This month the design team for Eileen Hull Designs is showing you how to make some fun and interactive pages for your journals. Seems like we focus on the covers alot, but the insides are just as important, maybe even more so! I used the Pocket Notebook die to make my Halloween mini and primarily used Tim Holtz and Authentique halloween collections from previous years. Here's a quick look. The bright orange is a foil paper that I tamed with splotches of brown, yellow and black paints along with a little rust embossing powder. The fabulous witch silhouette chipboard is from Creative Embellishments. The First Signature (Note: all my measurements are width x length) I created the first signature with two pages cut using the Pocket Notebook die. Just fold your paper in half and run it through your die-cut machine. Place a page on top of another. The first page looks like a simple layered page right? Oooh, but it is not. It is glued around the edges to the next page forming a pocket. I like to cut a half circle for a thumb hold on the 2nd page and put a scrap of contrasting paper underneath the thumb hold area on the first page so that you can see it. Then glue arount the top, bottom and right side to form a pocket. At this point your signature should have 3 base pages, in my case they are all black. In the photo below you can see my finished page with a file folder partially slipped into the pocket. Well since I follow the "more is better policy" I decided to add a tuck pocket over top the pocket. This is so easy to do, just glue around the top, bottom and right side of a piece of paper cut to fit and glue. You want to use a glue that allows you to squeeze out a very thin line for this application. So now we have a tags pocket over top a file folder pocket! On the right side I created a waterfall for lots of photos and journaling. These are easy to make I promise. Cut papers for each of the waterfall pieces. For this journal I cut 5 pieces 3.25" x 4" . Score the top of each paper at .5". Fold under at the score line and use Scor-tape to adhere about a half inch from the top of the middle black base page. Take care to get this nice and straight as it determines the line up of the remaining 4 pieces. Once you've adhered the first piece, fold under at the score-line of a 2nd piece and adhere adjacent to the first piece and so on with all the cut pieces. You can see how this looks in this photo. Finish it off by adding a long strip at the bottom that folds over all the pages and secures with a tuck underneath an embellishment. I used a sticker and put paper over the back of the round part so that wouldn't be sticky. The strip tucks easily under the circle part and the two sides serve to hold it in place. Easy peasy! I forgot to warn you, this is a photo heavy long post. You might want to grab your favorite beverage! Turn the page and we have another pocket. Same priciple, just adhere to the bottom of the page rather than along the the side. On the insde of the 3rd page there is a fun fold out page that opens up like this. I made that by cutting a piece of paper 8.75" x 6" and scoring vertically at 3" and 6.5". Now glue the center panel to the inside of the 3rd page base. Then I added additional layers of paper and cut-aparts to dress it up. The Second Signature There are also two base pages in the 2nd signature. I used design paper to cut these two pages. For the front of the signature, I layerd some additional papers over the base and used a cut-apart but rather than glue the cut-apart down, I made a flip by scoring vertically on the cut-apart on the left side at 3/8", folded it under and adhered to the page so that the entire card is visible when opened. Then I added a fussy cut piece underneath the flip out. On the inside of the first base page I created another pocket but I made this so that it could hold a tiny mini. I cut a piece of design paper 3.5" x 6" and put 1/8" thick foam tape on the top, bottom and right sides and adhered to the base page. The thickness of the foam tape allows a small mini to easily fit inside. I used to Passport Book die to cut the pages for this little mini and used a piece of jute twine to bind it together. You can see it peeking out of it's pocket in the photo below. For the 2nd base page we need to start from the inside. I took a 6 x 6" paper and scored at 2". Then I cut a spiderweb transparency to 3.5" x 6" and sewed it along the top, bottom, and left sides forming a transparent pocket. Let me give you some ideas how you can use transparencies. If you're making a journal to carry around where you can make notes, etc. think how handy a see through pocket would be for holding business cards or notes that you want to be readily visible. You could stitch across the middle and make two small pockets, perfect for business cards! Now I wanted the page to be 8" wide so I simply adhered another paper to the 2" flap making my page 8" wide. (inside of page) (outside of page) To finish up the outside of the 2nd page, I simply added a cut apart. See 4th photo up. I finished up the inside by adding some tags and stickers. The tags were cut with Eileen's Bookplate, Hinge and Label dies. I thought the bookplate resembled a tombstone so I thought it was perfect for this book! On the next page, I created yet another different pocket. I like this style pocket for holding receipts and that kind of thing. To make this pocket I started with a piece of design paper 3.5 x 5.5". Measure about 2" vertically up from the bottom and about 1" horizontally from the right, then connect those two points and you have a guide for making the diagonal cut. The right side page is a fold out. I cut a black piece of cardstock 11" x 6" and scored at .5", 4", and 7.5" vertically. Fold the .5" piece under and the other pieces accordion style and adhere the 1/2" tab to the base card. (I like to use Scor-tape for this application. Accordion folded out: View with the accordion fold flipped over. To hide the .5" tab I cut a piece of design paper 3.25" x 6", scored at 3/8" and adhered over the black tab. Now that last piece we adhered over the tab, flips over to reveal another spot for photos etc. That's it! I hope I've given you some ideas for your pages in your minis and journals. It's really fun to think of ways to add unique spaces to your journals. Be sure to stop by Eileen's blog and see what the rest of the design team has to show you!

"A blog to enjoy for those who love all things crafty."

Hello and welcome! It's the turn of Eileen's Educators this week to share their tutorials for the blog hop projects we made using h...

Eileen Hull has just come out with the most wonderful Journal Die from Sizzix! It was featured earlier this year at her booth at Creativation (formerly CHA) I made a junk journal to share with you today to show you how fun and versatile this die is! If you like to make journals - you are definitely going to want this die! I have lots of photos to show you just how I put this together. Die cut the journal cover twice out of matboard Adhere the pieces overlapping the center hole Cut two pieces of patterned paper 10" x 8 1/2". I used papers from DCWV Cranberry Christmas - a pretty damask and a woodgrain. Mark where the holes are and punch them out. Round the corners with a corner punch. Adhere the papers to the cover being sure to line up the holes. Push an Idea-ology Elastic Loop through the center hole so that the loop is on the outside. This will hold the Journal closed. You could also just use a piece of round cord elastic and tie a knot in it. Sand over a Found Relative to age the surface. Layer the photo to a piece of card stock, add a Big Chat sticker and a Mirrored Heart, color the cheeks of the children with a Spun Sugar Distress Marker and color the girls bow and blouse with a Weathered Wood Distress Marker. Adhere this to the cover. I colored the Mirrored Hearts with Aqua Alcohol Ink. Cut 8 pages of patterned paper 8"x8" and fold in half to create 8"x4". Cut 8 pages 8" x 6" and fold in half to create 4" x 6". I used papers from Paper Stash Dapper by Tim Holtz. Cut 3 15" pieces of round cord elastic and tie each one through the holes in the folder, pulling them tight and knotting them on the outside. Divide your papers into 3 groups (mix up the sizes or however you prefer) - and slip them under the cords in the middle of each group (called a signature). The elastics hold the pages in - but they can also be removed or added to easily using this method. I added Idea-ology Flash Cards, Pocket Cards, and Big Chat stickers to my pages, highlighting borders with a Black Stabilo Pencil and rubbing with my finger. I added Page Pockets and Tags to some of the pages for notes or places to insert other mementos, depending on what I use this journal for. The Journal Die has some tabs on it - I added a few to the tops of some pages and labeled them with Idea-ology Big Chat stickers. The Journal Die also has a label on it - I put this on the back, stamped it and added another Mirrored Heart. The stamp is called Story of Me by Clear Art Stamps I'm not sure if it's still available - it's been in my stash for a long time! To finish off my Journal - I added a Pine Cone Adornment, Philosophy Tags with Loop Pins and a knot of Linen Ribbon. Now I just need to fill up the pages! You'll find this wonderful Journal die here. Available in April 2017 Please check out Eileen Hull's blog all this month for more wonderful projects using her Sizzix dies! I'm linking my journal to: Country View Challenges - Inspired by Tim Holtz Happy Little Stampers - Books

Hello and welcome to May! As you know, Eileen Hull is the Queen of journaling dies and she her designs are always so versatile. I had an idea to use several of her newest accessory dies for the Folio Journal and create a reversible junk journal. Plus, all the accessory dies work well in any of her journal dies! I used the Pocket Notebook for my base. Let's take a look: The "Day" side Flip it around and you will find the "Night" side: I glued two Pocket Notebook covers together to form the "reversible" book: The pages of each half are decorated appropriately: I used the Card, Waterfall & Tags Die Set to create pockets and flaps that contain snippets of pages from an old wildlife identification book. The flap edges tuck under decorative brads to hold them closed. Night side: I also used the pocket from the Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers Die Set to hold the largest tag on some of the pages. It's great how they all mix and match! Lots of stamping with Distress Oxide Inks on the dark Night backgrounds. Also, I used embossing powders for shine and to help some images stand out from the background. Some of the How-To! Step 1 – backgrounds for the pages: I forgot to take photos of the "Day" backgrounds, oops! Lots of mists, Distress Inks and some resist stenciling/stamping. For the "Night" backgrounds I used Distress Paint because of its marvelous water reactive properties and I knew it would give me a cool marbled effect and then be perfect for stamping on. After this first layer of Chipped Sapphire and Wilted Violet, I added another layer of Black Soot paint. (Craft mat swipe and dip technique) I kept it very thin and used lots of water so the backgrounds wouldn't get too dark. I set all my backgrounds aside as I moved to working on the covers. Step 2 – covers: I cut the covers out of Mat board and painted them with PaperArtsy Fresco Paint using a brayer. I love the texture the brayer gives you and the chalk finish of Fresco Paint is great to stamp on as well. Sizzix has a great new line of Making Essentials that really add some great effects to projects. Here I used the Effectz 3-D Adhesive through a stencil to create the sun rays. When the Adhesive dries, it is still tacky so I just laid the Foil Sheet over it and rubbed it on. It adheres perfectly to the tacky adhesive. I did the same thing with the silver stars on the Night cover. The sun and moon faces were created with polymer clay pressed into Prima's Finnabair Star & Moons Silicone Mould. After I had baked them to harden them, I painted them up and then used a touch of the new Sizzix Luster Wax to give them some shine. (Perfect!) Step 3 – assembling the cover: Below are the two completed cover halves. The insides are also painted and finished at this point. I glued the Day and Night halves together and added the ribbon closures at the same time. I also cut the accordion fold binding pieces in readiness for the next step. The Bookbinding Die cuts and scores the accordion fold binding at the same time. It is sized to fit perfectly into the Folio Journal but is easily adapted to any journal size. Here I just cut an additional piece and trimmed a 1" section off to extend the binding to fit the Pocket Notebook. Step 4 – adding the binding: Fold the binding as shown below and use either glue or tape adhesive to stick the "peaks" together. Glue (or use strong dry adhesive) to adhere the folded binding unit to the spine of the cover. After I glued it in, I realized that the "valleys" would probably show a bit with the pages in so I painted them a matching blue color. For the Night side binding, I went and re-cut the parts out of black cardstock. Step 5 – page assembly: The Pocket Notebook is a die that also cuts pages as well as the cover pieces (super handy!) I cut pairs of "front/back" pages out of my backgrounds I previously made. (Mind the fronts and backs!) I decorated the page halves completely before sticking them together. I used my tape runner to add adhesive. IMPORTANT, do not add adhesive right at the inner page edge that slips over the binding tabs. (I only forgot once ha ha.) I lined up the pages and stuck them together, then trimmed them to 4" wide with my Deckle Trimmer from Tim Holtz. I really like it. The blades are nice and sharp and had no trouble cutting through the pages and any extra paper layers at the edge. Step 6 – Installing pages: I applied strips of strong Red Liner Tape to each side of the binding tabs. After removing the tape liner, I slipped the page over the sticky binding tab and pressed it all together. (A bone folder was helpful in this.) This is an easy way to add pages to your journals and the Bookbinding Die with the cutting/scoring all in one pass is so convenient! Adding the tag slots: This was also easy to do thanks to Eileen's Card, Waterfall & Tags Die Set. I just figured out where I wanted to have the tag poke out and used the little slot die to cut into the page itself. (Of course this happens before the two page halves are stuck together.) You can make a wider slot for the bigger tags by cutting one slot, moving the slot die over and running it through again. (Use washi or low tack tape to hold the die in place.) IMPORTANT: When you stick your pages together, don't apply adhesive in the area where the tag's "pocket" is! Whew, that was long! Thanks for stopping by and checking out my post. Be sure to keep an eye on Eileen's blog because all month long we will be sharing some awesome projects from the Teams. The May theme is to create with "Unconventional Materials" so you will be seeing some super creative ideas. Eileen has invited her Fan Club to join in and share their unique makes as well. Supplies used: Eileen Hull Sizzix Dies: Pocket Notebook ( Sizzix ) Bookbinding & Label ( Sizzix / SB ) Card, Waterfall & Tags ( Sizzix / SB ) Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers ( Sizzix / SB ) Trinket Box - retired Tim Holtz Sizzix Dies: Flower Field ( Sizzix / SB ) Detailed Butterflies, Mini ( Sizzix / SB ) Wildflower Stems #1 ( Sizzix / SB ) Feathered Friends ( Sizzix / SB ) Entomology ( Sizzix / SB ) Skeleton Leaves ( Sizzix / SB ) Fall Foliage ( Sizzix / SB ) Wildflowers #2 ( Sizzix ) Gate Keeper ( Sizzix / SB ) Sizzix: Mat board Effectz 3-D Adhesive Effectz Foil Sheets - Gold & Silver Effectz Luster Wax - Gold & Silver Distress Paint: Chipped Sapphire, Wilted Violet, Black Soot Huge old pile of Tim Holtz Stamp Sets: Classics #1, Entomology, Nature Walk, Bird Feather, Ledger Script, Ornate Trims, Specimen, Field Notes, Spring Sprung, Glorious Bouquet, Psychedelic Grunge, Slate & Stone, Tree Line, Halloween Cutouts, Tiny Toadstools, Grunged, Haunted House, Snarky Cat Halloween Topflight Stamps Products: Lavinia Stamps - Forest Scene, Tree Branch, Sea Flower, Whimsical Hares, Fern Heads, Small Berries, Brodwin & Maylin, Moon, Fox 1, Fairy Foragers, Trailing Ivy, Star Gazing Indigo Blu - Autumn Nights, Floral Fantasy Carabelle - Background Stars Pink Ink - Moth & Legends stamp/die set Paper Artsy - ETS24 Katzelkraft -Winter Scene Crafty Individuals - Crackle Background Versafine Black Pigment Ink Prism Inks - Thundercloud WOW Embossing Ink PaperArtsy Fresco Paint: Smurf, China, Inky Pool, Metallic Glaze, Antarctic, Amethyst Other: Tim Holtz Tonic Deckle Edge Trimmer whole bunch of inks and embossing powders Strathmore Mixed Media Paper for pages Prima Finnabair Silicone Mould - Star & Moons white polymer clay Some links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!) If you shop at Topflight Stamps, use my coupon code LISAHOEL for 12% off your order. Day & Night Reversible Journal by MonalisaH -Lisa Hoel Scrapbook.com

