Fairy Altered Book

Sometimes the greatest ideas come in those wee hours just before falling asleep.

This is one of those …

I have been wanting to make an altered book for many years — decades, actually — but I never had the courage to try. But, when I moved, I “found” an old copy of Alice in Wonderland. The book had purple on the edges of the pages and was such a nice copy that I couldn’t get rid of it — even though my daughter had written on many of the pages. And, with the perfect book in hand, I knew it was time to attempt to make an altered book.

It took me awhile because I wanted to allow plenty of dry time and I had to carefully think everything through, but it wasn’t difficult.

To start, I covered the inside of the cover in paper. Then, I cut out a few pages at the beginning (to get to pages filled with text). Next, I rolled a few pages and glued them down in the middle of the open book. Once that was dry (I was afraid of messing things up, so I did a little bit each day, allowing for plenty of dry time) I used Ranger’s Glue ‘n Seal to paint the edges of the pages on the right side so they would become one solid block.

Next, I traced the interior piece of one of the Globecraft Memories frames and began cutting an oval out of the book. I used my Fisker’s craft knife and continued to cut in sections until I made it all the way to the bottom of the book. I then coated the inside of the oval with Glue ‘n Seal and added some paper and ribbon.

Then, I covered the exterior of the book in the same paper and added a tassel and metal plate that I’ve been carrying around for years …

Back on the inside, I decided I wanted to soften the white pages a bit, so I added some Distress Ink and discovered an awesome technique …

The Distress Ink doesn’t show where the Glue ‘n Seal was. Doesn’t it make for a great look?!?

Next, I wanted to make a place for my fairy to sit, so I used some paper, Glue ‘n Seal, Clearly For Art (by Wendy Vecchi, Studio 490) and a Tim Holtz/Sizzix die to make some flowers. I also pulled out some leftover Prima flowers in a variety of colors and sprayed them all with Adirondack Color Wash in Butterscotch and then a thin coating of Perfect Pearls Mists in Heirloom Gold. The flowers were a variety of green, pink and purple and I love how different they all became with the same treatment. Here’s the inside with the fairy (I used Glue Dots to attach her.

Next came the Globecraft Memories frame … I covered them with paper and paint and attached them together. I still needed a bit of space between the plastic globe and the fairy, so I added a couple layers of dimensional foam.

Then it was just a matter of embellishing … I added some ribbon, some more handmade flowers (some made out of the pages of the book I took out), some more Prima flowers that I dyed and a couple of metal embellishments. I also made a butterfly the same way I made the flowers (paper, Glue ‘n Seal, Tim Holtz/Sizzix die & Clearly For Art) and added some wire antennae. Finally, for some added girly charm, I glued on several Dew Drops from Robin’s Nest.

I love the depth inside the globe. Isn’t this the perfect addition to any girly room?!

Altering a Notebook

I found this little notebook in my scrapbooking room. It’s cute, but it’s not really my style. So, I decided to alter it to my own tastes.

This is what I came up with …

Not wanting to mess with the spiral binding, I decided to leave a bit of the original cover and incorporate it in my design.

I started by applying paper that didn’t quite go to the edge of the notebook. I used papers by My Mind’s Eye and a bit of Vintage Photo Distress Ink.

Then, I added the flock paper, also by My Mind’s Eye, this time going all the way to edge on the right side, but off center on the left. I used Glue Lines to attach the papers since I wanted the adhesive to be near the edges.

Then, I added the blue ribbon (My Mind’s Eye) with a few more Glue Lines.

Next I added the flower. It is from Prima, but it was white. I sprayed it with Adirondack Color Wash and then, when dry, added a bit of Gold Adirondack Paint Dabber to the tips of the petals. I attached it with a Craft Glue Dot.

Next, I attached the gems (also from Prima).

The frame is from Tim Holtz, as is the stamped saying. I selected pink cardstock to help tie in the background color and stamped with Ranger Archival Ink. I used a Craft Glue Dot to hold the cardstock in place. The frame is attached with brads.

Then, I wrapped a sheer ribbon (from May Arts) around the inside of the cover and tied it on the front. I used a Craft Glue Dot discretely hidden under the knot to hold it in place. Be careful not to pull too tight or you will bend the cover. And, don’t leave it too loose or it will shift around.

As a final touch, I added a tassel, pin and button onto the knot. All three are from Tim Holtz. For the button, I cut off the shank and used a couple of Craft Glue Dots to hold it in place.

Now the notebook is covered in flocked paper and trimmed in a bit of bling, metal and elegance. What do you think?

Birds of a Glitter …

Lately, I seem to be on a bird kick … anything and everything that includes a bird pulls me to it.

