Altered Notebooks

Currently, my boys are on "off-track", we are in a year-round district so our track is off until Thanksgiving.  However, after we get back, the boys will only be in school for another week before we leave for our family vacation to Hawaii. ALOHA!  When we get back, the whole school district shuts down for 3 weeks for Winter Break.  It is my tradition to try to give a gift to the teachers at that time.  Here is what I made this year.  

Ingredients for Notebook #1:

A notebook/composition book to alter. Close to My Heart "Sentiments" Stamp set.  Stampabilities "Sentiments" stamp clings. Stampin' Up ink in "Going Grey". Jenni Bowlin ink in "Spice Tin". Tim Holtz Distress ink in: "Antique Linen" and "Weathered Wood".  Stickles in "Platinum". Ivory card stock and decorative paper, sorry this is from a collection I bought at Jo-Ann's over 2 years ago and have since thrown away the packaging.  

Measure your composition book and cut your decorative paper slightly longer. You don't need it too wide, just make sure to cover the front of the cover, overlapping the binding slightly.  Do this for both the front & back covers.  (I cut mine at roughly 10" x 7".)  Apply adhesive to the cover, ensuring to get the glue as close to the edges as possible, you don't want your paper lifting.  Carefully lay the paper on top.  Cut off the excess and round the corners of the paper with scissors (Quick tip: don't round before applying the paper, you can't guarantee a perfect match.  Cut your ivory card stock at roughly 10" x 3.5", try to line up your card stock evenly to the binding and gently bend/mold the two together.  Once you've got a slight crease in the ivory paper, apply adhesive to the interior of the crease, again ensuring to get as close to the edges as possible, you don't want it lifting.  To ensure it will stick well, apply adhesive horizontally every inch or so too.  Carefully, match up the top or lower edge of the ivory card stock to the book, using your hands, mold the two together, forming a firm bond.

Using the Distress inks and the blending tool, edge the notebook, front and back, as well as the binding.  Stamp the "thank you" onto the left over ivory paper with the "going grey" ink.  Hand cut the sentiment, excluding the banner edges.  Use the Distress inks on the "thank you" to match, use the "spice tin" ink, to give the edge a contrasting color.  Apply with pop dots.  Stamp "your guiding hand..." sentiment with the "spice tin" ink.  Apply Stickles to the tiny dots throughout the cover to give it that little bling.

There you go, simple but pretty.

Notebook #2

Ingredients:  dark brown card stock for the rosette and the binding, patterned paper for the front & back covers, "Cinnamon" Stickles, Close To My Heart "Sentiments" stamp set, Stampabilities "Sentiments" stamp set, Stampin' Up ink': "Chocolate Chip", "Groovy Guava" and "Creamy Caramel", Demi-Pearls in the brown collection, glue dots and the Martha Stewart Scoring board.

Prepare the cover as stated above.  When inking the edges, I did it directly from the ink pad, no blending tool.  Ink up the binding edges as well.  For the rosette, cut 2 strips of  the brown card stock at 1 1/2" each. Use the MS Score board and score every 1/4".  Ink the edges with "Chocolate Chip" and "Groovy Guava". (Quick tip:  Make sure you choose the same side of card stock to be the "up" side, textured or non.)  Use a strong adhesive to attach the ends together in one big ring/circle.  Using a scrap piece of paper, say a 1" x3" rectangle, attach the rosette with glue dots, form into an oval to flow with the shape of the "thank you" sentiment, also adhere with glue dots to the front of the rosette.  Stickle the dark brown pattern on the cover.  Use 3 different sizes of the pearls and attach to the cover.

Here is a close up of the bottom right, including the sentiment stamped in "chocolate chip" and of the Stickles on the pattern.

Here is the finished project.

Here is another version!

Happy Crafting!

Hobby Lobby Haul 11/08/11

We finally got a Hobby Lobby in our area, meaning within 20 miles.  I had heard so much about their stores, that I just had to make a trip out there!  Here is what I purchased.  I was really hoping to find Helmar glue, since I've heard rave reviews, but alas, HL didn't have any at this location.