Hello fans of the journal, today I have a fun, functional recycled journal using Eileen Hull's diecut & Thermoweb products. The Inspiration Team are playing in a cross promotion in the month of May using Thermoweb. I will have a number of projects over the coming months playing with their vast array of fun. For this project I used a recycled shopping bag. I love the patterns on these bags and it brings in the opportunity to make a durable book that is perfect for using everyday in & out of your purse. The bags are made of a plastic which makes them easy to wipe off if they get dirty. Supply List is below. I have a full video tutorial for you on my YouTube channel. This video took hours & hours to create, mainly as I am learning a lot about editing like moving clips in different places, fast forward with music etc. I hope you like it! I am entering this in the Mini Album Makers Challenge! There is always great inspiration over there! Supply List: *a few of these companies have been generous with supplying product for me to create this project. Hopefully one day I will get affiliation marketing going but for now I just love to create. Eileen Hull- Journal & Journaling Words diecuts by Sizzix Thermoweb - Foam Adhesive, Easy-Cut Adhesive, Purple Tape Flower Flair- A Flair For Buttons Paper by Ciao Bella Shopping Bag- TJMaxx Journey Books- Paper House Productions

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for the Folio Journal I made for Eileen Hull's blog hop last month where her Design Teams shared projects usi...

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Disclaimer Notice: I’ve received products/compensation as part of the Eileen Hull's Inspirational Team. This project however, is 100% my o...

The Eileen Hull Chapter 1 Sizzix release has been one of her best yet! Read on to see the project tutorials from her talented designers.

Scrap Travel Bark is a blog sharing tutorials and how to tips, and examples of scrapbook pages, cards, tags, and 3D art.

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Today I'm sharing a tutorial for the Folio Journal I made for Eileen Hull's blog hop last month where her Design Teams shared projects usi...

Hi everyone and welcome. Thanks for joining us for the Eileen Hull Chapter 1 Release Party and Blog Hop. Just wait until you see all of the fun options the new Sizzix ScoreBoards 'Folio Journal' Die has in store for you! You will also love the 'Mandala' and 'Folio Page, Pockets & Flower' Thinlits Die Sets that coordinate with the new Folio Journal. Eileen's Inspiration and Educator Teams have already been sharing card ideas using the new Thinlits Dies. Now, and throughout February, they will be sharing their Folio Journals with you and today we start with a launch blog hop. Please hop through the blogs and be inspired by the work of the talented Inspiration and Educator teams (links below). Leave a comment for each designer and you'll be in with a chance to win a 'Folio Journal' Die. Join Eileen and specials guests for a Facebook Live on Wednesday, Feb 3rd at noon Eastern Time (5pm UK time). Comment on our Facebook Live and be eligible to win either the 'Mandela' Die or the 'Folio Page, Pockets & Flowers' Die Set- two winners! Winners will be announced on the Facebook Live show on February 9 at 6pm Eastern Time. We appreciate your love and support, friends! We hope that you will be inspired too and share how you use the dies in the Eileen Hull Fan Club. In this post I'm sharing photos showing some of the pages in my Floral Folio Journal starting with the cover, which has been covered in gauze, white gesso and panels cut from a decorative paper that I made. It has layers of paints, inks, charcoal pencil, stencilling through a die cut of Eileen's 'Mandala', stitching and a little collaging. The same paper has been used to cover the inside of the Floral Folio Journal and is the base layer for some of the pages and pockets. Flowers and words by Wendy Vecchi stamp sets have been used throughout. The photos highlight some of the ways I used the new dies throughout the Folio Journal. For example the die cut 'Mandala' can be used as a page as seen above. On the simple flip out page below the corner pocket that comes in the 'Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers' Die Set has been decorated with part of a 'Mandala' cut from painted paper. Here you can see where I've die cut a 'Mandala' from kraft card to be used as a stencil through which to apply texture paste to various pages. It's amazing how much of the detail comes through and it became something of a 'motif' that can be seen throughout the journal. On this page I cut the 'Mandala' from a Sizzix double sided adhesive sheet and, after sticking it down, covered it with gold metal flakes. You could get the same results by using metallic foil sheets on top of the die cut adhesive. This 'quilted' effect page is already detailed so it needed just a little decoration. The various flower and leaf shapes from the 'Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers' Die Set were ideal with the various shapes cut from more of the card that had been used in the background. The Folio Journal has a lovely deep section around the spine which enabled me to add a wrapped spoon (cut using Eileen's Teacup Die) alongside the neutral stencilled paper I created for the covers and pages - a big thank you to Cec Wintonyk for that idea! On the other side from the spoon is another of the die cut pockets which holds a 'Mandala' stencilled tag. Really helpfully Eileen has included a die to cut the pocket and another to create a coordinating decorative panel in the 'Folio Page, Pocket & Flowers' Die Set. A double gatefold page spread includes die cut 'Mandala' shapes on the outside and more of the Folio Flowers on the inside. The various flower shapes in the die set work really well together to enable you to create a range of flowers and leaves from different materials (in this case painted paper and vellum). I've included words on the second side of the gatefold spread and more of the flowers to make the design flow. The brighter colours stand out against the neutral stencilled paper background. On the last full page the stencilling again takes centre stage, this time with layers of paint over the top and the words cascading down it. With such a beautifully lacy feel it coordinates with the various lace trims. One of the real treats about using this new Folio Journal is the amount of depth and space (real estate!) available to decorate; this means you can add lots of layers to each page without fear of them making the covers 'bulge'. Thank you for joining me here as part of this Eileen Hull Designs Blog Hop. Here's the full list of blog hop participants - remember to leave a comment for each designer and you'll be in with a chance to win a 'Folio Journal' Die; Eileen Hull Designs Julia Aston Madeline Arendt Jennie Atkinson Karen Bearse Susie Madden Bentz Sarah Lizzie Dodd Sue Eldred Maggi Harding Lisa Hoel Jenny Marples Elizabeth Robinson Betsy Skagen Tonya Trantham

"A blog to enjoy for those who love all things crafty."

Hello and welcome! It's the turn of Eileen's Educators this week to share their tutorials for the blog hop projects we made using h...

Good morning friends, I have a fun project to share with you today. This month Eileen Hull's designers are creating with unconventional products. I chose to make a Passport Book. Can you guess what I used for my cover? I used plastic packaging, you know, that stuff we usually throw away! This is simple; all you need is an embossing folder, plastic, cardstock and matboard (or chipboard). First I cut the plastic down to size and ran it through my die-cut machine with an embossing folder. Next I die-cut the embossed piece with the Passport Book die. Then I adhered black cardstock to matboard and ran that through my diecut machine using the Passport Book die. I applied adhesive to the black cardstock and adhered the plastic embossed piece to it. I found that I got the best embossed impression by embossing the plastic without being adhered to anything else. Now that you have the 3 parts (platstic, cardstock and matboard) assembled, its time for some fun! I used new products from Sizzix, Luster Wax, to color the plastic. You just rub it on with your finger. I blended two colors, rose gold and gold. It is permanent once dry, and doesn't come off on your fingers. I waited a few minutes for it to dry and then misted heavily (like allover!) with black ink so that the ink could fill in the crevices and really give the embossed impression definition. Use a paper towel to blot up the ink I love the look of the Luster Wax on the covers of this Passport Book! Inside the book, I used Eileen's new Bookbinding Die to attach pages inside. This die creates 5 hinges to which you attach your pages. I just made some simple pages to go inside. Products Used Eileen Hull Designs by Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Book, Passport Skip to the beginning of the images galleryEileen Hull Designs by Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 2PK - Bookbinding & Label Sizzix Effectz - Luster Wax, Rose Gold, Sizzix Effectz - Luster Wax, Gold Plastic from Packaging Black Mist Time to play! Be sure to post your unconventional projects on the Eileen Hull Fan Club Facebook page. Thanks for popping in! xoxo Maggi

Eileen Hull has some wonderful new dies available now at your local retailer and available at Sizzix on July 5th. They are called Book Club Chapter 2 Collection. Today I'm sharing a travel journal I made using her Wrapped Journal #662816 Sizzix Die. I also used Eileen's new Journaling Words dies for 'wander' on the cover and 'travel' and 'journal' on the first page I tied an Idea-ology Word key (Journey) onto the jute binding. I used Idea-ology Linen Ribbon for the journal closing allowing extra ribbon to accommodate the fattening as things were added to the journal pages! I used ScorTape to adhere the ribbon to the back of the journal so it wouldn't get lost when untied. Here's how the wrapped journal looks when opened up Here's how I made it! I cut the journal out of matboard and sponged the binding sides and all edges with Ranger Distress Salty Ocean. I used blue ink to coordinate with the map pieces (from a National Geographic Magazine) that I cut to fit the cover pieces. I sponged the edges of the map pieces with Gathered Twigs Distress Ink. Then I adhered the panels to the cover. I made 4 signatures of 4 pages each - each page is 7" x 5" and folded in half (giving a whopping 64 pages to the journal!) cut from Wendy Vecchi Newsprint paper and Paper Stash/Correspondence by Tim Holtz. I lined up the folds in the pages with the holes in the cover, marked where the holes were and punched through the pages. I used Idea-ology black jute string (4 pieces of 17" each) to bind each signature to the cover, tying the knots on the outside of the journal. Here are photos of all the pages. Pockets for pressed flowers or photos Here is the center of the first signature where you can see the jute binding it to the cover. More pockets cards for notes I used tags cut from Eileen's new Credit Card Sleeve and Tags die on some of the pages where I had envelopes or pockets so they could be found easily. I looped a piece of twine through the holes on the tags. Two of the tags are on the top of the pages, two are on the sides. Library pockets with ATC trading cards slipped inside for notes. Glassine envelope for small treasures Card stock pockets Even with bits sticking out past the pages, you can still cleanly close the journal and nothing falls out! The wrapped cover design gives lots of room for expansion as things are added to the pages. I brushed Gel Medium over the map pieces to give the cover some protection from all the handling it would get while traveling! Now I just need to go somewhere!! Please check out Eileen's blog where you will find lots of inspiration from the Inspiration Team using these fun new Book Club Chapter 2 Collection of dies! They are available NOW at your local retailers and will be available at Sizzix on July 5th! I'm also linking my book to: Mini Album Makers Challenge Mixed Media Monthly Stamps: Road Trip - Inkadinkado, Passport Please and The Place You Left and My Favorite Thing - Uptown Design Co., Scenic Route - Inky Antics, Journaling and Story of Me - Clear Art Stamps, Happy Trails and Take Note and Journaling Lines - Papertrey Ink, Journal du Jour - Art Stamp. Paper: White Little Sizzles Mat Board - Sizzix, maps from National Geographi Magazines, Paper Stash/Correspondence - Tim Holtz, Newsprint Paper - Wendy Vecchi, Brushed Silver - Stampin Up. Ink: Ranger Distress Salty Ocean, Gathered Twigs, Black Hero Hues, Archival Jet Black. Accessories: Wrapped Journal Die, Journaling Words Dies, Credit Card Sleeve and Tags Dies - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Plane Die - Tim Holtz/Movers and Shapers/Sizzix, Wild Flowers Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Lead the Way Arrows Dies - MFT, Idea-ology Black Jute String, Photo Booth Pocket Cards, Flash Cards, Word Keys, Linen Ribbon, Mini Brown Bag - Michaels, Glassine Bags - Papertrey Ink, Artist Trading Cards - Hampton Arts, Gel Medium - Dina Wakley, ScorTape, Quick Dry Tacky Glue - Aleenes, Bakers twine - the Twinery. Crop A Dile.

