Summer Journal

 Summer Journal, 

using the Sunkissed range by Cocoa Vannill Studio from 

The Mad Scrapper

I'm getting ready for Summer, waiting patiently!

I created this fun and easy journal just waiting for all the photos and stories of our summer.

A very easy to make project.

Starting with 12x12 sheets from the range I cut them, leaving them mainly 12" wide but cutting down to 7 or 8" deep and then folding in half and using the cut off pieces too so nothing goes to waste.

 

I then placed then together, deciding which colours and designs I liked next to each other and mixing the sizes, adding the smaller in between the larger, you can even trim some off so the widths are slightly different too, to see things poking out make for a much more interesting finish.

when I was happy with the way I had the pages, I then fixed them in place with a long reach stapler and then bound with some ribbon and tied on the outside.

I decorated my cover using the cut apart sheet, layering pieces up and using some 3D foam pads to add some height, from my stash I found some bobble ribbon which I added to the edge of one of my inside pages and to my cover, tucking it under the main title cut out.

I have then decorated the inside with some of the pieces from the ephemera pack. and any leftover strips from my page cutting .

It's now ready to add my photos and journaling as we go through the summer, a great project to take away with you if you have a portable photo printer, some of the ephemera, the cut apart sheets, some journal blanks and some glue and you are good to go. 

  

using the just gorgeous Sunkissed range, I used 12x12 sheets, 

Summer lights,

Just chillin, 

Good vibrations,

 Sunny days

fun in the sun cut apart sheet 

and the die cut ephemera pack.

here is the full range.

Nature Trail- Scrapbook Layout.

 Another design for The Mad Scrapper 

I had no idea for this before I sat down to work on it, i am very happy with the result.

Nature Trail

For this page I used just paper 3 ... 12x12 sheets and a plain white cardstock,

 I love it when some papers have just everything you need to complete your page, i sometimes find I am spending far too much time trying to find other bits and pieces to fit!

I started with the hello happy for my base and cut round the right-hand side of the middle 3 butterflies only, lifted them up from the page and then backed with an off cut from one of the other pages.

My photos started off 6x4,  I trimmed them down to allow me to fit the 3 photos on my page and then mounted them on white cardstock just to allow the photos to lift off the page and not sink into the back ground. I put them aside to work on my back ground.

I cut three pieces from the other papers, remember these are double sided papers so great for using more of the design, I didn't measure the pieces just went with the size of my photos and placed them down and trimmed until I was happy with the sizing, I then distressed the edges with open scissors, please be careful doing it this way, there are distressing tools available to buy for this.

I then fussy cat the large flower, looks a bit hydrangea like to me, one of my favourite flowers!

I placed my backing pieces and photos down and moved around with my flower until I was happy with the layout and then stuck them down, you can do this by picking up corners and sticking down or by taking a photo to look back on to take up and layer your pieces on, I tucked my photos under and on top of the flower, I love to have things overlapping!

Next was making my title I look one of the papers and hand wrote my title using a journaling pen, cut round it roughly and then roughly coloured with a gold paint pen. I gently inked the edges and mounted on 3d foam pads to lift it off the page slightly.

Next, I fussy cut 3 more butterflies from one of the other papers, inked then gently, shapes them and placed around my title.

Lastly, I went round my main backing and my layered pieces with my journaling pen, just roughly bordering them, it adds a frame to my work and gives it a great finish I feel, jut roughly no ruler just a slightly wobbly line, in fact I think I went round 2 or 3 times, i love to finish things off this way, it's a great detail so simple but adds a lot to a page. 

Butterfly Box

 My Hexagon box Designed for The Mad Scrapper 

using the Simple Stories Simple Vintage Cottage Fields paper collection, Just gorgeous papers.

Oh, I love boxes and tins, and I love to decorate them, these papers were just perfect for this.

I measured the height of the box above and below the opening of the box and cut the full width of the paper, I cut the two strips together so they matched above and below the opening.

 

I did the same for the back as it didn't go all the way around and butted them up to each other on corners just making sure the back piece was on a not so very patterned piece so it blended in easily.

I used gel medium to stick the papers down and carefully cut round the clatch and the hinges on the back.

I then went round with some sandpaper to distress the clean-cut edges, this also helps to blend in the joins.

Next, I added some stencilling using a leaf stencil and some heavy body paste, just randomly over the box, you can dry with a heat gun or allow to dry naturally.

 

I then painted over the whole piece with some clear gesso and allowed to dry , this allows me to then add some more colour using the distress spray and allows it to move, without the gesso it would just sink into the paper, with the gesso I can then move it around by adding some water and moving the box to move the colour or using a paint brush to move the colour around, then allow to dry or dry with the heat gun.

next I added some of the pieces from the ephemera pack using the gel medium as my glue and then clear gesso's them as well.

Then I fussy cut the butterflies from one of the 12x12 sheets , I clear gesso'd these too, it is also good for strengthening the card stock, I did back and from of these before adding them using the gel medium as my glue.

Lastly, I used some wax to go round the edges and pick up some of the detail from the stencilling, I just did this with my finger but you could use a paint brush but be careful not to have too much, you can always add more but you can't take it away and it has strong colour to it so be gentle. I have just realised it didn't splatter, I may just go back and do some of this, I do love to finish with some splattering.

products used.

Simple Stories-Vintage cottage fields 12x12 papers hello happy  Dream more

Simple stories -vintage cottage fields die cut pack

Distress oxide spray- Mermaid lagoon 

Art alchemy wax- firebird

I also used....

gel medium as my glue, sand paper block, clear gesso, heavy body paste, a leaf stencil, I have since seen Janine has a stencil in this set that would be perfect...