Paper products: "Magic of the Season" and "Holly Jolly" by The Paper Studio. $12.99 each

Adhesives: "Micro", "pop up", and "removable" (for my door signs) glue dots. $3.99 each

Stamps: "Big Circles Cling" by InkadinkaClings ($4.99). "Hanging Ornament" ($3.99), "Zebra print", and "Sentiments" by Stampabilities ($6.99 each).

Neon Nylon Loops for the loom, $3.47.

ProvoCraft Zision Trimmer refill blad, $3.99.

Aqua-Flo Watercolor Paint pens $5.99.

Silver Metal 3mm sticker strips $2.99, bling, of course!

Martha Stewart Crafts "Paper Crafting Template" $12.99.  (I've been intrigued by these hanging ornaments.)  I think the kids will love using this to decorate our tree this year.

Have you been to Hobby Lobby? What have you purchased?  What have you made using your supplies?

Autumn Sign

I wanted to paper craft,     BAD! I haven't had the chance this week with life and all the cleaning that comes with being a mom of 4 young kids. (I'll probably say this a lot in future posts, sorry. I love my kids a ton, I just have to make time to craft after caring for the kids, housecleaning and getting my fledgling candy business going.)  Anyway, I wanted to make a sign to put inside my house. Here is what I have put together so far......

Using random sheets of paper from "The Uptown Paper Collection" by Corina Nielsen, I cut 1', 2" and 3" strips of 12" paper.  For the 2" & 3" strips, I had to cut 2, since a single strip glued end to end will NOT connect and then flip to make the rosette.  Next, using my new MS score-board, I scored using every other line until I finished each strip. (Note: to save time, I was able to double up these papers when scoring, but it won't be that easy if you use card stock.)  After all the strips were scored, I glued the strips to their own ends, making a ring, remember the 2" & 3" strips need to have 2 strips glued to make larger rings.  Once the glued ends dry, working on a flat surface, stand the ring upright, carefully push the top edge down into the center towards the table, don't crush the fan folds. Now, take a circle punch (2" seems to work real well) and punch out several pieces from scrap paper, it won't matter, these aren't meant to be seen once completed. Take a circle punch, add adhesive, I used Tacky Glue, generously to the surface of the punched circle. Now, taking your fan-fold rosette, carefully center your circle to the backside of your rosette and hold in place for about a minute, applying light pressure.  Once the glue starts to set, you can set it aside and place a light weight on it to ensure it will hold while you work on the rest of the rosettes. I let mine dry over night.

Here is a view of the backside of my rosettes, I ended up using 1" circle punch, which was a bit too small, that's why I suggest the 2" punch, or even a 3" if you've got it.

Next, using an Olive sheet  from "Earth Tones Textured Cardstock" by Best Occasions, I cut out the word "Autumn" from the ProvoCraft "Cursive 101" cartridge.  The "A" is cut at 5" and the rest is cut at 3".  

Clean up the letters and decide how you want them to lay out among your rosettes. Once decided, glue the rosettes together accordingly, so as not to squish the letters too close to each other.  Then, adhere the letters to your rosettes. You'll need to apply light pressure again to get these letters to stick. I used a couple of  small yellow notepads across the letters.  Let dry.

Next, you can put these rosettes on card stock in a layout fashion, but I wanted mine on the wall and since my walls are a white-ish color, I stuck them onto vellum with glue dots.  (The vellum will blend into my walls.) I trimmed off the excess vellum, just in case and added the rest of the rosettes for added color, besides, they were already made. Buttons, which I never use, but have on hand, were threaded using white mercerized crochet cotton from Creative World Traditions purchased at Michael's and then double knotted. The buttons were then adhered using more glue dots.  (The thread was cut at varying lengths to go along with the varying sizes of the rosettes.)  Lastly, Lime Green glitter glue from Studio G (found at Michael's) was applied to all the letters for a little bling.  You know I can't do a project without bling, hahahaha!

Here is the finished project.

(Sorry about the lighting, my iPhone decided it was too bright to flash.)

Happy Crafting!