Prayer Books

Hello Everybody,

A while back I realized that I when I prayed for people I would forget a few folks here and there.  So if I thought about someone's mom on the way to the grocery store-I would go ahead and say my prayer in transit.  However, I wanted everyone corralled together.  So I thought of a prayer book.  Just a little notebook that would have people I wanted to prayer for in one place.  And when their situation was resolved I would put a little check by their name.

So I was at Staples when I found these books for a $1!  Then as I was looking at them at the store I decided to buy 10 of them-one for each member of my Bible study and an extra or 2.

So then I was inspired by the challenge at Lessology.  The challenge is to incorporate a book and either a recycled or upcycled item.  Either these $1 books are upcycled and the old dictionary paper is the book part or I am upcycling the old dictionary pages and the notebooks are the book part.  ;)  Also, I looked up images on the Silhouette regarding prayer.  I fell in love with this little praying angel lady.  :)  And here is how these books got made...

Here is one notebook.  The cover is plastic.

I did some online research and saw something like this could work.  It's what I had.  Also, Golden gel medium would work (which I did not have).  I tried gloss gel medium and that was not successful.  The trick is to put a lot of this glue down on the cover.  Also that is old dictionary paper that has already started turning old paper color-LOL!

Here are the finished prayer books.

I used vintage photo distress ink around the edges of all of the boos.  On a couple I added Dusty Concord (purple), Broken China, and Gathered Twigs.  For the halo I used Krylon 18K gold leafing pen.

Here's a closeup using vintage photo distress ink and broken china.

Here's one with just the vintage photo ink.

Dusty Concorde...

The background pages came from this old Encyclopedia of Dictionaries.  It makes me giddy thinking that this big o' book is a 2 in 1! ;)  

Thanks for stopping by!  Until next time my friends....ahhh I love the smell of old books! :)

My Latest Obsession

Hello Everybody!

Happy New Year!  As I am writing this it is already the 4th.  How did that happen?  ;)

I haven't posted too many things because I have been consumed by one project--my December Daily.  It all started when I was looking at one of the Simon Says challenge blogs (the Monday challenge I think) and one of the DT's project was the cover of her December Daily.  Of course I had to know what that was and a few clicks later I was here at Ali Edwards.  A book documenting everyday up until Christmas.  25 Days--I can totally do that!

So I got through my albums box.  Yes I have a box of small albums that are empty.  That either people gave me or I bought with the great intentions of filling them.  Now they are in a box waiting for an occasion like this.

So I chose this Melissa Francis Christmas Tree shaped album.  The tallest part is about 11 inches or so.

Here it is with the pages fanned out.

 Here it is with the cover decorated.  :)  I gessoed the outside and insides.  I have a pearl white paint from Close to My Heart that I added concentrated Mowed Lawn Distress ink to-that created the green color.  I stamped with a handwriting stamp and a new stamp set I got at Christmas.  My sister got me the Tim Holtz Bitty Grunge set and it has a bubble wrap polka dot stamp in it that I used here.  The love is from October Afternoon (a long time ago).  I used a Forest Green Staz On Ink for the darker ink that you see.

I also used some stamps from a set that I won from Rubber Stamp Tapestry called Pen and Ink.  They have different dots on them and they are so fun to use!  The stamp is on a wooden cylinder piece that you almost hold like a pen.  It's awesome and that is what I used going up the spine of the cover.

I used light modeling paste and a Tim Holtz stencil for the hexagons.  The paste picked up the green-pretty cool.  The numbers are from Tim's Die 25 Noel.  The Noel was too big so I just used the numbers.  I covered them with Martha Stewart texture Then I painted them with TH distress paint in silver.  Then  I outlined them with red paint from Americana.  I tied a Prima ornament embellishment to finish it off.

Here is the inside of the first page.  On just the gesso I wrote a little note.  I started this on November 30 because that is when we put up the tree.

Here is a spot in the middle.  We had done so much one day I made a little fold out to hold more pictures.  And on the opposite page is a pocket.  There is black and white twine attached to a picture behind the green square paper.

Here's the back page.  I covered the back cover with some Tim Holtz paper that was like a collage.  It saved me time from trying to make a collage LOL ;)

Oh and the wise men on the bottom.  That idea was from God.  I was at church this past Sunday listening to the sermon-and no lie I saw this stamp on the bottom of my 25th page.  It was my only page left.  :)  I even used black embossing powder for them.  That's the only heat embossing image in the book.