So, when I saw this wreath kit by KaiserCraft, I was immediately drawn to it. And, when I discovered the Vintage Glass Glitter and Gala Glitz  by Art Glitter, I knew I had to make this.

I used several techniques to create the wreath. First, I cut apart and lightly sanded the wood pieces from KaiserCraft.

Some of the leaves were sprayed with Adirondack Color Wash. Others were covered in papers from the Marjolaine collection from Basic Grey and then inked in Peeled Paint Distress Ink.

After putting the basic wreath together, I added flowers from Prima and some that I made using the Tim Holtz/Sizzix Tattered Flowers die. I added 600 Indian Summer Fine Vintage Glass Glitter to the centers.

Then, came the best part … the birds!

The blue ones are sprayed with Adirondack Color Wash before applying the glitter, to make sure nothing showed underneath the chunky glitter. I used 911 Lapis Vintage Glass Glitter Shards.

I love, love, love this glitter … It is rich and full of deep blue and purple hues.

For the lighter bird, I used a Paint Dabber to color just the edge in blue and then applied Champagne Gala Glitz.

When zoomed in on the glitter, it looks like this …

Because it is a mix of Vintage Glass Glitter, beads and other glitters, I didn’t worry about any color showing through … I figured there would be enough different size pieces in the glitter to cover and it did. This photo shows it a little more pink than it is … it is more of a tan/cream/gold color, but when light hits it, it reflects in pink. The larger shards almost look like mirrors … It is AMAZING!

The Vintage Glass Glitters provide so much depth — they keep you mesmerized.

By the way, I used Designer Dries Clear adhesive from Art Glitter to adhere everything — papers, glitter, flowers and wood pieces. This is a one-adhesive project!

My Scrapbook Room

I love to look at other’s scrapbook rooms. It’s fun to see how people decorate, store products, etc.

I have been asked to share mine, but since it is ALWAYS messy because I am always in the middle of multiple projects, have to unpack from a crop or bought new stuff and then threw it in my room, taking photos isn’t easy.

On this day, I decided it was clean enough and photographed it …

Welcome to my room …

It’s a small room — about 10×12 — but it has everything I need — including two large windows to let in the sunlight. (click on the photos to see a larger version)

It’s put together with repurposed and second-hand stuff — the armoire was part of my son’s bedroom furniture; the desk was purchased when a scrapbook store went out of business; the computer desk was put in here when my husband got a different one …

The animals on top of the TV are some of my favorites … I never have outgrown dolls and stuffed animals! The teddy is dressed in a track outfit. He was bought to remind me of my son. The moose I bought on my honeymoon and then proceeded to take photos of him visiting all over the UP!

This little shelf came with my house. It fits perfect above the window and holds my Tim Holtz dies.

I hung a shelf by 3M to hold my Robin’s Nest Dew Drops. I like the way they look and I use them all the time, so it works better to keep them in view.

The Kaiser binders hold my larger thin metal dies by QuicKutz and Dies Direct. I covered the inside with QuicKutz magnetic adhesive sheets to hold some dies. The 4×4″ dies fit perfectly in the zipper holders that KaiserCraft rub-ons come in. I love the system since it is easy to find exactly what I want.

My cling/acrylic stamps, catalogs and idea books are also stored here.

What used to be a rack for CDs is the shelf I keep my buttons, flowers and other embellishments on.

My Big Shot, Cricut, photos waiting to be scrapped, Copic markers (obviously I don’t have it all!) and other stuff all lives on the desk.

The basket is where I put stuff that I don’t feel like putting away or don’t know where to put until I use it. It’s messy, but it works for me.

The white shelf was here when we bought the house and seems to be permanently attached, so I just work around it.

The closet doesn’t open all the way, but the door holds my punches, extra adhesives and other stuff …

I bought this wooden cabinet at a craft show years ago. It holds my wood mounted stamps — well, at least the ones I don’t leave out to enjoy looking at!

I’ve had this little shelf for a long time, too. I got it for about a dollar on clearance. I covered the red drawers with paper and took the bottom three drawers out to hold some of my ink pads. I keep bottle caps, extra screw posts, rings, extra blades, staples and other “spare parts” in the drawers.

This is my favorite storage container. It’s a spice rack that mounts to the wall. I covered the jar lids with the color of the brads that I keep inside.

The KaiserCraft box I covered with Tim Holtz paper and a Ranger Paint Dabber sits prominently where I can enjoy it. It holds my Texture Fades Embossing Plates, Adirondack Color Washes and a few dies. I haven’t filled the drawers yet.

