It's May - and a beautiful spring here in New England! It's also time for this month's A Vintage Journey Challenge! Deb is our lovely hostess and she would like us create something with a book theme!
Here is her challenge description: There is nothing better than curling up with a good book to take us away
to another place! This month we'd like you think about books - perhaps
you will make a book, or a journal, create a journal page showing a
scene from one of your favourite books (do please tell us what book!) or
a card showing someone reading or made using text stamps, stencils or
word stickers. Just remember to create in one of our preferred styles of
vintage, shabby, mixed media, art journaling, industrial, timeworn or
steampunk.
Here is my creation!
My 6 year old grand niece, Mila, has entered that wonderful world of being able to read and has lots of books now. I thought it would be nice to have a little notebook to record the titles and authors of the books she reads (she'll get to practice her printing as well!).
I have several photos to share on just how I put this little book together for Mila.
I started with Eileen Hull's brand new Sizzix Notebook die which when folded measures 5" x 3 3/4" with a 3/4" binding. I cut it out of Little Sizzles Matboard.
I covered the outside of the front and back cover with a beautiful 4 1/2" wide Washi tape called Painted Fantasy from Altenew. (LOVE the wide washi tapes!)
I find that washi tape can lift off over time if it's just placed on top so I cut it long enough to wrap around the 3 sides.
Shortly I will be adhering a piece of card on the inside of the covers over the edges of the washi.
I have a wonderful little set of stamps called Story of Me by Clear Art Stamps that I purchased more than 10 years ago. It is no longer available as a clear stamp set - but I did find it at Crafty Secrets as a digi set here.
I needed a base/frame for my main image. I tried an oval, a rectangle and finally decided to use the Mini Cabinet Die which is an old Movers and Shapers die from Sizzix. I die cut it out of watercolor paper and stamped the little reader on it with Hero Hues Black. Then I stamped the image again in Versamark and clear embossed it so I could watercolor it.
I used an Elegant Writer pen (which I believe is used for calligraphy mostly) and a waterbrush to color the image.
There are lots of YouTube videos on coloring with the Elegant Writer (here's one by Lydia Fielder)
I drew lines along the stamped lines, with the Elegant Writer (mostly along the bottom edges) and then brushed over the lines towards the centers with my water brush pen. The Elegant Writer, which is black, breaks up into subtle blues and purples with the water.
After I colored my image I watercolored over the rest of the panel with Ranger DistressAged Mahogany and my water brush pen, brushing from the outside edges into the center so it was darker on the edges.
I wanted to tone down the lightness of the panel a bit, so I sponged the edges with Distress Tea Dye Ink.
While I had the ink out, I also sponged over the edges of the cover and the binding.
I stamped 'Mila's Books' on the cover of the image using Karen Foster Snap Alphabet stamps. I used a grey Copic to make a shadow around all the outside edges of the image. Then I inked over the whole panel with Versamark and embossed it using Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture powder.
I cut pages for the notebook using Eileen's Sizzix Passport die but you can just cut papers to fit. (6 1/2" x 4 3/4" folded in half work well.)
The Notebook die does not have holes in the binding so you can just bind the signatures into the book by wrapping the elastic around the binding and through the middle of the signatures, but you can also punch holes in the binding - which I did since the pages have holes in them.
I made two signatures - using 4 pages folded in half for each one.
I used a lined cardstock for the pages but they were only lined on one side - so half of the pages are plain. Mila could still write the names of books on the plain ones - or she could draw pictures if she wanted to.
Here you can also see how I adhered a panel of the lined cardstock on the inside of both covers as well.
The stamp set includes a fun stamp: "this book was created for ______ by ____" so I stamped that on a panel of watercolor paper, embossed it with the Vintage Beeswax and adhered it to the back cover.
The Story Time and sentiment at the bottom of the image are also in this delightful stamp set. I embossed both once again with the Vintage Beeswax and adhered them onto the image panel. I used both ScorTape and Tombow Glue adhering these pieces that were layered onto washi tape and the beeswax as I wasn't sure how well either of the adhesives would hold on those products!
I used a gold elastic cord for the binding as well as the loop closure - something I had from a craft store that was sold at Christmas time. I thought the gold looked nicer than the white or black elastic cord that I also had on hand.
I added a pretty little metal heart from Idea-ology Adornments/Treasures to the knot on the closure loop.
Here it shows how I knotted the closure piece aroung the two binding pieces before bringing the ends around the book and knotting them with the heart on the other end.
I think Mila will like her little book and keeping a record of all the books she has read!
So please join us this month by linking up your project with a book theme as described in the Challenge description over at A Vintage Journey! You're sure to find lots of inspiration there from all of the Creative Guides participating this month !
Stamps: Story of Me - Clear Art Stamps retired, Digi available see link in text above, Karen Foster Snap Alphabet Stamps (no longer available.)
Paper: Water color paper - Canson, White Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix, Lined cardstock - Amuse.
Ink: Ranger Distress Aged Mahogany, Tea Dye, Versamark, Hero Hues Black.
Accessories:Notebook die, Passbook Die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Mini Cabinet Movers and Shapers Die - Alterations/Sizzix, Painted Fantasy Wide Washi Tape - Altenew, Elegant Writer Pen - Speedball, Waterbrush Pen - Kuretake, Clear Embossing Powder, Vintage Beeswax Baked Texture Embossing Powder - Emerald Creek, heart - Adornments/Treasures Idea-ology, Crop a Dile, gold elastic cord - Michaels, 3/4" circle punch - EK Success, Warm Gray Copic W2, ScorTape, Tombow Glue.