Hurray, the Wrapped Journal Die from Eileen Hull Designs by Sizzix is here! It should be available in your favorite stores and at Sizzix sometime this month. I am so excited, I just love this die!! It makes the cutest little book with a wrap-around cover. It's about the size of the Passport Journal,, BUT the cover wraps all the way around. I used Sizzix Mat Board to make my journal covers, it seems to hold up well with Mixed Media applications. You can also use chipboard though. I've recorded a video tutorial showing you how I made the cover for this journal and how to string the ealstic bands. Video Tutorial Here's the cover opened up so you can see it in it's entirety. Inside, with the book opened up. The best thing about this wrap journal is that I used the pages portion of the Passport Journal to diecut the pages for this Wrap Journal! I love it when dies work together like this. I used the Credit Card Sleeve & Tags Framelits die set to create this gift card holder. It cuts the perfect size sleeve to slide in a gift card or credit card. Lots of pretty pages in the journal with tuck spots and pocket pages. I used Stamperia's Alchemy collection, you really have to see this collection in person to appreciate how beautiful it is!! I bought 1 collection pack, 'cause I wasn't sure if I would love it, oh yeah, upon receipt, I immediately order another pack! Stop by my blog tomorrow for a link to a video flip through of this journal so that you can see all the inside pages and different dies from Eileen's newest die collection, Bookclub 2 that includes this fabulous Wrapped Journal die. Sizzix Products Used Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Wrapped Journal Sizzix Mat Board Framelits Die Set 7PK - Credit Card Sleeve & Tags Passport Journal Other Products: Stamperia Alchemy Collection Distress Oxide Ink Fossilized Amber, Wild Honey, Fired Brick, Iced Spruce, & Frayed Burlap Jute Twine

Today I'm sharing a tutorial for the Folio Journal I made for Eileen Hull's blog hop last month where her Design Teams shared projects using her newly released dies. First, here are the basics of the die cuts and putting them together, beginning with cutting out the pieces of the die from matboard twice. Put adhesive (I used ScorTape) along the binding on one of the cover pieces. I am going to have the three scored pieces overlap the three scored pieces so I put the tape on all three 'strips' - you can just overlap 1 or two to make the binding different widths - you decide! I took the paper off the tape and pressed one binding over the other to adhere them together, being sure the holes were aligned. Next I folded on the score lines on each side of the smaller pieces that will be used to create sides on one of the cover folds. I used the edge of my work table to help me make a good fold on the score. Here are the smaller pieces scored and with ScorTape applied. I also folded the cover on the side score lines. I closed in one of the cover sides by adhering the pieces to the top and bottom as shown. You could also cut two more of the smaller pieces and close in the other side of the cover - lots of design options! So here is the pocket created by closing in the top and bottom. You could also close in the inside and the bottom leaving the top open - depending on what you want to use the pocket for. At this point I measured and cut all the designer papers into panels to adhere to all the sides of my journal (as shown two photos down) but I wanted to show you how I wrapped a piece of bakers twine around the binding in the gullies outside the holes in the binding to hold the notebook I added later. I forgot to photo the added twine on my completed folio journal! (So imagine the papers are already behind the twine!) I knotted the twine on the inside but could have the knot on the outside as well. When I added the notebook, I opened it to the center and slipped it under the twine. Here's how the twine looks from the outside (minus the patterned paper!). I put the twine in the gullies rather than through the holes due to the size of my notebook - if it was 1/2" or so shorter, I would have put the twine through the holes to hold the notebook in. I cut pieces of Forest papers from Stamperia to fit each panel, adhered each piece to Stick It Adhesive Sheets and adhered all the pieces to all the journal sides. I like to cut out each panel rather than cutting one piece for the whole cover as I find that my paper often splits at the bends if I use one long piece. You also have better control over orientation if there is an up and a down to your design. I did use the die to cut the binding piece out of the paper so the holes were in it (strip on left). The strip on the right, without the holes was, cut in two lengthwise to fit over the ends on the opening side. I had some long notebooks from Michaels and I cut it down to measure 5" tall. The width is 4 1/4" which worked perfectly inside the journal. I had some glassine envelopes and small brown paper bags in my stash, and I labelled them with "Sticks and Stones", |"Pressed Flowers", and "Leaves and Ferns" using my Brother Label Maker. My journal theme is Nature and I thought these are things I might pick up on nature walk and store in my folio! They will fit right into the 'pocket' of the journal I also cut some cards out of kraft cardstock and die cut panels from the Forest Papers using Eileen's Credit Card Sleeve and Tags dies. I added some Clippings Stickers from Tim Holtz/Idea-ology to the cards. I could write notes about my walks on these cards. So here is my Folio Journal opened up with the journal held in with the twine and the cards and bags tucked inside the pocket on the right. I also put twine on the tabs on the cards so they'd be easy to pull out of the pocket. I added some images from the Forest papers and die cut letters to the notebook cover. More images on the back of the notebook Here it is with the left cover folded in. Both sides folded in with the notebook behind the left panel. Here are all the finished outside views - the front. I held the journal closed with a piece of stretchy ribbon that I glued to the binding edge and just tied the ends in a knot on the opening side. The binding can just be slipped off at the opening edge but stays attached to the folio journal at the binding, so when I'm 'in the field' I won't lose it!. I also added more of the Clipping Stickers to the front and back covers. The opening side. View of the back. View of the binding with a leaf charm added to the twine. So there you go - pretty straightforward! Sorry I kept you so long but hope you have enjoyed seeing my Folio Journal! Eileen's Design Teams will be showcasing her new dies every Wednesday in March over at Eileen's blog so please check it out! Paper: White Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix, Forest Paper Pad - Stamperia, Kraft card stock - PapertryInk Accessories: Folio Journal Bigz Die, Credit Card Sleeve and Tags Thinlit Dies - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Alphanumeric Tiny Type Upper Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Stick It Adhesive Sheets, ScorTape, Clippings Stickers - Tim Holtz/Idea-ology, elastic cord - Cousin, Brother Label Maker, leaf charm, bakers twine, glassine envelopes, brown paper bags - from stash, Notebook - Michaels.

This month the design team for Eileen Hull Designs is showing you how to make some fun and interactive pages for your journals. Seems like we focus on the covers alot, but the insides are just as important, maybe even more so! I used the Pocket Notebook die to make my Halloween mini and primarily used Tim Holtz and Authentique halloween collections from previous years. Here's a quick look. The bright orange is a foil paper that I tamed with splotches of brown, yellow and black paints along with a little rust embossing powder. The fabulous witch silhouette chipboard is from Creative Embellishments. The First Signature (Note: all my measurements are width x length) I created the first signature with two pages cut using the Pocket Notebook die. Just fold your paper in half and run it through your die-cut machine. Place a page on top of another. The first page looks like a simple layered page right? Oooh, but it is not. It is glued around the edges to the next page forming a pocket. I like to cut a half circle for a thumb hold on the 2nd page and put a scrap of contrasting paper underneath the thumb hold area on the first page so that you can see it. Then glue arount the top, bottom and right side to form a pocket. At this point your signature should have 3 base pages, in my case they are all black. In the photo below you can see my finished page with a file folder partially slipped into the pocket. Well since I follow the "more is better policy" I decided to add a tuck pocket over top the pocket. This is so easy to do, just glue around the top, bottom and right side of a piece of paper cut to fit and glue. You want to use a glue that allows you to squeeze out a very thin line for this application. So now we have a tags pocket over top a file folder pocket! On the right side I created a waterfall for lots of photos and journaling. These are easy to make I promise. Cut papers for each of the waterfall pieces. For this journal I cut 5 pieces 3.25" x 4" . Score the top of each paper at .5". Fold under at the score line and use Scor-tape to adhere about a half inch from the top of the middle black base page. Take care to get this nice and straight as it determines the line up of the remaining 4 pieces. Once you've adhered the first piece, fold under at the score-line of a 2nd piece and adhere adjacent to the first piece and so on with all the cut pieces. You can see how this looks in this photo. Finish it off by adding a long strip at the bottom that folds over all the pages and secures with a tuck underneath an embellishment. I used a sticker and put paper over the back of the round part so that wouldn't be sticky. The strip tucks easily under the circle part and the two sides serve to hold it in place. Easy peasy! I forgot to warn you, this is a photo heavy long post. You might want to grab your favorite beverage! Turn the page and we have another pocket. Same priciple, just adhere to the bottom of the page rather than along the the side. On the insde of the 3rd page there is a fun fold out page that opens up like this. I made that by cutting a piece of paper 8.75" x 6" and scoring vertically at 3" and 6.5". Now glue the center panel to the inside of the 3rd page base. Then I added additional layers of paper and cut-aparts to dress it up. The Second Signature There are also two base pages in the 2nd signature. I used design paper to cut these two pages. For the front of the signature, I layerd some additional papers over the base and used a cut-apart but rather than glue the cut-apart down, I made a flip by scoring vertically on the cut-apart on the left side at 3/8", folded it under and adhered to the page so that the entire card is visible when opened. Then I added a fussy cut piece underneath the flip out. On the inside of the first base page I created another pocket but I made this so that it could hold a tiny mini. I cut a piece of design paper 3.5" x 6" and put 1/8" thick foam tape on the top, bottom and right sides and adhered to the base page. The thickness of the foam tape allows a small mini to easily fit inside. I used to Passport Book die to cut the pages for this little mini and used a piece of jute twine to bind it together. You can see it peeking out of it's pocket in the photo below. For the 2nd base page we need to start from the inside. I took a 6 x 6" paper and scored at 2". Then I cut a spiderweb transparency to 3.5" x 6" and sewed it along the top, bottom, and left sides forming a transparent pocket. Let me give you some ideas how you can use transparencies. If you're making a journal to carry around where you can make notes, etc. think how handy a see through pocket would be for holding business cards or notes that you want to be readily visible. You could stitch across the middle and make two small pockets, perfect for business cards! Now I wanted the page to be 8" wide so I simply adhered another paper to the 2" flap making my page 8" wide. (inside of page) (outside of page) To finish up the outside of the 2nd page, I simply added a cut apart. See 4th photo up. I finished up the inside by adding some tags and stickers. The tags were cut with Eileen's Bookplate, Hinge and Label dies. I thought the bookplate resembled a tombstone so I thought it was perfect for this book! On the next page, I created yet another different pocket. I like this style pocket for holding receipts and that kind of thing. To make this pocket I started with a piece of design paper 3.5 x 5.5". Measure about 2" vertically up from the bottom and about 1" horizontally from the right, then connect those two points and you have a guide for making the diagonal cut. The right side page is a fold out. I cut a black piece of cardstock 11" x 6" and scored at .5", 4", and 7.5" vertically. Fold the .5" piece under and the other pieces accordion style and adhere the 1/2" tab to the base card. (I like to use Scor-tape for this application. Accordion folded out: View with the accordion fold flipped over. To hide the .5" tab I cut a piece of design paper 3.25" x 6", scored at 3/8" and adhered over the black tab. Now that last piece we adhered over the tab, flips over to reveal another spot for photos etc. That's it! I hope I've given you some ideas for your pages in your minis and journals. It's really fun to think of ways to add unique spaces to your journals. Be sure to stop by Eileen's blog and see what the rest of the design team has to show you!

Today I'm sharing a tutorial on a journal I made using Eileen Hull's new Sizzix Die - Wrapped Journal. The right edge was die cut with another new die - Scallop Border. Something about this wonderful golden patent leather inspired me to use black with it. (Eileen actually cut this journal and sent it to me as we were making samples before we got the dies and she says the die cuts the leather like butter!) I added an Idea-ology Word Band and Typed Token to the binding cord with jump rings and tied with a piece of black and white twine. I tied a saddle stitched grosgrain ribbon around the journal as it's closure - using a jumbo eyelet and Idea-ology buckle. The hearts panel was cut using Eileen's new die - Journaling Cards - Hearts The word love layered over it is from her new Journaling Words die set. I made 4 signatures out of black cardstock - cutting each page 7" x 5" and scoring them in half at 3 1/2". I used 4 folded pages in each signature. I punched holes in each page to match up with the binding holes on the journal and then attached each signature using black elastic cord - tying the knot on the inside. I white embossed a contemplative stamp on each page. Stamp: Inner Strength - River City Rubber Stamps Stamp: Go to Natures Words - Wordsworth I used leaves and flowers on some pages cut from Eileen's new Journaling Cards - Flowers and Leaves dies. Stamp: For a tree to become tall - from Alison Bomber set EAB01 - PaperArtsy Stamp: There is a Garden - Stampotique Stamp: Learn to Be Silent - from Alison Bomber Set EAB03 - PaperArtsy Stamp: The inspiration you seek - from Alison Bomber Set EAB03 - PaperArtsy Stamp: What You See - Impression Obsession Stamp: from Paint Your Canvas set - Lil Inker Designs Stamp: Do Wah Ditty - Technique Junkies Stamp: Do What You Can - Cornish Heritage Farms (retired) Stamp: I must have flowers - from Alison Bomber Set EAB01 - PaperArtsy Stamp: from Paint Your Canvas set - Lil Inker Designs Stamp: Kind Words - Inky Antics Stamp: Plant Kindness - Stampotique Good Things - Stampotique It Was the Sweetest - Stampotique Side by Side - Inky Antics The 4th signature in this book has 4 blank pages as a place to write my own reflections. Stamp from Paper Journal Set - Clear Dollar Stamps Here's a top view of the pages snug inside this wonderful wrapped Journal! You can see here how the right side wraps around and over the left side so it is expandable if you add pockets and fill them on your pages! The finished size is about 4 1/4" x 5 1/4". Please be sure to check out Eileen's blog all this month where the Inspiration Team will be posting lots of projects using these wonderful new dies! All of the new Book Club - Chapter 2 dies are available for purchase at your local retailers now and will be available at Sizzix on July 5th. Stamps: listed above by each page. Paper: True Black Cardstock - Papertrey Ink Ink: Versamark Accessories: Wrapped Journal Die, Scallop Border Die, Journaling Cards -Hearts Die, Journaling Words die, Journaling Cards Flowers and Leaves die - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, white embossing powder, heat tool, Black Saddle Stitched Ribbon - Papertrey Ink, ScorTape, jumbo eyelets - Stampin'Up, Crop a Dile, black elastic cord - Joann, Idea-ology word Bands, Typed Tokens, Jump Rings, black and white twine, golden patent leather (from Eileen Hull - she purchased it at Marden's in Maine.)

