Mini Album Makers ~ June Challenge

Welcome to June everyone and the start of a new
blog challenge over at Mini Album Makers.

This month is sponsored by Character Construction who
generously awards a $25 Gift Certificate to our June winner.

There's also a chance to be invited as
a Guest Designer @ Mini Album Maker's.
Why not share your Album creations over HERE
and check out what the DT have created this June.

This month i'm sharing the beginnings of my Junk Journal.

This came about when given a book full of
etchings and Victorian tongue in cheek humour.

With no major plan, I decided to alter the book using
it's own pages and just let it evolve over time..

Decorating the front cover with stamperia stencils and a segment 

of moulded air dried clay, an art doll face along with gypsy soul 

cogs and wings laser cuts add those extra embellishments.

I just lost myself in the painting.. 

When altering books I never start at the beginning always somewhere 

in between tearing pages to create hinges to staple, glue or tie on 

what ever you chose to attach. Washi tape is fabulous for reinforcing 

and makes designs personal and unique.

Spraying and staining with tea and/or coffee really ages pages.

Simply folding and tearing pages can create pockets that can
hold so many pieces of your saved junk or ephemera.

Just look how much these folded book page pockets hold...

By sewing together book page edges we can create
alternative openings by re-cutting and remodelling them.
This page I added eyelets, fastened with lacy ribbon.

Captions like these are far too funny to cover up!

Punching hole's top and bottom of the cover tied elastic acts 

as a closure keeping all those bits and bobs secure inside.

I can not resist tinkering and altering whenever I 

open it and by no means is it finished. Like with most 

Junk Journals I don't think it ever will be... 

I'm sure I'll be sharing more of it's pages soon...

Thank you for sharing part of your day with me.
I look forward to seeing what you've all been up.

Take  Good Care everyone.
Creative Hugs
Tracey xx

I'm sharing this months creativity with:
SanDee & amelie's Steampunk June Challenge
ArtGrupa Atc ~ Junk Journal 2019

Mini Album Makers April Blog Challenge

Hello Creative Friends,

Welcome to another month and a new Challenge over at 

Mini Album Maker's as the Design Team bring you inspiration 

in the form of handmade books and journals.

April Mini Album Makers Challenge

This month see's Eileen Hull as our sponsor offering the prize 

of a $35 GC to spend in her Etsy Shop for one lucky winner.

Please pop on over to our Mini Album Maker's April Challenge, 

be inspired by the Design Team and share your ALBUMS with us. 

Here's what I got up to and how it came to be..

There's no measuring this month as Eileen Hull's 

Passport die kindly does all the measuring for us. 

Shamefully not having a scrap of grey/mount board left to hand I

had to improvise and use a cereal box and corrugated cardboard.

Cutting 2x inside cover's - 2 x outside covers - 

2 x spines each glued together to reinforce.

When constructed a mix of fibre paste and pearl medium was scraped on to 

those outer covers and painted with acrylics. A gypsy Soul laser cut was 

trimmed to size, painted in the same way then glued to the book front.

Cutting another set of dies this time using Kraft Card this helped

hide ribbon used as the journal closure, acts as extra support to 

strengthen the corrugated card and neaten everything inside.

Last year I came across this Vintage beaded necklace.

I'd Loved and looked at it but always intended to repurpose it.

With Easter approaching it seemed ideal for this project 

and the pendant size was well matched to that aperture.

Measuring the spine I cut an extra strip of card and glued down lengths

 of the vintage necklace to add a decorative edge to the spine cover.

Those pre-cut holes give us our thread guides 

which hold our signatures inside.

Gluing the outer spine in place I added the last of the outer 

detail by edging around the cover with gold ranger liquid pearls.

Spraying Eileen's credit card sleeve die cuts with 

Distress Oxide Spray, paint and a dab of gilding wax

they fit like a dream inside the front cover, 

holding those small tags to be used as page markers. 

Teamed up with Tim Holtz stitched slots they work in harmony.

Three signatures cut from Kraft card simply sprayed with Distress 

Oxide Spray I created three notebooks adding a word to each.. 

Hopes, Dreams and Fears.

If your like me it helps to write thoughts down 

and keep them close to hand.

Slotted neatly inside, each signature is 

held shut with a decorated paper clip.

Tied closed with ribbon 

my April Mini Album is complete...

Thank you for stopping by today 

it's always lovely to see you all here.

Please pop on over HERE and see what the 

Design Team have created for you this month. 

We'd love you to join in with the challenge

Our theme is anything goes... leaving you to create the magic!

Take good care everyone 

and look out for one another.

Creative Hugs

Tracey xx

I'm playing along with:

Altered Eclectics: April Challenge

SanDee&amelie's: Anything goes - Steampunk/Industrial

Country View Crafts: Easter and/or Spring.

Paint Party Friday: Wk5 Y9

LTCCB #33 : April Anything Goes