Thursday 2 July 2015

Happy Holidays. . . . . . . . .

Good morning all. Two posts in as many day - amazing for me! It's time for a new challenge at Stamps & Stencils and our host this month is the wonderfully creative Toni. Here's what she has to say:

'It's that time of year where you may be thinking about dusting off your passport and digging out your swimsuit! Yes it's holiday time! Whether you're a lover of the seaside or someone who enjoys a city break, we would love to see your holiday inspired projects. This could be journalling, altered art, or even a good old card. Just remember that we are a mixed media challenge blog and your project should reflect that and as the name of our blog  suggests, don't forget to include some stamping and stencilling.' 

I decided to make a little travel journal which could be used to record details of visits, photos, sketches and whatever else might take your fancy. I recently bought the Eileen Hull Passport die and was eager to use it. Here's what I made:



A journal which ties at the side to keep everything safe inside.


The journal has a solid cover with a good deep spine. There are holes for three signatures and these could be quite generous if you wished.

To start, three colours of DecoArt Fluid Acrylic are roughly brayered onto a piece of card. No need to be particular and white bits don't matter!
I used these three colours - sand, sea and sun for the perfect holiday!

Two cover pieces are cut with the die and folder embossed with some travel/holiday type words.



After folder embossing, the front cover is coated with Versamark followed by clear embossing powder. This was done twice to achieve good coverage.

The front cover raised sections are brayered with DecoArt Chalky Paint to give more definition. Again, I did this twice for good coverage.

The back cover is treated slightly differently. The chalky paint is brayered onto the embossing folder and the card is embossed. The black paint appears around the letters which is quite a good outcome. The whole of the cover is then powder embossed as before.

The inner covers are painted with Hansa Yellow Medium as used on the outside.



Inside pages for signatures are cut using the die. The inside of the spine has the same stamped design as the inside covers. The little pockets are visible here too. The grosgrain ribbon is to keep the journal closed.

The pages are cut in similar colours to some of the paint used on the outside. They are ordered together then tied into signatures through die cut holes on the pages and the spine. It would be easy to add more pages if necessary.

On this journal I've left the strings outside. It would be possible to cover them or make more of a feature with ribbon, cord, lace etc. The spine is also powder embossed for extra durability. The edges are finished with black acrylic and a piece of cut n dry.
Detail shot.
Detail shot. Love how the colours glow next to the black.
The white areas on the background give a rather good graded effect and again, the colours pop next to the black.
Love the bright colours and the wipe clean covers!
Please remember to pop over to Stamps & Stencils to see what my fabulous teamies have been making to inspire you.

So, it's your turn now and I can't wait to see you what you make for our holiday theme this month.

23 comments:

  1. A fabulous journal Julia! I love the bright summery colours and embossed texture! Nice and chunky too.great work Toni x

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  2. WOW Julia!!!!! This is gorgeously vibrant my lovely! Fabulous make xxx

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  3. Love this Julia - bring on the holidays xxx

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  4. Wow, so gorgeous Julia!! I love the bright colours and your take on the theme is so much fun!! hugs :)

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  5. I LOVE this EH die, and love the fun and bright colors you used! Way cool and so fun!!!

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  6. this is a work of art Julia - absolutely brilliant - love it xx

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  7. Fabulous Julia! I love how you use such bold, bright colours and coupled with the black they look stunning ! Sue C x

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  8. Really bright and cheerful, love it.

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  9. Oh Julia! This is beautiful my lovely, I hope you enjoy playing in it as much as you did making it. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  10. A gorgeous project Julia, love the hot summer colours and embossed covers.
    Yvonne xx

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  11. Julia, this is a stunning project! I love how you used Eileen's fabulous die, the colours are gorgeous, made all the more beautiful by the embossing and your clever use of the brayer - beautiful work (as always). Hugs, Anne xx

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  12. a really gorgeous project ...i love this die..its such a versatile one x love the wipe clean cover too x

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  13. Gorgeous, stunning, fabulous album....just love this funky coloured beauty! Ruth xx

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  14. WOW!! Gorgeous bright colors!! I thought the lettering was embossed it looks sooo rich!! Beautiful Julia!! xo

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  15. Wonderful Album Julia, love the techniques and Thanks for sharing ...

    Sharon xx

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  16. Julia, that is fabulous, love your southwest sunset colours and the black embossing just makes everything POP! Wonderful, thanks for sharing your great album.

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  17. Had to pop over and see this's do become a follower! Such vibrant vibrant colors and the bold black makes everything Zabowbam!!!! This is so amazeballs! ~Niki

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  18. Just found your blog. :) LOVE this and I'll definitely check out the challenge.

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  19. Brilliantly bold and funky! The colours are so zingy... Been missing lots of wonders, I'm sure - hope to be along for a catch up soon. There is light at the end of the work tunnel!
    Alison xx

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  20. Wow! Love those colours! The black is a really good way to emphasise that embossing! Brilliant! Chrisx

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  21. Outstanding!! The colors are great with the black.

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  22. Stunning, I love how the colours pop

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  23. Julia....this book is amazing! I am
    Just starting a new passion with handmade books and journals. I love this type of spine that is so versatile. Your book is beautiful! So much pattern and color! I love the embossed cover! That black is a fabulous idea and you are right...it really makes the bright colors seem to glow.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Juliax