Hi everyone and welcome. Last week I shared the progress of my latest mixed media folio journal journey featuring Eileen Hull's 'Mandala' and 'Folio Journal' dies, many of Seth Apter's stamp sets (a mix from PaperArtsy and Impression Obsession) Izink pigment inks, PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints and Seth's embossing powders from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies. This week I'm back to share all 18 completed pages, each an individual collage piece in it's own right and bound together inside the Folio Journal covers. A quick reminder that you can see how the basic journal was created here. Some of the pages have circular 'windows' in them which means you can see other pages beneath. In the case of the first page that helps to add to the design. Around that window I've used a die cut of Eileen's 'Mandala' to act as a stencil through which texture paste has been applied along with a coating of Seth Apter's 'Rocky Road' Embossing Powder. Underneath the stencilling a little stamping is visible and layered over the top are two die cut rings of faux rusted card, created using layers of Izink Pigment Inks on top of a base of black gesso. To finish I added fabric/lace scraps, some hand stitching and a word from one of Seth's 'Journal Jargon' stamp sets. The second page has more faux rusted card, this time sanded back to reveal the layers of ink beneath and, in the case of the central circle around the 'window', stamped and clear embossed for added impact. There is more stamping in the background, an extra die cut circle around the window, more hand stitching and another 'Journal Jargon' word. As the pages progress you may also spot the little trail of 'breadcrumbs' (various card scraps) leading the eye from page to page and linking the designs. Following one of Eileen's many FB Live tutorials I've used the 'Mandala' die to emboss another piece of faux rusted card. Here it's been teamed with a piece of Gel Plate printed tissue, cotton lace and some hand stitching. I've continued the Mandala pattern across the page with a little stencilling and added hand stitching to the background. The next page has a heat embossed/stamped piece as the focal point; after stamping the image onto a piece of card and cutting around it I covered the card in layers of 'Rocky Road' Embossing Powder, re-stamping into the final layer to create the deep impression. Re-stamping with Fresco Finish paint made the image stand out even further. Gel Plate printed/stamped tissue, more stamping, more hand stitching and another word completed the layout. This page has a lot going on, with part of a tea stained postcard in the background covered in embossed stamping and hand stitching. On top is layered the die cut 'Mandala' that had previously been used as a stencil and various die cut circles of inked and embossed card. The 'window' reveals part of the page underneath including another 'Journal Jargon' word. The 'window' on the other side also reveals the page beneath and in this case it's the embossed/stamped focal point. More stamping and bits of fabric, lace and card scraps are layered up around the window to add to the design. The die cut circles in centre have been clear embossed to make them stand out against it all. The main elements on this page have been stamped/cut from the faux rusted card, with Gel Printed tissue that has been stencilled in the background alongside some heat embossed vellum. The hand stitching surrounds the 'Journal Jargon' word. For this page the 'Mandala' has been used as a stencil again with the high spots hit with some darker and lighter Fresco Finish paints to emphasise the the design. There's more Izink Pigment Ink rusted card, some embossed stamping, hand stitching and a heat embossed die cut cog shape in the middle along with another of the 'Journal Jargon' words. The corrugated card on the page below has had layers of paste, embossing powder and ink applied before I took the decision to sand it all back and reveal the layers below which produced the blended worn look. After cutting a hole through the middle of the page and stamping the crosshatched circle image I've added a piece of coiled wire, some stitching, a leftover piece of rust coloured lace and a 'Journal Jargon' word stamped on a left over scrap of background paper. The second half of the Mandala embossed card has been added to the reverse side of the coiled wire page. I've used Seth Apter's 'Chunky Rust' Embossing Powder on the circle in the middle, dots have been stamped and embossed to one side and the bands at the top and bottom have been stitched in place. On this page some of the embossed stamping has been done on vellum and more Gel Plate printed tissue used along with hand stitching and lace. Even the 'waste' from the edge of the background paper has been used to trim one side and add more patterning. This page is one of those happy accidents where a bundle of mixed paper and fabric over-stamped several times with in and paint have become a focal point when layered with lace and a stamped dial. The stamping on the bundle has been extended across the page along with the stitching and a lot of the background left exposed to reveal yet more stencilling. This page began with the other half of a Mandala stencilled piece seen previously. This time a larger hole has been punched through the centre of the page to reveal the stamped piece of vellum captured between. More stitching and stamping add to the texture whilst the die cut rings that surrounds the cut out hole have been clear embossed. The next page has been the trickiest to resolve given its asymmetric layout. The layers of heat embossed stamping, die cut circles and stamped vellum sit to one side of the page leaving the rest of the background exposed as on previous pages. I completed it with a 'Jargon Journal' word sat on top of gauze and Gel Plate printed tissue scraps. On this page there's Gel Plate printed tissue, heat embossed stamping down one side, lace, hand stitching and die cut elements included. The stamped circle border has been fussy cut and embossed with a larger stamped circle added over the top to draw the eye down the page. I've used another of the embossed elements as a focal point on the following page, created the same way as the previous one and this time surrounded by some faux rusted card. The Gel Plate printed tissue, fabric and book page paper has been stamped over and heat embossed to compliment the line of hand stitching to the side of it. The second piece of tea stained post card has been used in the background of the next page, over stamped either side of the little 'window' and with lots of layers of fabric, paper, lace and hand stitching underneath. As on previous pages the die cut circles have layers of card stacked beneath them to add to their dimension. The final page combines the other half of the sanded corrugated card along with another die cut 'Mandala'. The circle surrounding the 'window' has been inked and embossed to give the impression that it has been rusted whilst the paper edging, hand stitching and lace once again add to the texture. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I've filled this Eileen Hull 'Folio Journal'. Make sure to check out the projects and tutorials from the other Inspiration and Educator Team members using Eileen's Chapter 1 dies in imaginative ways - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog throughout the month. For now, thanks for visiting, Jenny xxx

Disclaimer Notice: I’ve received products/compensation as part of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Design Team. This project however, is 100% my own project! Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I explain more here. Good Morning my fabulous friends! Are you enjoying the wonderful and creative projects that Eileen Hull design team has shared so far using her Book Club 2 Collection from Sizzix!!! They will be available soon in your local Scrapbook Store, at the Sizzix Store or in Eileen Etsy Shop!!! Today I created a Nature Mixed Media Wrapped Journal using Alcohol Inks. Begin by cutting several pieces of the Surefire Aluminum Tape. Emboss with the Basket Weave Embossing Folder. Remove adhesive backing and add to Wrapped Journal that has been cut out from mat board. Ink using Ranger's Alcohol Inks; dry. To create inside pages... Cut the sewing strings from on Mini Composition book. Separate into 4 equal piles. Cut 15 pages from copy paper to measure 4 1/2" x 6 1/8". Fold in half. Stamp your Grunge images to top of created copy paper pages. Ink Grunge flowers with Colorbox Blends. Repeat until you have 4 sets of stamped and inked sets. Layer pages together inside a pattern paper cover and staple at the bind to create Signature Pages. Color elastic with Colorbox Blends; dry. Tie prepared signature page inside Wrapped Journal . Adhere large metal knob over the elastic ties. Die cut Gadget Gears our with covered pattern paper chipboard. Mat to pattern paper; ink edges with Nutmeg Colorbox Blend. Adhere to top of Wrapped Journal . Apply alcohol ink to top of large metal dragon fly; dry. Adhere to top of Wrapped Journal . Add small chipboard "Butterfly" piece to top of Wrapped Journal , Fussy cut and layer two butterflies from pattern paper; adhere to journal. Add small metal clip to help keep journal closed. Die cut flowers and leaf from the Flower and Leaves Journaling Die; color with Colorbox Blends. Layer together; add to top of Wrapped Journal . Add small metal nail head and black gemstone to center of prepared flowers. Adhere a piece of ribbon under the front of gear on front of Wrapped Journal and a piece under back of same gear. Tie to close Wrapped Journal . Decorate inside cover lid with prepared gear and small Epherema Card. Make sure to head over to Eileen Blog HERE to see this weeks inspiration using the new Book Club 2 Dies! Pam Supplies: #662811 Sizzix/Eileen Hull Flower and Leaves Journaling Die #662816 Sizzix/Eileen Hull Wrapped Journal #66193 Sizzix Gadget Gears #660331 Passport Book Basket Weave Embossing Folder Sizzix Little Sizzles Mat Board Graphic 45 Nature Sketchbook Collection Blank Page Muse Grunge Stamp Set Clearsnap Colorbox Blends: Stop; Leaf, Golden, Nutmeg, Beach Ranger Alcohol Ink: Honeycomb, Poppyfield, Mermaid, Teakwood Ranger Black Archival Ink Surefire Aluminum Tape Metal Dragonfly, Paper Clip, Nail Heads, Knob Mini Composition Book White Card Stock Pop Dots Xyron Mega Runner MayArts Golden Ribbon and Tan Twine Disclaimer Notice: I’ve received products/compensation as part of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Design Team. This project however, is 100% my own project! Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I explain more here.

Now that the Holidays are over, I’m embracing the quiet of the Winter Season by creating a few things with Eileen Hull’s and Sizzix’s New Release Chapt. One Dies and the Simple Wi…

Hi friends! Can you believe it's the first of May! Happy May Day! Today we begin a new challenge at Mini Album Makers with a special sponsor for this month, Eileen Hull. Eileen has just released yet another mini album making die called Tiny Book and offered our team a chance to play with it. I created a simple mini journal with some favorite stamps. I used PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Chalk Acrylics to paint my Tiny Book inside and out. I painted some extra thick chipboard and tore the edges after stamping the beautiful Fritillaria stamp by Tracy Evans. I used UTEE gold embossing powder around the edges for contrast. I made a little insert of dyed paper with torn edges, all completely random. I used Distress Oxide sprays and a lot of water to dye plain copy paper for this, then ironed it to dry. I died some seam binding to coordinate and tucked it beneath my chipboard layer to make a closure. Here's another book I made recently with more of Tracy's beautiful stamps by AALL & Create. This one was inspired by one of Tracey's Facebook lives. And finally, another book using the Eileen Hull Passport die. I used the two covers without the spine to connect my accordion. This book was directly inspired by my participation in Tracy's online accordion book workshop. The most fun workshop I've ever done! Make sure to follow her for more classes to come. I've become completely addicted to Tracy's stamps! You can see I've used loads and loads of them for these wee pages. I truly hope these fun little books will inspire you to play along in our challenge at Mini Album Makers for a chance to win a $35 gift certificate to the Eileen Hull Etsy shop! Good luck, Autumn I'm also sharing with: Simon Says Stamp Monday: Not a Card Simon Says Stamp Wednesday: Anything Goes

The obsession continues with Eileen Hull's ever so versatile Journal Die. I love making these; they really are addicting! For this art journal I paired the fabulous Rubber Dance stamp set Artist Plate with Ranger products and Paper Artsy Fresco Paint to create a vibrant cover. Journal front Journal back For the inside, I used pre-made Midori inserts I found on Amazon but it's really easy to make your own too (see tutorial in this post). Sorry I don't have step by step photos but I can give you a rundown on how I made this. The first technique I used on my plain scoreboards die cut covers was 'faux batik', an oldie but goodie. The white brush stamp is the ''batik" part. To create the faux batik look, stamp with embossing ink and then emboss with clear powder. It will act as a resist for all the ink layers you put on top. After inking and stenciling the background with Distress inks, I covered the embossed area with plain absorbent newsprint and ironed over the top of it to melt the embossing powder. Don't let the paper sit there or the powder will just solidify again and stick the paper to your project! Peel the paper off as you go as soon as you see the melted powder soaking into it. I did do some more stamping and stenciling over the top. On the front cover, I used the Luggage Tag die as a frame for the title (and also as an anchor for the elastic strap). I used a brayer and various blue-hued Fresco paints to add some color and layers of texture to the frame. I popped it up with some foam tape so there would be a little space for the elastic to loop under it. That's it! =) Thanks for stopping by and taking a look. Rubber Dance Stamps and many other hard to find art stamps from all around the world can be found online at Topflight Stamps. Check out their blog too, they are always posting inspiring projects made with super cool stamps! I'm also entering this into the new Mini Album Makers Blog's inaugural challenge. Lots of fun things to see there - check them out as well! Stamps Used: Rubber Dance - Artist Plate Dies Used: Sizzix: Journal (Sizzix / SSS) Luggage Tag (Sizzix) Stitchy Flowers (Sizzix / SSS) Stencils Used: Tim Holtz – Numbered, Bubble, Mini set 9 Wendy Vecchi – WVSFA 034 Borders Other supplies: Sizzles Matboard – (SSS / Sizzix) Distress Ink – Mermaid Lagoon, Wild Honey, Spiced Marmalade, Fossilized Amber, Barn Door Distress Ink Oxides – Fired Brick, Fossilized Amber, Spiced Marmalade Versamark ink clear embossing powder Ranger Archival - Dandelion, Forget Me Not, Orange Blossom, Jet Black Fresco Finish Paint - China, Capt. Peacock, Caribbean Sea, Antarctic Tiny Attacher stapler Simon Says Stamp and Sizzix links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! One last thing, if you want more inspiration for making journals and albums using the Journal Die, check this e-book out! I have some projects included in it and it is packed with so many ideas it will keep you busy for months. ;-) Click on the image to go to the order page! "After many months of work, you can finally get your hands on this book full inspiration. If you like junk journals, planners, art journals, bullet journals, Traveler’s Notebooks or notebooks of any kind, you will love this book! In this ebook, you will find 85 inspirational projects from top notch industry designers. All have used her Sizzix Journal die to create their projects, yet every one is unique and special. This sought after die has proven exceptionally popular, and when you see the sheer variety of projects made with it you will see why." Click on the book photo above to purchase the e-book!

