful papers on Debbie-Anne's Etsy store.

I hope you have seen the videos that I have done and the previous blog posts, if not please head over to my YouTube channel to view all the fun I had this summer.

Below I have posted the final project for my time as a guest on Debbie-Anne's design team. I did a series of four videos that I tried to show my process in completing my journal. I hope you enjoy the series. Hope you have enjoyed your summer so far and still have some plans for the warm weather while it lasts.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

So excited.... Guest DT Project for Ephemera's Vintage Garden

I am very honored to be sharing with everyone today. I have posted my first video as a guest design team member for Ephemera's Vintage Garden. The project is a Bible cover made from a recycled pair of jeans and digital papers from Ephemera's Vintage Garden designed by Debbie Anne Parent. Debbie's work is phenomenal. I cannot say enough good things about the items available from her Etsy Store. They are all so pretty. The digital paper pack that I used was Love and Romance. Just click on the name of the pack to go directly to the paper on Debbie's Etsy store. While you are there, make sure you check out her other digital goodies as well.

I have an inkjet printer (Epson Artisan), which took me a little while to adjust to from my vintage Lexmark, but I love this printer. Now some would say that an inkjet printer is not the best to print digital files, but I say the papers are just as beautiful no matter if you use an inkjet or a laser printer. There is one draw back to the inkjet if you want to use any type of wet media though, where as a laser printer printouts are waterproof the inkjet prints are not. I have a solution though that I just found. This magical product is Microglaze by Judikins (this link is to Amazon, but Walmart.com also carries this product). This little pot of waxy goodness makes inkjet prints awesome. It seals the prints and you can use Diamond Glaze, Glossy Accents, Resin, Collage Pauge, etc, etc. The print stays put and the ink does not run when sealed with Microglaze. This product also seals your stamped images.

So, I made a video of my project and in the video I explain how I made the bible cover and the journal. I hope you enjoy the video. I encourage questions and feedback.

Thanks for stopping by today. I will have more projects in the next month with more videos to follow, so I hope you can stop in again. I hope you are enjoying your week!

Currently...........

So I thought I would share some of the projects that I have been working on lately.  I know that it has been a while since I have shared, but I hope everyone is doing well! Thanks so much for stopping by!

I have been working on a refillable planner, notebook book. I'm not sure what to call the project yet. I have used digital print files from Ephemeras Vintage Garden (the Vintage Queen Bee journal kit). I really love Debbie's journal kits and digital work. I have used them in the past either in projects here or on my YouTube channel. 

For the first project, I recycled a book, cutting the insides out and replacing them with pockets on each side of the inside cover. 

 In the pockets I will slip in my current planner and notebooks, etc, that I want to use. Once these need to be replaced I will replace them with new books. I will be making the insert books and will post pics when I am done.

 

Back view

View of spine

 The second project is from a recycled book as well. 

This one though I did not remove all of the pages. I left about 8 pages at the beginning and end of the book then removed pages in this order; keep 4 pages, remove 7 pages, keep 4, remove 7. I did this through out the book, remembering to keep the 8 pages or so at the end. Then I glued pages together creating pockets throughout. I glued 2 pages before the torn area to 2 pages after the torn area. This places the torn out areas between glued pages and hides the torn areas. So, as I progress I will hopefully remember to post pics of the project. I am not sure what I will use this book for yet. I have a lot of different techniques to try out so maybe it will become my "try this" book.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Stay dry and remember that we have these days with our family and friends in freedom that was purchased with the lives of real heros! God bless America and the ones that put their lives on the line everyday so we can live freely.

Journals, Journals Everywhere!

It has been awhile since I have posted, I know. I have been creating! Yeah! My creation for today is another journal. I love journals, can you tell! I think I have posted more journal projects than anything else. Anyway, I have hand painted the cover. The journal measures 5.25X7. All of the papers and stamped images are from Stampin Up. I do not believe you can see it, but under the painting, in the same color as the top cardstock, I used the Boroque Border wheel. You can see it on the back cover, but it looks really cool in person. So, I hope this gift is well received! There are three tabbed sections inside, Scriptures, Confessions and Notes. I have used BIA for the wire binding. Please let me know if you have any questions about this journal.

A Month Later......

Still here! Still putting around trying to figure out what to do next. I am looking for an item that I saw on someone's webisode the other day (don't remember who's, sorry!). It's a little black foam block that has the Stampin Up! logo on it and it holds paper piercers. My next stop today will be the Splitcoast Stampers site to see if I can find it. If you have not visited yet, I highly recommend Splitcoast. Especially if you like Stampin Up! and Close To My Heart products. Many, many techniques and projects available.

I have been reading Emily Adams' blog for awhile now. I love her "Sense"-ational Sundays and Saturday Etsy picks. I too have found some great things, so here are my favorite picks on Etsy from yesterday.

Jo Bear Creations - This shop is loaded with really cute polymer clay pens. I think the charmed pen tops are genius! The baby socks, oh my! I do not have kids, but I think I still have a stuffed animal or doll somewhere that needs these. Check her out!

Beads by Squirrelette - This shop is loaded with beautiful polymer clay beads. Check out her workmanship. I have seen floral beads before, but her work is amazing!

"Sense"-ational Sunday - I see my kitties chasing each other all over the house. I smell mom's baked beans (Yummy!). I hear nothing, peace and quite while I worked. I touch my keyboard. I taste my mom's baked beans, nothing more comforting. Hopefully, I will have my new camera this week, which is suppose to be shipping today. Then, you can see what I see. Thanks to Emily for the inspiration!

