A Vintage Journey Creative Guides Secret Santa Reveal

Today the A Vintage Journey Creative Guides are revealing the projects we each made for the person we were Secret Santa for this season. It has become tradition for Brenda to assign each Creative Guide another Creative Guide to be their Secret Santa.  I was thrilled to have been given Anne Redfern as the recipient of my gift this year.  I 'met' Anne when I started participating in the challenges at A Vintage Journey, some time before I was chosen as a Creative Guide.   She encouraged me to apply when there was an opening  - I never would have been brave enough to do it on my own! - and to my amazement I made the team!!?!

I decided to make Anne a little Christmas book -
I was totally inspired by Anna-Karin's Halloween book and used the tutorial she posted here.

I've got tons of photos as I wanted to document each page - so please excuse the length of this post!

Here are the front and back covers of the book.

 I die cut the covers using Tim Holtz/Sizzix Matchbox Die - cutting off the flap on both ends (since I wasn't making a box!)  I painted the covers with Walnut Stain Distress Paint.

Before I painted the outside of the cover - I adhered a 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" piece of Sticky Back canvas for the outside binding.

I wanted to be able to tie the book shut - so I stapled and glued a piece of Trimmings across the center of the outside of the cover.

I cut 4 panels 1 3/4" x 2 1/2" out of Merriment papers for the front, back and inside cover panels, decorated them and sponged their edges.

I glued the panels on the outside

and on the inside covers - the panels cover the staples nicely!

Then I started making the pages.  I cut 9 pieces of Rustic Cream Cardstock 2 1/2" x 3 5/8".  I rubbed Frayed Burlap and Vintage Photo inks on my Craft Mat - spritz with water and dragged all the pages through on both sides, re-inking and spritzing as needed.

I used my heat tool to start drying the pages - then left them overnight to be sure they were completely dry before working on them.

I folded each page in half and sponged the edges and seams with Ground Espresso Distress Ink.

 I die cut words and shapes to decorate the pages and cut other panels out of Merriment papers slightly smaller than the pages themselves.

When I finished decorating the pages, I started sewing the book together. I made 3 signatures of 3 pages each.  (36 surfaces to decorate!)  I pierced holes 1/2" in from the top and bottom on the center of each 3 page signature - I held them in place with the clothespins while I punched the holes.

 I measured and made 3 evenly spaced marks on the inside of the binding (1/2" in fron top and bottom) where I pierced holes to thread the twine through (matching up to the holes on each signature.

 

I then threaded the twine through the bottom hole of the binding from the outside through the bottom hole of the center of a  signature, back down through  top hole of the signature and through top hole of the cover, then tying the ends in a knot on the outside.  I did the same with the other two 3 page signatures.

Here's how the binding looks on the outside.  I added a little snowflakecharm  through one of the pieces of twine.

Here's the finished book.

Here's the book - page by page - I've listed all the supplies used at the end of my post.  I've used Remnant Rubs, Merriment Papers, Alterations dies, Ephemera and stamps to decorate the pages.

I'll be writing a note to Anne on this blank last page.

Here's the little book tied up. (I could have done a better job on tying the bow!!)

I also made a box for Anne to store her little book in.  I used the largest of Eileen Hull's Sizzix Blocks/cubes die and decorated it simply by sponging the edges and adhering pieces of Merriment and stamping a bit on the top panel.  I added ScorTape to the connecting edges but I left it un-assembled for flatter mailing to England!

This is the very first little book I've made and it all worked out just the way it was supposed to thanks to Anna-Karin's wonderful tutorial! (see link at beginning of post.)  I'm so pleased with it!  I hope Anne enjoys looking through her little miniature Christmas Book for many years to come!

 Here is the beautiful and festive gift I received from my Secret Santa - S@ndy - a wonderfully decorated Idea-ology Collection Folio!  You will find more photos of this lovely project on S@ndy's blog here.
Thank you so much Sandy!  I LOVE it and can't wait to put some memories of this Christmas on the pages and folders inside!

You will find all of the gifts the Creative Guides made for their Secret Santa recipients on the A Vintage Journey Blog post here.

Stamps:  Mini Holidays, Handwritten Holidays - Tim Holtz/Stampers Anonymous
Paper:  Rustic Cream - PTI, Paperstash/Merriment - Tim Holtz, piece of thin cardboard packaging.
Ink:  Ranger Distress Frayed Burlap, Vintage Photo, Ground Espresso.
Accessories:  Idea-ology - Remnant Rubs/Christmas Time, Mirrored Stars, Ephemera Pack/Festive, Trimmings Natural Red Cream, Mini Attacher, Small Talk/Occasions, Photo Booth, Mini Fasteners; dies - Labels, Holiday Words/Scripts, Holiday Words/Blocks - Alterations; Mini Cardinal , Mini Reindeer Movers and Shapers, Match Box Die - Sizzix.  Black Glaze Pen - Sakura, Walnut Stain Distress Paint - Ranger, twine, needle, Butterscotch Adirondack Alcohol Ink, Natural Sticky Back Canvas - Claudine Helmuth.