Hi everyone and welcome. This month Eileen Hull's Teams are collaborating with Gel Press all through January to see what magic can be made when both products are combined. Make sure to check in at Eileen Hull's blog each week to see what comes of our Gel Press journeys. Check out the Gel Press YouTube Channel too and see what they are doing with Eileen's journal bases. It's a match made in heaven! I love using my Gel Press plates, particularly with PaperArtsy's Fresco Finish Chalk Paints and wet strength tissue (similar to deli paper in the US) to create pulls for use as backgrounds, a way of adding a pop of colour to a tea-stained page and hand drawn image. But for this collaboration I decided to show how to use a small Gel Press plate to stamp and layer paints onto paper, creating one of the initial layers for a mixed media collage. The result was a new 'Full Size Journal' that will be filled with botanical images, die cut embellishments and stamping using Eileen's Maker Forte stamps. I've put together a tutorial for the main panel on the front cover and will then show how the same process is being used to create a couple of the pages inside. It all started with the first use of a 5"x7" Gel Press plate mounted on an acrylic stamping block to create a rectangular stamp; these handy plates have a tacky surface that self adheres to any flat, non-porous surface so they are easily peeled on and off a regular stamping block. I used a small brayer to apply a thin layer of yellow paint onto the Gel Press plate and stamped it onto tea-stained drawing paper over a piece of book text. Now this is handy - I decided the yellow maybe wouldn't work the best on the lime/red journal cover so hunted out a sage green paint and applied another thin layer to the gel plate. Since both the gel plate and the acrylic block are transparent it's easy to stamp pretty much directly over the first layer to alter the colour and I love that a little of the yellow peeped through at the bottom. To add some contrasting colour without covering the lower layers I chose a darker sage and after brayering a thin layer onto the gel plate I lifted some of the paint with some crumpled tissue. What was left on the gel plate was pressed onto the paper to contrast with the lighter sage. Now to get a pattern onto the painted rectangle; I used a piece of card die cut with Eileen's 'Heart Mandala' Die and after brayering a very pale green paint onto the gel plate I laid it onto the wet paint. Next I pressed a piece of tissue on top of the gel plate and pressed around the mandala to remove the uncovered paint. Once you lift the mandala die cut from the gel plate you'll find you have the pattern left, all ready to stamp on top of the previous layers of paint. I would suggest you die cut your mandala from a non-porous piece of acetate or similar so that the paint doesn't get absorbed into it - the underside of my mandala already had layers of paint on it so the paint didn't get soaked up much but I would use the acetate next time. To make the mandala stand out even more I ran my page through the Big Shot with the 'Heart Mandala' Die laid over the pattern on the paper, using a silicone rubber mat and crease pad to make it emboss rather than cut. The leaf was then drawn onto the page and I used watercolour pencils to add some colour on them. To finish the page I stamped images from Eileen's Maker Forte Stamp Set 'Buttons, Cards & More', and added some faux stitching. You'll see from the close ups below how I added the finished panel to the front of the journal cover with coloured card, more book text, lace, filigree metal corners, some hand stitching and one of Eileen's journal words. The journal itself was cut from cardboard packaging with Eileen's 'Full Size Journal' Die and bound across the spine with red Architape®. Frayed cotton calico fabric was glued to the inside of the cover to further strengthen it before I bound in some painted tea-stained pages. You can see a tutorial for this process on my blog HERE. I'm currently working my way through a fabulous online drawing course by Rebecca Sower on Jeanne Oliver's website and, buoyed on by the success of the print on the front cover I went on to make a start on two pages inside the journal using exactly the same process shown above. On the first you'll see the mandala stands out more when the contrast between the upper and lower layers is more pronounced. I've also begun to add to the rest of the page with another of Eileen's Maker Forte stamped images. On the second page the gel printed panel uses shades of blue paint to contrast with the colours on the drawing of the pear. Again you'll spot one of Eileen's stamp images tucked underneath some lace trim. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how a Gel Press gel plate can be used as a stamping tool to decorate your die cut books and journal pages. Make sure to check out the other collaboration projects and tutorials from the rest of Eileen's team members - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog throughout the month. And don't forget to head over to the Gel Press YouTube Channel too for even more inspiration. For now thanks for visiting, Jenny xxx

Disclaimer Notice: I’ve received products/compensation as part of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Design Team. This project however, is 100% my own project! Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I explain more here. Good Morning my fabulous friends! Are you enjoying the wonderful and creative projects that Eileen Hull design team has shared so far using her Book Club 2 Collection from Sizzix!!! They will be available soon in your local Scrapbook Store, at the Sizzix Store or in Eileen Etsy Shop!!! Today I created a Nature Mixed Media Wrapped Journal using Alcohol Inks. Begin by cutting several pieces of the Surefire Aluminum Tape. Emboss with the Basket Weave Embossing Folder. Remove adhesive backing and add to Wrapped Journal that has been cut out from mat board. Ink using Ranger's Alcohol Inks; dry. To create inside pages... Cut the sewing strings from on Mini Composition book. Separate into 4 equal piles. Cut 15 pages from copy paper to measure 4 1/2" x 6 1/8". Fold in half. Stamp your Grunge images to top of created copy paper pages. Ink Grunge flowers with Colorbox Blends. Repeat until you have 4 sets of stamped and inked sets. Layer pages together inside a pattern paper cover and staple at the bind to create Signature Pages. Color elastic with Colorbox Blends; dry. Tie prepared signature page inside Wrapped Journal . Adhere large metal knob over the elastic ties. Die cut Gadget Gears our with covered pattern paper chipboard. Mat to pattern paper; ink edges with Nutmeg Colorbox Blend. Adhere to top of Wrapped Journal . Apply alcohol ink to top of large metal dragon fly; dry. Adhere to top of Wrapped Journal . Add small chipboard "Butterfly" piece to top of Wrapped Journal , Fussy cut and layer two butterflies from pattern paper; adhere to journal. Add small metal clip to help keep journal closed. Die cut flowers and leaf from the Flower and Leaves Journaling Die; color with Colorbox Blends. Layer together; add to top of Wrapped Journal . Add small metal nail head and black gemstone to center of prepared flowers. Adhere a piece of ribbon under the front of gear on front of Wrapped Journal and a piece under back of same gear. Tie to close Wrapped Journal . Decorate inside cover lid with prepared gear and small Epherema Card. Make sure to head over to Eileen Blog HERE to see this weeks inspiration using the new Book Club 2 Dies! Pam Supplies: #662811 Sizzix/Eileen Hull Flower and Leaves Journaling Die #662816 Sizzix/Eileen Hull Wrapped Journal #66193 Sizzix Gadget Gears #660331 Passport Book Basket Weave Embossing Folder Sizzix Little Sizzles Mat Board Graphic 45 Nature Sketchbook Collection Blank Page Muse Grunge Stamp Set Clearsnap Colorbox Blends: Stop; Leaf, Golden, Nutmeg, Beach Ranger Alcohol Ink: Honeycomb, Poppyfield, Mermaid, Teakwood Ranger Black Archival Ink Surefire Aluminum Tape Metal Dragonfly, Paper Clip, Nail Heads, Knob Mini Composition Book White Card Stock Pop Dots Xyron Mega Runner MayArts Golden Ribbon and Tan Twine Disclaimer Notice: I’ve received products/compensation as part of the Eileen Hull Inspiration Design Team. This project however, is 100% my own project! Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I explain more here.

Hello Friends Eileen Hull's Journal Treasury EBook has been published! Apologies, there have been a few technical hitches but I am happy to say, those have been resolved! Thank you to all of you who commented on my original post, I really appreciate it. If you love Junk Journals, Planners, Bullet Journals or Notebooks of any kind, you will LOVE this new EBook! There are 85 inspirational projects in this 164 page EBook. There are tips, tricks and ideas for creating beautiful journals - and inspiration galore from some wonderful Designers, many of whom I am sure you will already know. The price (during August only) is $11.87 which is 30% off the regular price of $16.99. You may have already pre-ordered the EBook, but if not, you can purchase it here using the link on my left sidebar or simply click on the photo above. Once purchased, you will be sent an email with a link (if you don't get a link please check your Spam box - I know that, because that's where mine went!). It is a large book and it may take a few minutes to download. Once you open the EBook you can scroll through the pages and if you want to find out more about a project, just click on the Designer's name and it will take you to their blog post for that project. The link on my sidebar is an affiliate link and I get a small commission if you purchase through it, however, it does not affect the price to you in any way. I thought I would share a new Journal with you, it was made for a beautiful young lady who is about to go to University, her favourite colour is yellow.... I was inspired by my lovely friend Tracy Evans' recent Journal where she used stencilling. You can see Tracy's version HERE. I used a Tim Holtz stencil on this Journal. The Journal cover was painted using a brayer and a mix of Eileen Hull's ColorBox Blend inks and the lettering was applied with Vintage Photo Distress Oxide. Once dry, I gently dabbed Matte Medium over the letters to seal them. When the letters were dry I applied Matte Medium to the whole of the cover to give it some added strength. Inside, I created lots of pockets, added a diary and a couple of notepads. To finish off I added a bookmark, a full year calendar and lots of star shaped paper clips. I always add a hinge clip to the side of the journals I make, this one is gold coloured with a key and heart charm set. Eileen Hull shares projects all month long on her blog, you will find lots of inspiration there too! Thanks so much for your visit, I hope to see you again soon! Hugs, Anne xx

It's time for a new challenge at Frilly and Funkie and our fabulous hostess Suzz has chosen the theme On the Cutting Edge. She say, "Having recently acquired some beautiful new dies I thought it might be time to bring them out and show them off. This challenge is all about using your dies, punches or other cutting tools to create a masterpiece featuring at least one die cut / punched image. Make sure your art is in the vintage or shabby chic style and incorporates a die cut or punch." I was inspired to use the infamous Eileen Hull Journal Scoreboards XL Die by Sizzix. This die is causing quite the stir in the crafting world and I couldn't wait to try my hand with it! I played with a couple of these Seth Apter Ray of Light dies and found a happy composition, which fit perfectly onto the journal cover. I covered the dies with Prima texture pastes and then watered Vintage Photo Distress Oxide to tone it down, wiping away as needed. I wanted to make some contrast in between the rays, so I created an overlay for my journal. I cut my watercolor paper to size and then cut out the two shapes to make a frame for my inlaid textured dies. Around that, I cut some holes with the Tim Holtz Mixed Media dies. I often use texture paste for this, but created a reverse effect for my cover by using the MM dies. I decided the smallest of Seth's Coffee Ring Dies would make a great frame over the circles in the ray die. I embossed them in Wendy Vecchi's Watering Can EP twice to create an enamel effect. Later I added a third larger circle to complete the look. I mixed in a Paper Doll and some ephemera with a Quote Chip. The cloth label was a gift from my friend Carol from IKEA. I hand cut the gentleman's crown and embossed it with gold EP. I glued a Clipola paper clip to frame his face. What a whimsical character! :) I treated my cover with a variety of Distress Oxides and embossed a Carabelle Studio text stamp in white for contrast. I splashed on some black gesso and outlined everything with a fine black pen. I don't have any elastic, so I punched more holes in the center and used a pamphlet stitch and waxed linen to bind my pages. I attached this awesome snip of upholstery tacks with brads. My fabulous teamie Sara Emily gave me this when we met up at the beach - love love love! Thanks sweetie! Here's a gaze at my inserts. I used TH Memoranda paper to cover some loose-leaf grid paper, that I cut to size. Not many flaps and fussy elements inside. I want to use this to actually write on the paper, so I left out that kind of bulk. The back inked up so well that I actually wished I could use it to start a new journal and make a second back for this one. Ha! But time didn't allow. I used matte Mod Podge to adhere the die cut overlay to the front cover and then decided to seal the entire cover with MP. The feel of it is great! How about you? What dies are you itching to put to action? Break them out and play along! We'd love to have you join our challenge. One lucky winner will receive a $25 gift card to the Funkie Junkie Boutique! Do you want to learn more about creating books and mini albums? Would you like another opportunity to win a Funkie Junkie Boutique gift card? Follow along with my new blog, Mini Album Makers, which will be filled with book making tutorials, showcasing even more Funkie Junkie products! (APRIL pre-order) Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Journal by Eileen Hull 661906 Seth Apter Mark Makers Stamp Set (February Pre-order) Tim Holtz Idea-ology Quote Chips Ranger Wendy Vecchi Embossing Powder - Watering Can Spellbinders Seth Apter Coffee Ring Dies Spellbinders Shapeabilities Seth Apter Ray of Light Etched Dies Ranger Embossing Powder - Gold - Super Fine Detail (February Pre-order) Prima Art Extravagance - Patina Effect Paste Set 3pcs 50ml (February Pre-order) Tim Holtz Idea-ology 12 x 12 Paper Stash Memoranda Sizzix® Thinlits™ Die Set 4PK - Mixed Media by Tim Holtz® (February Pre-order) Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Vintage Photo (February Pre-order) Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Iced Spruce (February Pre-order) Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Cracked Pistachio (February Pre-order) Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Oxide Pad - Faded Jeans VersaMark Watermark Ink Stamp Pad Ranger Embossing Powder - White I'm also sharing with: PaperArtsy: Topic #11 - Books (I was inspired by THIS post, the size, the composition, the colors) 13@rts: Abstract Art Country View Crafts: Blue and Green Creative Artiste: Always Anything Mixed Media Goes That's Crafty: Anything But a Card AALL and Create: ITAC'17 - Challenge 1 Europe A face - Gentleman Papers - Patterned Paper & Grid Paper Letters, numbers - Text Stamp on Cover & Words Blue for the colour of the European Union, Union Jack - Blues & Greens Ribbon, twine, string or lace - Waxed Linen and Twine Textures – take inspiration from history from ancient civilisations to the fall of the Berlin Wall - Texture with the Circle Die Cut Something both vintage and modern - Vintage Images with Modern Graphic Design Die Cut #itac17 #itac17challenge1 #aallandcreate