Okay, on to today's project...... more scripture journals! These are composition books covered with Stampin Up! card stock and are hand painted. I love the composition books because they are so easy to cover. They make a great class project, too. Inexpensive and functional. I am not completely satisfied with the paintings. The flowers need a little more movement. They look too flat to me, headed back to the painting table to practice, practice, practice.... A new project I am working on is covering an old vinyl 3-ring binder. I have stripped the vinyl from the boards and now it is sitting on my workspace starring at me, "Cover me! I am cold and exposed!" Okay, so it's probably bad when your craft projects talk to you, but how else are you going to know what color they would like to be! :0)

Let me know if you have any questions, I welcome them all....

Weekly Scripture Inspiration

"In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths." -Proverbs 3:6

Spring....

Spring has officially sprung in Texas...but, wait 5 minutes if you don't like the weather it will change, so I have heard. I have flowers around my door which are blooming. Another month and my hibiscus will bloom, cannot wait!

The project for today is a mini notebook my mom and I did for her stamping club back in January. It measures 3X3 if I remember correctly. It is made from the paper towel art and Stampin Up stamps/cardstock. It was a set including a pencil holder (veggie can), the mini notebook and a tray to set both on. All items were covered with the paper towel art. Unfortunately, I only have a picture of the front and back of the notebook. I welcome any questions.... Enjoy

Weekly Scripture Inspiration

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Finished?......Never!

As I have finished the Bliss Journal with the Bind It All machine I guess you could say it is Finished Friday, but I will never be finished creating. I photocopied a piece of notebook paper on Ivory paper to make lined inserts for the journal. The lines are very faint, so they will not show up on a picture. Now, I will be completing my life journal, I say this because I am not going to let this be another half done project. Everyone has that elusive project(s) that you cannot find the finished end to.

On a side note, I have been getting my video game fix this week with playing Halo3. Just a vice that allows me to kick some butt. What is frustrating is knowing that an eight year old has just kicked my butt! What is sad it eight years that are playing on-line at 2 am in the morning. Where are their parents?!

I am off to look for some more Stampin' Up stamps to buy and play Halo3. Enjoy.......

Happy Accident

Greetings All! Okay, so I am suppose to be doing my taxes today, but who wants to do taxes when you can craft and blog, right? So, I am sharing my happy accident from this weekend.....

I have been working on a Life Journal and wanted to include some pocket pages, so I started covering a plain cheep file folder (20 cents sale! Woohoo, I love sales!). I get to the finished piece and say "Why would I want to cover this up?" So, I have new journal cover and I am still in process of locating and making the pockets for my life journal. Let me know what you think!

I started with a school type file folder and cut along the fold and then along the top to preserve the pocket on the inside. The size is 9.75"L x 7"W. I had some old scrapbook papers that I started with and just kept adding elements until I was satisfied. The stamped images are from Stampin' Up Travel Sketchbook stamping set. The middle image matted with black cardstock is a thin piece of gold polymer clay, stamped with Staz On! black and then baked at manufacturers instructions. This was a leftover tile from the polymer clay journal I designed last year.









This is the inside with the pocket still in tact.


















This is the back cover of the journal.




I still need to bind it and add the inside note paper. I will post a picture later of the finished journal. Please let me know if you have any questions about any post, I will be happy to answer. Be safe! Enjoy..............

Deam PC Journal w/ Pen Holder

On the Bliss Journal I used a leftover tile from the Polymer Clay journal I did last year pictured here. For the Dream PC Journal, I started with brown clay ran through a pasta machine at setting 2. Then using a template cut from freezer paper, I cut two pieces of clay to the desired size. I then baked at manufacturer instructions. Once cooled, I used the Bind-It-All machine to punch the holes for the binding for the front and back cover. I cut another template (same size as the cover again) from freezer paper to mark out where I wanted the decorative tiles and to measure the size each tile would need to be. I then cut out the individual shapes to make the polymer clay tiles. Some tiles I stamped with Staz On! Black or automotive protectant spray before baking to make an impression in the clay. Some I stamped after baking with Staz On! Black for a flat image. All tiles were then glued to the cover as seen in the picture. I covered the tiles with Diamond Glaze to get a glassy finish. The teal between the tiles is Diamond Glaze and a pearlized re-inker painted on the brown clay. The bead pen holder is a polymer clay bead with elastic cord that holds the pen on the journal. Enjoy...............

Composition Journal

Greetings All! I just finished watching Tim Holtz new vidoes on his blog. WOW! Always impressed with his work and products. Check it out, great products. Now I get to do what all girls love doing..... uh......shopping! What did you think I meant?? :0)

Hope you enjoy today's project. This is a composition notebook that I covered with Stampin'Up (C) Cardstock and then painted with my own original design. Before I painted the cardstock, I printed it with a scripture verse and then using an oval stencil,chalked in some shadow. I have made a number of these with different designs and will continue to post more as I make them.

On a TV note..... Chuck was awesome last night! I am a geek at heart! If you have not caught the show yet, you have missed out! Be safe all! Enjoy.... :0)

Photo Journals

Greetings all! I have been busy making some stamped journals. The stamps and cardstock I used are from Stamping Up. The top two covers are made from a paper towel techinque. This technique makes for a nice painting surface, as well. The purple album is a wax resist on glossy cardstock method. I used cereal boxes as book board cut to size. When covered with card stock it becomes heavy enough to hold up. Enjoy! :0)