Also in this photo, although you can only see an edge, is my pink bag. I keep the tools I use all of the time — rulers, scissors, journaling pen, adhesive, piercing tool, knife, stapler, etc., in this bag. It’s easy to grab and go for a class or crop, too.

I have storage under my desk on both sides. This one holds paper and stuff to scrapbook (I have one for each kid, one for Christmas, etc.). The one of the other side of my chair holds tools, templates, stamp blocks, adhesives and other things I use all of the time.

My Ranger Craft Mat and heat gun stay on top, since I use them on almost every project.

I even stash stuff on top of the armoire!

Inside the armoire, I store cardstock, papers from my favorite companies, specialty papers, stickers/die cuts, page protectors, etc. My glitter and embossing powders are in the tackle box. Paints and reinkers are in the container in front. There is room for a shelf up top. I’ve been waiting for about 10 years for someone to make me one.

And, finally, my scrapbook companion. She thinks my room is her room, too. She gets mad every time my husband comes in the room and she sleeps in my chair every day. Often times when I get up, she’ll cry at me and get me to follow and she’ll take me from bedroom (at one end of the house) to my room (at the other end of the house). She thinks it is my job to crop! Someday, Winnie, someday!And, just to be fair …

You should never leave an empty Karen Foster bag laying around … you never who you might find inside!

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my scrapbook room.

Hippo Shadow Box

I have had this project finished for a while, but my photographer (my wonderful husband) has been sick, so I am just now getting to post this.

As you probably already know, I have an obsession with hippos. Since my husband won’t let me have a pet hippo, I collect figures of them, instead. I have quite a few little ones that get rather lost on a shelf, so I decided to turn one of the Tim Holtz Configurations boxes into a shadow box to hold some of them.

I covered the back and bottom of each box with paper from Tim Holtz, then used Tissue Tape to cover the edges of each box and to hold them all together. Since I wanted the hippos to shine and not the box, I painted the tissue tape with gold Paint Dabber to calm it down a bit. Then I added some ribbons in browns and golds from my stash to the edges.

I added a sticker by Rusty Pickle to the back of one box and a stamped image, colored with Copic Markers, to another. (I found the stamp on a scrapbook retreat. I told my husband it was a portrait of us!) They appear a bit cloudy in this photo … there was just something odd going on with the lighting.

On several of them, I added Grungeboard leaves and flowers from one of the Tim Holtz kits. I colored them with Distress Inks and then used a homemade Perfect Pearls mist to cover the flowers.

For the background and sides of the box, I used Adirondack Color Wash in Sailboat Blue and Denim. The final effect reminds me of water.

I used Removeable Glue Dots to hold the hippos in place and put the box together. Then, I added feet, corners and a label — all Tim Holtz products (all attached with Art Glitter Designer Dries Clear glue). I thought it needed just a little more, so I added a few Prima flowers to the plastic front.

And now it is ready to go on my shelf!

My Fairy House

When I found this little wooden bird house at Joann’s for only $1, I knew it would make a cute little project. I had planned to decorate it with birds, but somewhere along the way it turned into a house for fairies.

After a light sanding, I sprayed the house with Adirondack Color Wash in Butterscotch. My plan was to fill in the parts of the house that I knew wouldn’t be covered with paper and didn’t feel like trying to get a paintbrush into. But, I loved the effect so much, I ended up leaving the entire front of the house uncovered.

Next, I dry brushed a bit of silver and gold paint (Ranger’s Paint Dabbers) onto the front.

Then, I cut paper to fit (Graphic 45’s Once Upon a Springtime collection) inked the edges with Distress Ink and adhered it with Craft Glue Dots®.

The ribbon was too white for this project, so I inked it with Distress Ink and then used Mini Glue Dots® to attach it to the house.

I used Grungepaper and a QuicKutz tree die to cut the tree, inked it with Distress Ink and then adhered it with Craft Glue Dots® to the back of the house. I added a few Prima flowers with Mini Glue Dots® and then attached Robin’s Nest Dew Drops and some buttons I had in my craft room with Micro Glue Dots® to both the tree and the front of the house.

The butterfly and fairy peeking into the house were both cut from the Graphic 45 paper. I attached the fairy with a Pop Up Glue Dot® to add a little more dimension.

On each side of the house, I made little windows using an idea I got from a friend. I’m not sure how she made hers, but I used a Creative Memories’ square punch to cut first the inner portion and then the outer portion out of real wood paper by Creative Imaginations. I then attached small prints of fairies cut from the same Graphic 45 paper.  I added Prima flowers and some leaves by Jolee’s that I have had forever to create the look of a flower garden on each side.

To give you a better idea of size, the house is only about 4″ tall — perfect for little fairies!

 

I wrote this post while serving on the Glue Dots® Design Team.