I thought I'd have a try at cutting out Eileen Hull's Journal Die in faux leather, and extending it to create pockets on the inside. So after a little careful measuring (ahem none at all) I worked out that if you folded the fabric just inside of the cutting line of the journal outer edge (opposite side to the spine), you could create an extra flap of fabric. Join the spine in the normal way, and then either sew or in this case I just glued down the top and bottom edges to create pockets. I threaded three elastics through the spine for my three local travel guides. Now when my visitors want to head off and explore, they have local maps of the area all in one place, along with a couple of inside pockets for tickets etc. You could also used a lighter weight fabric and slip a piece of card inside the pocket to strengthen it. Elizabeth x

Hello and Happy Mother's Day to all you UK Mums today! Today I am sharing another journal that I made with Eileen Hull's fabulous new Journal die, by Sizzix, which is due out very soon now! You can Pre-order it now in the UK from Country View Crafts HERE. As I love anything to do with the sea, I used Andy Skinner's Fossil stencil, Andy's Mega Crackle Technique and lots of DecoArt products to create the Journal cover. This is how the journal starts off, this one was cut with Sizzix |Mat Board which is similar to Mount Board, it is very sturdy and will take a lot of wet products without warping. I used Andy's Mega Crackle Technique to get to this stage (do dry naturally after each stage). 1) Cover the piece with Gesso or Paint (I used a mix of black, green and blue paint) 2) Apply a coat of DecoArt Weathered Wood Crackle Medium 3) Apply a coat of DecoArt Crackle Paint 4) Apply a coat of DecoArt Ultra Matte Varnish I applied a wash of DecoArt Paint in very watered down Prussian Blue I stencilled in black and once it was dry I stencilled again with DecoArt Modelling Paste. At this point I was not happy with the black showing through and I gave the whole thing a coat of thinned down white Gesso. It did cover up some of the crackles but I wasn't too unhappy about that, it still had a nice 'rough' surface. Next, I applied a wash of my favourite colour of DecoArt paint - Cobalt Teal Hue randomly over the base and Quinacridone Gold (again watered down) for the stencilled fossil area. I love the colours now! Next, I over-stamped the journal using Cobalt Teal Hue and a bubble stamp from IndigoBlu. The sentiment is also from the same IndigoBlu set - Under the Sea. I added lots of splatters in blue and white paint. To finish off I added one of the closures that comes with the die, and some hand dyed ribbon. I love to finish off my journals with a matching hinge clip and charm. The clip and the seahorse were embossed with Stampendous embossing powder and I strung some tiny shells with elasticated jewellery thread. I created three signatures for the inside, in the style of a junk journal, using up papers from my 'left over' box. I hope you like my sea themed, Andy Skinner inspired Journal! If you would like to see another of my Journals, there is another one being shown by Susan from Country View Crafts HERE. It is one that I have not shown before and it is quite different to the one I am showing here today. I am so thrilled that Susan at Country View Crafts has Eileen Hull's fabulous new HeARTfelt Journal die on Pre Order too, at a fantastic price! And last, but not least, Eileen Hull has created a Journal too, this is being featured over on the A Vintage Journey blog. If you do have time, I hope you will have a look, it is a real beauty! Thanks for you visit, hope to see you soon. Hugs, Anne xx

Hi everyone and welcome. This month Eileen Hull's Teams are sharing projects using Eileen's new Sizzix Chapter 4 dies as part of the launch celebrations this month. For my second project of the month I have combined two of the new dies, the Sizzix Scoreboards Plus Die 'Full Size Journal' and the Thinlits Die 'Heart Mandala' to bring you a really useful Journal that holds A5 notebooks inside. The journal cover was cut from mountboard and I removed the spine pieces before re-attaching one of them with Architape® leaving a 1/4 inch gap between the cover and spine pieces to afford the cover more flexibility and durability when completed. The holes in the spine were re-punched in the same places as those cut by the die (now hidden by the tape) using a Crop-a-dile. I then created some decorative paper using various shades of mauve/lilac Fresco Finish Paint by PaperArtsy. Having cut a Heart Mandala from thin kraft card I was able to use it repeatedly as a stencil through which was applied texture paste and then Gold Paint. Once dry I glued pieces of the paper to the front and back covers. The tape on the spine was also painted with a mix of the same paints to match and I took this opportunity to fix eyelets through the holes when the inside was decorated. The plaque piece of the front cover can also be cut from the Full Size Journal Die and after painting it with the Gold Paint I added the word, cut using one of Eileen's older Thinlits Dies. To protect the corners some decorative filigree brass pieces to the front and back covers. To hold three A5 notebooks securely in place inside the covers I strung three separate pieces of old gold coloured elastic cord through the top and bottom holes in the spine in the same way as has been shown many times for other Eileen journals and notebooks. Make sure to use a strong elastic as the covers are tall and don't pull them really taught so the notebooks can be slipped in and out of the covers more easily. Just before threading the elastic cord through the spine I took the opportunity to decorate the inside of the covers by applying some contrasting fabric (Basic Grey 'Metallic Grunge') using a soft gel medium to hold it in place. Once dry it can be trimmed to fit exactly with the layer of glue preventing the edges from fraying. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how Eileen's dies have been used to create this large journal. Make sure to check out the other Chapter 4 release projects and tutorials from the other Inspiration and Educator Team members - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog throughout the month. For now thanks for visiting, Jenny xxx

"A blog to enjoy for those who love all things crafty."

I'm so excited to be sharing this project today. The lovely Eileen Hull asked me if I would like to make a journal using her new die - Me? Journals? - of course I would. In fact I've made two but let me share the first one with you. The inspiration for this came whilst planning a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, this is going to be my travel journal whilst I am over there. I can't wait. Her Creative Team have been sharing their fantastic designs this month and I'm very happy to be sharing mine alongside them. THIS is a link to one of Eileen's posts where she has gathered some of them together. Use these steps to create both the front and back covers. 1. Using a palette knife scrape white gesso across both of the covers. 2. Roughly plan where your collages will go, mix ephemera and snippets of left over scrapbook papers to achieve the layered look and then use a stencil to add some texture in the blank spaces. 3. Whilst that is drying mix some fluid acrylics with water to make watery washes - I love using the DecoArt media range as the colour pigment is amazing and goes such a long way, sometimes I only need a pin prick size of paint to create a wash. Try a mixing grid if you want to keep a record of the colours you used. It is impossible to tell you the amounts I added but I will try drop by drop until I get the desired tones and shades. 4. For the next step drip the watery paint, spritz with water and dry each layer until you are happy with the background. 5. Add some texture stamping - use a sponge with the paint to dab onto the stamp for some images and use coffee archival ink for others. 6. Use distress crayons or similar to add more colour and emphasise the stencilled words. Then using the black side of some blending foam gently rub a couple of layers of white gesso over the stencilling to highlight the words again. 7. Use the DecoArt Vintage Decou-page to adhere the chosen patterned papers and ephemera making a collage background as the base for the photo on your front cover and make a smaller one on the back. Seal the papers and the covers by covering the surface with the same antique glue. It dries very quickly. 8. Mix some white gesso with water to make a watery wash and dabble some of it over the collage to unify it and create a lighter background for the image to sit on. 9. Adhere the images and the quote chip. This is going to be a working journal/album so keep the embellishments fairly flat and few of them, you won’t want them getting knocked off as you and other people handle it. 10. Buy Midori inserts or make your own for the inside pages. I used a mix of both and made my own kraft covers for the ones I made. These are 11 cms wide and 21 cms long. Add some pockets, tabs and labels to get you started and ready to take your journal away with you and fill with all your wonderful experiences so that this becomes packed with amazing memories. Three notebooks, the first is a Midori look alike bought online, the second is handmade for keeping ephemera collected on my trip and the third is also handmade with plain papers given a bit of decoration on which to put photographs. Here are the first pages before I start the journal. Section 1 the diary started and ready to be filled in ..... Section 2 clippings/ephemera pages ready to be used. Section 3 photographs - I found an old till roll and just tore it up and added some tissue tape and paper snippets. Inside the covers of the journal itself I made pockets to keep bits and pieces in ..... .... I also created a layer that stretches right across the journal to fit over the top of the pockets, keeping to the same style. Here is that layer with the flaps extended. Wow well done if you've managed to stay with me for such a long post, but there was so much to document. If you are as excited as me about the new die coming out it's great to say it is being shipped in America and we are awaiting deliveries here in the UK. Country View Crafts have it on their website for pre-order and are expecting their delivery later this month and it's such an excellent price too. I must also give you a heads up that I will be using the die when teaching my next workshop for Country View Crafts. Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have been enjoying a wonderful easter weekend. hugs Brenda xxx Thank you Susi for the nudge - I have added this to Art Journal Journey and their Magical Mystery Tour.

Hello and welcome to this picture heavy post of my first Junk Journal using the Eileen Hull die. I have had so much fun so far and i...

Hi everyone and welcome. Last week I shared the progress of my latest mixed media folio journal journey featuring Eileen Hull's 'Mandala' and 'Folio Journal' dies, many of Seth Apter's stamp sets (a mix from PaperArtsy and Impression Obsession) Izink pigment inks, PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints and Seth's embossing powders from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies. This week I'm back to share all 18 completed pages, each an individual collage piece in it's own right and bound together inside the Folio Journal covers. A quick reminder that you can see how the basic journal was created here. Some of the pages have circular 'windows' in them which means you can see other pages beneath. In the case of the first page that helps to add to the design. Around that window I've used a die cut of Eileen's 'Mandala' to act as a stencil through which texture paste has been applied along with a coating of Seth Apter's 'Rocky Road' Embossing Powder. Underneath the stencilling a little stamping is visible and layered over the top are two die cut rings of faux rusted card, created using layers of Izink Pigment Inks on top of a base of black gesso. To finish I added fabric/lace scraps, some hand stitching and a word from one of Seth's 'Journal Jargon' stamp sets. The second page has more faux rusted card, this time sanded back to reveal the layers of ink beneath and, in the case of the central circle around the 'window', stamped and clear embossed for added impact. There is more stamping in the background, an extra die cut circle around the window, more hand stitching and another 'Journal Jargon' word. As the pages progress you may also spot the little trail of 'breadcrumbs' (various card scraps) leading the eye from page to page and linking the designs. Following one of Eileen's many FB Live tutorials I've used the 'Mandala' die to emboss another piece of faux rusted card. Here it's been teamed with a piece of Gel Plate printed tissue, cotton lace and some hand stitching. I've continued the Mandala pattern across the page with a little stencilling and added hand stitching to the background. The next page has a heat embossed/stamped piece as the focal point; after stamping the image onto a piece of card and cutting around it I covered the card in layers of 'Rocky Road' Embossing Powder, re-stamping into the final layer to create the deep impression. Re-stamping with Fresco Finish paint made the image stand out even further. Gel Plate printed/stamped tissue, more stamping, more hand stitching and another word completed the layout. This page has a lot going on, with part of a tea stained postcard in the background covered in embossed stamping and hand stitching. On top is layered the die cut 'Mandala' that had previously been used as a stencil and various die cut circles of inked and embossed card. The 'window' reveals part of the page underneath including another 'Journal Jargon' word. The 'window' on the other side also reveals the page beneath and in this case it's the embossed/stamped focal point. More stamping and bits of fabric, lace and card scraps are layered up around the window to add to the design. The die cut circles in centre have been clear embossed to make them stand out against it all. The main elements on this page have been stamped/cut from the faux rusted card, with Gel Printed tissue that has been stencilled in the background alongside some heat embossed vellum. The hand stitching surrounds the 'Journal Jargon' word. For this page the 'Mandala' has been used as a stencil again with the high spots hit with some darker and lighter Fresco Finish paints to emphasise the the design. There's more Izink Pigment Ink rusted card, some embossed stamping, hand stitching and a heat embossed die cut cog shape in the middle along with another of the 'Journal Jargon' words. The corrugated card on the page below has had layers of paste, embossing powder and ink applied before I took the decision to sand it all back and reveal the layers below which produced the blended worn look. After cutting a hole through the middle of the page and stamping the crosshatched circle image I've added a piece of coiled wire, some stitching, a leftover piece of rust coloured lace and a 'Journal Jargon' word stamped on a left over scrap of background paper. The second half of the Mandala embossed card has been added to the reverse side of the coiled wire page. I've used Seth Apter's 'Chunky Rust' Embossing Powder on the circle in the middle, dots have been stamped and embossed to one side and the bands at the top and bottom have been stitched in place. On this page some of the embossed stamping has been done on vellum and more Gel Plate printed tissue used along with hand stitching and lace. Even the 'waste' from the edge of the background paper has been used to trim one side and add more patterning. This page is one of those happy accidents where a bundle of mixed paper and fabric over-stamped several times with in and paint have become a focal point when layered with lace and a stamped dial. The stamping on the bundle has been extended across the page along with the stitching and a lot of the background left exposed to reveal yet more stencilling. This page began with the other half of a Mandala stencilled piece seen previously. This time a larger hole has been punched through the centre of the page to reveal the stamped piece of vellum captured between. More stitching and stamping add to the texture whilst the die cut rings that surrounds the cut out hole have been clear embossed. The next page has been the trickiest to resolve given its asymmetric layout. The layers of heat embossed stamping, die cut circles and stamped vellum sit to one side of the page leaving the rest of the background exposed as on previous pages. I completed it with a 'Jargon Journal' word sat on top of gauze and Gel Plate printed tissue scraps. On this page there's Gel Plate printed tissue, heat embossed stamping down one side, lace, hand stitching and die cut elements included. The stamped circle border has been fussy cut and embossed with a larger stamped circle added over the top to draw the eye down the page. I've used another of the embossed elements as a focal point on the following page, created the same way as the previous one and this time surrounded by some faux rusted card. The Gel Plate printed tissue, fabric and book page paper has been stamped over and heat embossed to compliment the line of hand stitching to the side of it. The second piece of tea stained post card has been used in the background of the next page, over stamped either side of the little 'window' and with lots of layers of fabric, paper, lace and hand stitching underneath. As on previous pages the die cut circles have layers of card stacked beneath them to add to their dimension. The final page combines the other half of the sanded corrugated card along with another die cut 'Mandala'. The circle surrounding the 'window' has been inked and embossed to give the impression that it has been rusted whilst the paper edging, hand stitching and lace once again add to the texture. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I've filled this Eileen Hull 'Folio Journal'. Make sure to check out the projects and tutorials from the other Inspiration and Educator Team members using Eileen's Chapter 1 dies in imaginative ways - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog throughout the month. For now, thanks for visiting, Jenny xxx

