With all the excitement of the new Occasions Catalogue and the Sale-a-Bration promotion I sometimes forget the stamp sets and embellishments that I already have in my stash. I found these notebooks at Kmart for $3 AUD and had the idea to transform one of them into an Art Journal and the other into a Birthday Book. I immediately thought of the Timeless Textures stamp set to create the background along with some Embossing Paste, ribbons and sequins. The Art Journal is a idea that I picked up from Jennifer McGuire where you jot down any ideas that you have for cards or projects, or keep a reference of an idea that you like from a project made by someone else. I do not know about you, but I usually forget where I have seen a great idea and have to try and find it again when I want to recreate it or something similar. The Art Journal is perfect for keeping a record, it is also a great reference tool when you are looking for some inspiration. Another alternative is to change the word 'ART' to 'MY' and to can create a great little gift for someone who likes to keep a journal or diary. To create the background I took a piece of Crumb Cake cardstock 5" x 7 3/4" and dragged the White Craft Ink Pad down the cardstock piece. I dried this with the heat gun to speed up the process. The coffee stain image from the Timeless Textures stamp set was then stamped randomly using Archival Basic Black ink. The fleur-de-les image was then stamped randomly using Crumb Cake ink. The distressed edge image was stamped around the edge of the piece using Soft Suede ink. The next layer was then added using the Pattern Party Decorative Masks and Embossing Paste. Once this was dry the dot image from the Timeless Textures stamp set was stamped randomly with Versamark ink and Copper Embossing Powder added and heat set. The same image was then stamped randomly with Archival Basic Black ink. This background piece was matted onto a piece of Basic Black cardstock 5 1/4" x 8", then adhered to the front of the notebook. Ribbons were tied down the spine, I used Copper Trim, Basic Black Shimmer, Lace Trim and Burlap (this was cut in half). The word 'ART', using the Letters for You stamp set, was stamped in Archival Basic Black ink on Very Vanilla and cut out using the Large Letters Framelits. The edges were inked with Crumb Cake. This was adhere to the notebook front. I then stamped the word 'Journal', using the Labeler Alphabet stamp set, Archival Basic Black ink and Very Vanilla cardstock. This was trimmed to fit across a corrugated oval from the Corrugated Shapes embellishments. A piece of Cooper Trim 10" long was teased apart and trimmed to fit behind the corrugated oval. A button from the True Gentleman Buttons was added with a double Linen Thread bow. Copper sequins from the Metallic Sequin Assortment were added to finish. For the Birthday Book I made the background the same and the ribbons on the spine. The word 'BOOK', using the Letters for You stamp set, was stamped in Archival Basic Black ink on Very Vanilla and cut out using the Large Letters Framelits. The edges were inked with Crumb Cake. This was adhere to the notebook front. The word 'Birthday' was made using the Happy Birthday Thinlits and Basic Black cardstock. This was adhered to the notebook front. Copper sequins from the Metallic Sequin Assortment were added to finish. For the inside I divided the book into 12 equal parts and made tabs for each month using the Tabs for Everything and the Labeler Alphabe stamp sets and the Circle Tab punch. If you live in Australia you can get all the supplies you need for this project from me. You can place an order online and join in the fun with the On-line Club or Contact Me and place an order. SHOP WITH ME! Thank you for visiting. Carolyn Share:facebook - twitter - pinterest Altered Notebook