So Sorry

I'm sharing a sympathy card I made today.  I always like to have sympathy cards on hand so I have them at a moments notice and can get them off to the person who has suffered a loss as soon as possible. 

To create the background, I pounced a watercolor paper panel into 3 Distress Inks I had rubbed onto my craft mat and spritzed with water - first Tea Dye, then a little bit of Worn Lipstick, and then Vintage Photo. Drying between each color - until I had the look I wanted.

I die cut the wild flowers and sponged over the white ones with Vintage Photo Ink. I added black splatter with a brush full of watery black water color paint and stamped the sentiment along the bottom.

 My card design was inspired by the Inspiration Challenge over at Splitcoaststampers.  We were to look atthe Serengeti Fashions catalog for inspiration and this tunic caught my eye.

I'm also linking my card to:

Just Us Girls

Stamps: Ways to Say: With Sympathy - PTI
Paper: Watercolor paper - Canson, True Black, White, Honey Nut - PTI
Ink: Ranger Distress Inks Tea Dye, Worn Lipstick, Vintage Photo, True Black - PTI 
Accessories: Wild Flower Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, black water paint, brush, water, Tombow Glue

To My Fabulous Friend

So in the beginning of June, I entered this card into a new blog challenge I came across -  Double Trouble Paper Crafting Challenge - and lo and behold, I was chosen the random winner of their "Bag of Things' prize - which included papers, die cut pieces, ribbons, sequins, a stamp and even a die!

For each challenge there is a Thing 1, a Thing 2 and a Thing 3 - you will find a full explanation over at their blog!  You can do just Thing 1 or include them all.

 So in my Bag of Things prize - they included supplies that fit their current color challenge with the option of using ribbon/fibers-  so I put together this card to join in!

The only things I used from my own supplies are the stamp, from  Papertrey Ink - Birthday Cheer, foam dots and Tombow Glue!

I'm linking my card to:

Double Trouple Paper Crafting

 Challenge #3

Color Challenge and String Things optional

Color Dare

Eileen Hull - Wrapped Journal Die - Wander

Eileen Hull has some wonderful new dies available now at your local retailer and available at Sizzix on July 5th.  They are called  Book Club Chapter 2 Collection.  Today I'm sharing a travel journal I made using her Wrapped Journal #662816 Sizzix Die.

I also used Eileen's new Journaling Words dies for 'wander' on the cover

and 'travel' and 'journal' on the first page

I tied an Idea-ology Word key (Journey) onto the jute binding.

I used Idea-ology Linen Ribbon for the journal closing allowing extra ribbon to accommodate the fattening as things were added to the journal pages!

I used ScorTape to adhere the ribbon to the back of the journal so it wouldn't get lost when untied.

Here's how the wrapped journal looks when opened up

Here's how I made it! 

 I cut the journal out of matboard and sponged the binding sides and all edges with Ranger Distress Salty Ocean.

I used blue ink to coordinate with the map pieces (from a National Geographic Magazine) that I cut to fit the cover pieces.  I sponged the edges of the map pieces with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink.

Then I adhered the panels to the cover.

I made 4 signatures of 4 pages each -  each page is 7" x 5" and folded in half (giving a whopping 64 pages to the journal!) cut from Wendy Vecchi Newsprint paper and Paper Stash/Correspondence by Tim Holtz.  I lined up the folds in the pages with the holes in the cover, marked where the holes were and punched through the pages.  I used Idea-ology black jute string (4 pieces of 17" each) to bind each signature to the cover, tying the knots on the outside of the journal.

Here are photos of all the pages.

Pockets for pressed flowers or photos

 Here is the center of the first signature where you can see the jute binding it to the cover.

 More pockets

 cards for notes

I used tags cut from Eileen's new Credit Card Sleeve and Tags die on some of the pages where I had envelopes or pockets so they could be found easily.  I looped a piece of twine through the holes on the tags.  Two of the tags are on the top of the pages, two are on the sides.

 Library pockets with ATC trading cards slipped inside for notes.

 Glassine envelope for small treasures

 Card stock pockets

Even with bits sticking out past the pages, you can still cleanly close the journal and nothing falls out!

The wrapped cover design gives lots of room for expansion as things are added to the pages.

I brushed Gel Medium over the map pieces to give the cover some protection from all the handling it would get while traveling!

Now I just need to go somewhere!!

 Please check out Eileen's blog where you will find lots of inspiration from the Inspiration Team using these fun new Book Club Chapter 2 Collection of dies!

They are available NOW at your local retailers and will be available at Sizzix on July 5th!

I'm also linking my book to:

Mini Album Makers Challenge

Mixed Media Monthly

Stamps:  Road Trip - Inkadinkado, Passport Please and The Place You Left and My Favorite Thing - Uptown Design Co., Scenic Route - Inky Antics, Journaling and Story of Me - Clear Art Stamps, Happy Trails and Take Note and Journaling Lines - Papertrey Ink, Journal du Jour - Art Stamp.
Paper:  White Little Sizzles Mat Board - Sizzix,  maps from National Geographi Magazines, Paper Stash/Correspondence - Tim Holtz, Newsprint Paper - Wendy Vecchi, Brushed Silver - Stampin Up.
Ink:  Ranger Distress Salty Ocean, Gathered Twigs, Black Hero Hues, Archival Jet Black.
Accessories: Wrapped Journal Die, Journaling Words Dies, Credit Card Sleeve and Tags Dies - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Plane Die - Tim Holtz/Movers and Shapers/Sizzix, Wild Flowers Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Lead the Way Arrows Dies - MFT,  Idea-ology Black Jute String, Photo Booth Pocket Cards, Flash Cards, Word Keys, Linen Ribbon, Mini Brown Bag - Michaels, Glassine Bags - Papertrey Ink, Artist Trading Cards - Hampton Arts, Gel Medium - Dina Wakley, ScorTape, Quick Dry Tacky Glue - Aleenes, Bakers twine - the Twinery. Crop A Dile.