Today I'm sharing a quick tutorial on how I put together this fun BUGS Journal using Eileen Hull's new Chapter 4 Full Size Journal Die. This is a larger die and requires a machine with at least a 9" throat like the Big Shot Plus or Big Shot Pro. Eileen also sells all the precut pieces for this journal in her Etsy Shop so you can still make one if you don't have the larger machine. First a few views of the finished journal. The front showing the latch closure and label using pieces included on the die. The back and binding, showing the elastic cord that holds the 3 signature sections in the journal. Depending on how you layer the binding, you can increase the width of the journal to hold more signatures. I added the longer label die cut on the back, stamping it with my name and adding enamel dots to the ends. The pages inside - awaiting drawings, photos and notes on any bugs I encounter! Slipping the signature pages through the elastic cord allows for more pages to be added very easily. Now on to construction. I die cut the cover piece twice and adhered ScorTape to one of the binding areas being sure not to cover the holes. Then I laid the right binding section over the left and pressed to adhere. If I only put the tape on the outside edge on the left and only laid the outside edge of the right piece over it - the journal would be wider allowing 5 signatures to be added. I cut pieces of my bugs paper and Stick it Double Sided Adhesive Sheets to fit the outside covers, and adhered them to the journal covers. I sponged Bay Blends 2 Ink over the inside covers and let dry. I cut a piece of Sticky Back Canvas Tape to cover the outside binding and sponged it with the same Bay Blends 2 Ink. The canvas tape is 2" wide and fit perfectly over my binding and wrapping around onto the covers about 1/2". I adhered the Sticky Back Canvas piece over the binding and then used an ice pick to open the holes for the elastic cord. I lined up the latch panel and marked the holes, punched them with my Cropadile and attached the latch to the cover with large aqua brads. I attached the closure tab to the back of the journal with another brad. And slipped it through the front piece. I cut 6 pieces of Rustic White Card Stock to 7 1/2" x 11", scored them at 5 1/2" on the 11" side and folded them in half. I used 2 folded pieces in each signature. I cut 3 pieces of white elastic cord 18" long, looping each piece through a whole in the top and bottom of the binding and knotting it in the middle. This new die makes a lovely large size journal that can be made narrow or wide in the binding. A lovely addition to all the different size journal dies Eileen has created for us! Please check out Eileen's Blog every Wednesday this month for more inspiration from her Inspiration and Education Teams using her new Chapter 4 Dies and embossing folder! Are you a member of the Eileen Hull Fan Club? Join over 5,ooo other members to share ideas, inspiration, sources, challenges and make some fabulous friends – make sure to answer the questions! Watch her Facebook Lives at Eileen Hull Designs on Tuesdays at 6:00 Eastern and Thursdays at 4:00 to for project ideas, techniques, inspiration and creative community. Additionally, you can also find Eileen on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. Paper: Rustic White Card Stock - Papertrey Ink (for pages), white Little Sizzles Matboard - Sizzix, DP Bugs - American Crafts (Michaels). Ink: Bay Blends 2 - Eileen Hull/Color Box Clear Snap Accessories: Full Sized Journal - Eileen Hull/Sizzix, Alphanumeric Dies - Tim Holtz/Sizzix, Double Sided Adhesive Sheets - Stick It, Sticky Back Canvas Tape - Dina Wakley, colored brads, ice Pick, white elastic cord, enamel dots - Altenew.

Good morning friends I'm back with another journal made with Eileen Hull's Journal die. Honestly, I am having so much fun with this die! ...

This is the next tutorial for how I create my journals using the Eileen Hull Passport Die. This one shows how to make the cover. You can then refer to the tutorial that shows how to thread the elastic cording through the journal cover. First, here are the materials you'll need: Medium Weight Chipboard: Click HERE to find on Amazon. 12X12 Adhesive Sheets: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Scor Tape: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Eyelets for spine: Click HERE to find on Amazon. PVA Glue: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Here are the tools I use: Teflon bone folder: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Mini Glue Bottles: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Crop-A-Dile Big Bite: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Sizzix Big Shot: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Extended Cutting Pads: Click HERE to find on Amazon. Eileen Hull Passport Die: Click HERE to find on Amazon. NOTE: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase. Prepare the cover For the most efficient use of the chipboard, these instructions enable you to cut three covers from two pieces of 8-1/2 X 11 inch chipboard. 1. Cut two pieces of medium-weight chipboard in half: 5-1/2 X 8-1/2. You’ll have four 5-1/2 X 8-1/2 inch pieces. 2. Cut three of those pieces in half to 4-1/4 X 5-1/2. You’ll have six 4-1/4 X 5-1/2 pieces, or enough for three front and back covers. 3. From the remaining 5-1/2 X 8-1/2 inch piece, cut across into three 2-7/8 X 5-1/2 pieces. These three pieces will the spines for the three covers. Cover pieces. You'll use two for the front and back covers of one journal. Spine pieces. You'll use one for the spine of one journal. Prepare the adhesive sheets You’ll need one 12X12 adhesive sheet for each cover. Cut each sheet into three strips: two strips will be 4-1/4 X 12 inches and one strip will be 4 x 12 inches. Then cut each of the previous strips in half lengthwise, resulting in four 4-1/4 X 6 inch pieces and two 4 X 6 inch pieces. You’ll adhere one of these pieces to each side of the cover and chipboard pieces, so will use them all. Prepare the printables for your covers and spine You’ll need images for the outside of the front and back covers, the inside of the front and back covers, and the front and back sides of the spine. Your printables will need to be a little bigger than the dimensions of the die. The front and back covers measure 3-1/2 X 5 inches each, so I size my printables to about 3-3/4 X 5-1/4 inches. The spine measures 2-1/4 X 5 inches, so I size my printables for the spine to about 2-1/2 X 5-1/4 inches. Attach the adhesive sheets Adhere the adhesive sheets to both sides of the covers and spine. Then burnish them down using your bone folder. Peel off the narrow yellow liner piece to reveal the adhesive and attach to one of the cover pieces. Pull off the rest of the yellow liner and stick to the chipboard. Then, trim off any excess of the adhesive sheet. Unfortunately, only one edge of the 12X12 sheet has an edge to make it easy to peel off the yellow liner. I use a craft knife to LIGHTLY cut through the liner so I can peel it away. When you are through, two cover pieces and one spine piece should be covered with adhesive. Attach the printables to the covers and spine Peel the remaining liner sheet from the adhesive sheet that is on one side of the cover or spine. Add the printable that will be on that side of the chipboard. Continue until all of the printables are on the covers and the spine. Trim off the excess chipboard. Continue until you've added printables to both sides of the covers and spine. NOTE: I add PVA glue on top of the adhesive before adding the spine printables. That is the part of the journal that receives the most stress and have found that this adds strength to the journal. Outside of the covers and spine. Inside of the covers and spine. To cut the covers Refer to your die cutter instructions for how to use the passport die and cutting pads if you have questions after reading the details below. Place the passport die on top of one extended cutting pad. Then lay one of the cover pieces over the part of the Eileen Hull passport die for cutting the cover. Place another extended cutting pad on top and run it through your die cutter. Here is the result of cutting: Repeat with the other cover. Next you'll cut the spine. IMPORTANT: place the spine piece with the side that will be on the outside of the journal face down on the die. That ensures that the score lines (for folding) will be on the outside of the journal, which is necessary for folding the spine. Top with the other cutting pad and run through the die cutter. Here is the result: After you have cut each of the pieces, you're ready to add the eyelet to the spine and assemble the cover. Add an eyelet to the spine (optional) This is easily done with the Crop-a-dile Big Bite, but the regular Crop-a-dile will also work as long as you do this before assembling the cover. Punch a 3/16th of an inch hole in the center of the spine piece, and insert an eyelet. Then use the Crop-a-dile to set the eyelet. Assemble the cover I typically ink the edges of the covers and spine before assembly. But this is optional. Use an awl, a pair of mini scissors, or a large needle to clear out the holes in the spine. Then, fold over the two sides of the spine. Be careful to NOT fold the center score lines at the same time. You will need to decide whether the spine will wrap around the outside of the journal or whether the covers will lie on top of the spine. I prefer the latter because then I can see the entire cover. Plus it adds some contrast to the inside of the journal. Place a length of 1/2-inch Scor tape on the two flaps of the spine. The picture below shows where to put the tape if you are placing the covers on top of the spine. If you are wrapping the spine on top of the covers, place the tape on the back of the spine on the flaps. Remove the tape from one side and top with PVA glue to strengthen the bond, and to give yourself a few seconds of wiggle time. Add the appropriate cover. In this case I'll add the front cover and hold it in place with quilting clips. Repeat with the other side of the spine and remaining cover. Here's what the cover looks like from the inside. When the glue is dry, you're ready to add the elastic cording to hold the signatures. I've written a tutorial that shows this step in the process, that you'll find HERE. The remaining step to complete the journal is to create the signatures. I'll be working on this tutorial over the next week or so. I hope you enjoyed seeing this process. NOTE: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchase.

Disclaimer Notice: I’ve received products/compensation as part of the Eileen Hull's Inspirational Team. This project however, is 100% my o...

And so here we are at the start of yet another month! And of course that means a new challenge at Mini Album Makers , but not just any new ...