Here is the book with both outside covers.  Please forgive me for not taking pictures of everything.  It is way late now and I am just happy that my December Daily 2013 was completed way before December 2014 :)

Thank you for stopping by!  Until next time my friends---let's dust of last year's resolution ;)  

Regular Composition Books turned Beautiful Journal Books!

Hello Everybody!  Happy Friday!

I hope everybody got their composition book!  Now are you ready to play?

First get out your paints!

Here is my plain o' book...

Now I am applying paint.  This is the first time I used white.  I used a tan color before.

Time for a 2nd coat!

I didn't like the way the white turn out in its entirety.  So I could have put a 3rd coat on...but really I am ready to decorate!  So here is what my book looks like now.

This is the best part!  Decorating!  I used Mod Podge.  I tried to used regular Elmer's (as you see in the background), and it was just a little thick.  The Mod Podge comes out sorta fast, and I wasn't waiting!  I applied the Mod Podge with a foam makeup applicator.  I think they are cheaper than other applicators.  I have put chalk on projects with them as well.  Depending on what you are working on, you can also cut them in half to make them go a little further.

K&C Company--this is one of my favorites--die cut pieces are pictured below.  If you want the specific line, email or leave a comment because I would need to look it up.  These are definitely going on my book!

I don't care for how the paint turned out.  But it needed to be painted either way.  I also painted the edges.  Here I started putting the papers down.  I am going for a shabby chic theme so I don't know how this may finish.  I went to my scrap box and pulled papers that reflected the theme I wanted. 

What is so fun about this project is that if you want it to be Halloween..get out the orange and black.  If you want different kinds of butterflies, go for it!  You are only restricted by your creativity!

I cut the pink paper with decorative edged scissors but in the end it didn't matter.  How you lay down your papers does matter.  If I really wanted the edge to show, I would've need to lay it down last.  Also, if you use a vellum or handmade paper it can show what paper is overlapping.  You may not want that.

The watering can is floating around because I love it!  And don't want to lose it :)

So I added the grey and white which is Making Memories.  Then I added the light green at the top.  There is a yellow piece and then the silver hearted handmade paper.  If you look close you can see the green and grey papers peaking from behind the white handmade paper.    It's ok.  But next time I will be a little more thoughtful and probably put that underneath the heavier papers.

I added a square above the MM grey and white paper.  And I added a saying from the K&C Company die cuts at the bottom.

I am liking how this is starting to come together.  I paint the edges white.  I didn't bring the paper to the edge.  I don't know why, I just didn't.  By painting the edge white, you don't notice where the paper stops, and it looks finished.

So what kinds of things are you going to put on your book?  I started with this Jenni Bowlin rub-on.  I used my bone folder to apply the rub-on.  Many times they come with popsicle sticks, and those are great to use, too.

Then I was in the zone and didn't take any more photos until I was done.  But here is what I did:

Stamped a brown bird case that says "fly" on a light brown patterned paper and put it over the decorative square. 

Took 2 birds from the die-cut collection and put them above the bird house.

Added the butterfly on the left using pop dots so it is hovering.

Wrote 2011 on a pink ticket and placed it on the right corner.

Added 3 felt buttons in the middle.

Added a saying along the grey and white paper.

Added a velvetish flower at the bottom of the handmade paper.

Glued down my vintage watering can.

Glued down a few circle die-cuts.

Basically, the front cover is done.

I painted the back outside panel.  I may or may not embellish it further.  And I will paint both insides of the book.

Unfortunately, I was a little sloppy when I painted the front cover of my book.  I got paint on the first page.  So I trimmed off the painted part (luckily just along the edge) with decorative scissors.

I used a pink ink pad to highlight the cut and the edge of the first page.  It makes a nice gentle decoration.  If you are giving this to someone, this is a great dedication page to them.  You could put in a picture of the two of you and write a sweet message.  Sign your art work also!  And don't forget the date!

Here are a couple of other books I have done.  These both have corresponding inside pages that were done.  I didn't do the back pages probably because I was keeping them.  So I'm sorry I don't have finished images of that.  But you could paint it, put one piece of paper that fits and write "The End" on it (or use stamps, stickers, die-cuts, etc.) 

This is my creative journal.  I use it a good bit.  There is the occasional grocery list in there too.  The green trim is beat up because of my cat :)

The inside.  This is just one sheet of paper.  They are not different recipes, but you could do that if you wanted!

This is a question book and our answers.  When we go on long trips we have questions like, "If you could live anywhere--where would it be?"  And we put our name, date and answer down. 

The inside.  The owl is a stamped image cut out.

 I hope that you have enjoyed this project!  Until next time!