Hi everyone and welcome. Last week I shared the progress of my latest mixed media folio journal journey featuring Eileen Hull's 'Mandala' and 'Folio Journal' dies, many of Seth Apter's stamp sets (a mix from PaperArtsy and Impression Obsession) Izink pigment inks, PaperArtsy Fresco Finish Paints and Seth's embossing powders from Emerald Creek Craft Supplies. This week I'm back to share all 18 completed pages, each an individual collage piece in it's own right and bound together inside the Folio Journal covers. A quick reminder that you can see how the basic journal was created here. Some of the pages have circular 'windows' in them which means you can see other pages beneath. In the case of the first page that helps to add to the design. Around that window I've used a die cut of Eileen's 'Mandala' to act as a stencil through which texture paste has been applied along with a coating of Seth Apter's 'Rocky Road' Embossing Powder. Underneath the stencilling a little stamping is visible and layered over the top are two die cut rings of faux rusted card, created using layers of Izink Pigment Inks on top of a base of black gesso. To finish I added fabric/lace scraps, some hand stitching and a word from one of Seth's 'Journal Jargon' stamp sets. The second page has more faux rusted card, this time sanded back to reveal the layers of ink beneath and, in the case of the central circle around the 'window', stamped and clear embossed for added impact. There is more stamping in the background, an extra die cut circle around the window, more hand stitching and another 'Journal Jargon' word. As the pages progress you may also spot the little trail of 'breadcrumbs' (various card scraps) leading the eye from page to page and linking the designs. Following one of Eileen's many FB Live tutorials I've used the 'Mandala' die to emboss another piece of faux rusted card. Here it's been teamed with a piece of Gel Plate printed tissue, cotton lace and some hand stitching. I've continued the Mandala pattern across the page with a little stencilling and added hand stitching to the background. The next page has a heat embossed/stamped piece as the focal point; after stamping the image onto a piece of card and cutting around it I covered the card in layers of 'Rocky Road' Embossing Powder, re-stamping into the final layer to create the deep impression. Re-stamping with Fresco Finish paint made the image stand out even further. Gel Plate printed/stamped tissue, more stamping, more hand stitching and another word completed the layout. This page has a lot going on, with part of a tea stained postcard in the background covered in embossed stamping and hand stitching. On top is layered the die cut 'Mandala' that had previously been used as a stencil and various die cut circles of inked and embossed card. The 'window' reveals part of the page underneath including another 'Journal Jargon' word. The 'window' on the other side also reveals the page beneath and in this case it's the embossed/stamped focal point. More stamping and bits of fabric, lace and card scraps are layered up around the window to add to the design. The die cut circles in centre have been clear embossed to make them stand out against it all. The main elements on this page have been stamped/cut from the faux rusted card, with Gel Printed tissue that has been stencilled in the background alongside some heat embossed vellum. The hand stitching surrounds the 'Journal Jargon' word. For this page the 'Mandala' has been used as a stencil again with the high spots hit with some darker and lighter Fresco Finish paints to emphasise the the design. There's more Izink Pigment Ink rusted card, some embossed stamping, hand stitching and a heat embossed die cut cog shape in the middle along with another of the 'Journal Jargon' words. The corrugated card on the page below has had layers of paste, embossing powder and ink applied before I took the decision to sand it all back and reveal the layers below which produced the blended worn look. After cutting a hole through the middle of the page and stamping the crosshatched circle image I've added a piece of coiled wire, some stitching, a leftover piece of rust coloured lace and a 'Journal Jargon' word stamped on a left over scrap of background paper. The second half of the Mandala embossed card has been added to the reverse side of the coiled wire page. I've used Seth Apter's 'Chunky Rust' Embossing Powder on the circle in the middle, dots have been stamped and embossed to one side and the bands at the top and bottom have been stitched in place. On this page some of the embossed stamping has been done on vellum and more Gel Plate printed tissue used along with hand stitching and lace. Even the 'waste' from the edge of the background paper has been used to trim one side and add more patterning. This page is one of those happy accidents where a bundle of mixed paper and fabric over-stamped several times with in and paint have become a focal point when layered with lace and a stamped dial. The stamping on the bundle has been extended across the page along with the stitching and a lot of the background left exposed to reveal yet more stencilling. This page began with the other half of a Mandala stencilled piece seen previously. This time a larger hole has been punched through the centre of the page to reveal the stamped piece of vellum captured between. More stitching and stamping add to the texture whilst the die cut rings that surrounds the cut out hole have been clear embossed. The next page has been the trickiest to resolve given its asymmetric layout. The layers of heat embossed stamping, die cut circles and stamped vellum sit to one side of the page leaving the rest of the background exposed as on previous pages. I completed it with a 'Jargon Journal' word sat on top of gauze and Gel Plate printed tissue scraps. On this page there's Gel Plate printed tissue, heat embossed stamping down one side, lace, hand stitching and die cut elements included. The stamped circle border has been fussy cut and embossed with a larger stamped circle added over the top to draw the eye down the page. I've used another of the embossed elements as a focal point on the following page, created the same way as the previous one and this time surrounded by some faux rusted card. The Gel Plate printed tissue, fabric and book page paper has been stamped over and heat embossed to compliment the line of hand stitching to the side of it. The second piece of tea stained post card has been used in the background of the next page, over stamped either side of the little 'window' and with lots of layers of fabric, paper, lace and hand stitching underneath. As on previous pages the die cut circles have layers of card stacked beneath them to add to their dimension. The final page combines the other half of the sanded corrugated card along with another die cut 'Mandala'. The circle surrounding the 'window' has been inked and embossed to give the impression that it has been rusted whilst the paper edging, hand stitching and lace once again add to the texture. I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I've filled this Eileen Hull 'Folio Journal'. Make sure to check out the projects and tutorials from the other Inspiration and Educator Team members using Eileen's Chapter 1 dies in imaginative ways - links to their posts can be found on Eileen's blog throughout the month. For now, thanks for visiting, Jenny xxx

I'm so excited to be sharing this project today. The lovely Eileen Hull asked me if I would like to make a journal using her new die - Me? Journals? - of course I would. In fact I've made two but let me share the first one with you. The inspiration for this came whilst planning a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, this is going to be my travel journal whilst I am over there. I can't wait. Her Creative Team have been sharing their fantastic designs this month and I'm very happy to be sharing mine alongside them. THIS is a link to one of Eileen's posts where she has gathered some of them together. Use these steps to create both the front and back covers. 1. Using a palette knife scrape white gesso across both of the covers. 2. Roughly plan where your collages will go, mix ephemera and snippets of left over scrapbook papers to achieve the layered look and then use a stencil to add some texture in the blank spaces. 3. Whilst that is drying mix some fluid acrylics with water to make watery washes - I love using the DecoArt media range as the colour pigment is amazing and goes such a long way, sometimes I only need a pin prick size of paint to create a wash. Try a mixing grid if you want to keep a record of the colours you used. It is impossible to tell you the amounts I added but I will try drop by drop until I get the desired tones and shades. 4. For the next step drip the watery paint, spritz with water and dry each layer until you are happy with the background. 5. Add some texture stamping - use a sponge with the paint to dab onto the stamp for some images and use coffee archival ink for others. 6. Use distress crayons or similar to add more colour and emphasise the stencilled words. Then using the black side of some blending foam gently rub a couple of layers of white gesso over the stencilling to highlight the words again. 7. Use the DecoArt Vintage Decou-page to adhere the chosen patterned papers and ephemera making a collage background as the base for the photo on your front cover and make a smaller one on the back. Seal the papers and the covers by covering the surface with the same antique glue. It dries very quickly. 8. Mix some white gesso with water to make a watery wash and dabble some of it over the collage to unify it and create a lighter background for the image to sit on. 9. Adhere the images and the quote chip. This is going to be a working journal/album so keep the embellishments fairly flat and few of them, you won’t want them getting knocked off as you and other people handle it. 10. Buy Midori inserts or make your own for the inside pages. I used a mix of both and made my own kraft covers for the ones I made. These are 11 cms wide and 21 cms long. Add some pockets, tabs and labels to get you started and ready to take your journal away with you and fill with all your wonderful experiences so that this becomes packed with amazing memories. Three notebooks, the first is a Midori look alike bought online, the second is handmade for keeping ephemera collected on my trip and the third is also handmade with plain papers given a bit of decoration on which to put photographs. Here are the first pages before I start the journal. Section 1 the diary started and ready to be filled in ..... Section 2 clippings/ephemera pages ready to be used. Section 3 photographs - I found an old till roll and just tore it up and added some tissue tape and paper snippets. Inside the covers of the journal itself I made pockets to keep bits and pieces in ..... .... I also created a layer that stretches right across the journal to fit over the top of the pockets, keeping to the same style. Here is that layer with the flaps extended. Wow well done if you've managed to stay with me for such a long post, but there was so much to document. If you are as excited as me about the new die coming out it's great to say it is being shipped in America and we are awaiting deliveries here in the UK. Country View Crafts have it on their website for pre-order and are expecting their delivery later this month and it's such an excellent price too. I must also give you a heads up that I will be using the die when teaching my next workshop for Country View Crafts. Thanks so much for stopping by today. I hope you have been enjoying a wonderful easter weekend. hugs Brenda xxx Thank you Susi for the nudge - I have added this to Art Journal Journey and their Magical Mystery Tour.

In case you haven't heard, the Journal Dies have hit the streets! There has been a ton of interest in this fabulously versatile new die – lots of mind blowing journals are being shared daily. (All month long they are being featured on Eileen Hull's blog and she created a special Pinterest board just for the Journal projects.) I for one have a long list of Journal ideas that I want to make. The possibilities really are endless! At the top of my list was to make a bird watching journal so I can keep track of all the new feathered friends I'm seeing around the yard. We have a lot of action! A beautiful journal is perfect to replace the boring little lined notebook I was using. Bird Watching with style! Inside cover & first signature So grab a drink and sit back, there are lots of photos and a tutorial! One of these days I'll figure out the whole video thing and have a nifty little flip-through for this type of project. ;-) Maybe for the next journal because you can be sure there will be more of these addicting delightful little books. Here's a selection of inside pages. I left lots of empty space so I'd have room to write. I made a little bookmark clip to keep track of where I am in the journal. And now for a bit of a tutorial if you're still with me. Also, Eileen has a great post HERE with instructions and videos on how to assemble a journal (covers, binding and inserts). 1. I carefully selected the parts of the patterned paper (Tim Holtz Wallflower) I wanted to be on the front and back covers. I used Glue n' Seal to adhere the paper to my sheets of matboard before I cut the journal covers out. I did the inking, stamping and stenciling on the inside covers before gluing them together. I could have added the ephemera and diecuts either before or after. Inside of assembled cover I didn't have enough width of my cover paper to entirely cover the spine so I was left with an empty strip after gluing it together. No problem! I just cut a strip of marbled paper that matched the paper I used on the front to fill it in. I like how it accents the front. Outside of assembled cover 2. For the layered cover embellishment, I used one of Eileen's embossing folder/Blends techniques. First, ink the raised portions of the folder (easy to do with the integrated sponge of the Blends ink). Carefully lay the diecut in the embossing folder and then run it through your machine. The ink transferred into the embossed design. I like how it looks grungy and worn. Don't forget to clean up your folder right away. 3. Creating the inside signatures was a lot easier than I thought it would be. I raided my paper stash for a selection of interesting text weight paper to use. I trimmed them to the proper height but only roughly trimmed them to the right width. (They got trimmed all at once after I had stitched them together.) I made a little stack to see how the papers looked together: I stamped the pages before binding them together. Make sure you don't stamp in the edges that get trimmed off! One of my teammates shared this video with us on how to make your own inserts. I found it very helpful and it has clear explanations on binding and trimming the signatures. I chose to use a three-hole pamphlet stitch to bind my inserts. I clipped the pages together to keep them from shifting and carefully poked the holes through the fold. I used button hole thread (a heavy thread) to stitch it. All three signatures ready to go! I flattened them overnight under a pile of heavy books. Eileen mentioned that she ran hers through the Big Shot to flatten them. I added balloon images as a nod to the hot air balloons that fly over our house. I'll have to add sightings of those to my journal as well. ;-) To bind them into the cover I used jute string and honestly just kind of winged it on how I tied them in. I'm not sure I could duplicate it again or explain it lol. Eileen explains several different ways in her videos and you can experiment. I don't think there is really a wrong way to do it! In this first journal I made I used elastic cord which is simple to do. Check out that tutorial for more info. Thanks for stopping by and reading my really really long post! Have a great week and go get creative! The supplies I used for this project can be found at Sizzix or Simon Says Stamp. Follow the links below and a shopping you may go! Sizzix Journal Die Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Journal Sizzix Thinlits Die Set 6PK - Birds & Butterflies Cameo Frame Tim Holtz Sizzix Die CAMEO FRAME Bigz 658570 Tree Line RESERVE Tim Holtz Sizzix TREE LINE Thinlits Die 661604 Tim Holtz Sizzix Die SIZED OVALS Movers Shapers 658567 Fringe Flower Die Set *Tim Holtz Sizzix DISTRESSED DOILY On the Edge Die 657496 Sizzix On the Edge Die - Distressed Doily Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps TINY THINGS CMS164 Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps BIRD FEATHER cms180 Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2015 LEDGER SCRIPT CMS241 Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps CURIOSITIES CMS104 *Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps ROYAL SCRIPT Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2015 TREE LINE CMS244 Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps 2015 FLOWER GARDEN cms215 Tim Holtz Cling Rubber Stamps REMNANTS cms130 Tim Holtz Layering Stencil BIRCH THS069 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash WALLFLOWER 12X12 Cardstock Pack TH93110 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash WALLFLOWER VELLUM TH93148 Sizzix Little Sizzles - 6" x 13" Mat Board Pack, 6 White Sheets Sizzix Paper Leather Sheets - 6" x 6" Assorted Basics, 20 Pack Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera Pack VELLUM THRIFT SHOP TH93149 Tim Holtz Idea-ology Ephemera Pack 2015 EMPORIUM TH93189 Tim Holtz Idea-ology JUTE STRING TH93139 RESERVE Tim Holtz Idea-ology HEX FASTENERS Findings TH93268 Tim Holtz Idea-ology ORNATE PLATES TH92787 *Tim Holtz Idea-ology Metal Word Bands OBSERVATIONS TH93084 InLinkz.com

Eileen Hull has just come out with the most wonderful Journal Die from Sizzix! It was featured earlier this year at her booth at Creativat...

I love to work with metallics and this journal is definitely a study in rich gold hues. I've filmed a tutorial video that takes you through the creation of this cover step by step. I also show you how to string this kind of journal and how to make a fun spine button closure. Metal flower heat embossed with Stampendous Aged Gold Embossing Enamel along with gold toned design papers from Stamperia and Graphic 45 contribute gorgeous vintage golds to the cover. Love these gold embossed flowers. This is a spine button that I use to make the journal's closure. Back of the journal. Supplies Used: Sizzix Journal by Eileen Hull Designs Stamperia Alchemy Paper Collection Graphic 45 Vintage Hollywood Paper Collection 12 x 12 Studio 490 Black Embossing Paste Prima Weaving Stencil 962333 Black Seam Binding Riubbon Metal Flowers Black Gesso Corrugated Cardboard Lindy's Starburst Mist Golden Lump o'Coal Prima Clear Crackle Texture Paste Recollections Metal Swirl Prima Metallique Vintage Gold Wax Stampendous Aged Gold Embossing Enamel Thank you so much for stopping by. Be sure to stop by Eileen's blog often and see the other fabulous projects from her DT.