Happy Monday, everyone!
I know, you've seen this cover before. LOL Incidently, the cover is also upside down. What you see is actually the back cover - in reverse. Been one of those weeks and always is when I'm expecting Bob home. I promise to show a right side up version on the flip through.
Today's video is a bit about the journals I hope to 'finish' this month though with Bob home until the 25th and all the stuff we have to get done, I'm betting not a lot gets accomplished on any of them until after he leaves.
Okay.. so the journal itself is not 'done' but I have completed all of the challenges - and On Time! I'm hoping to start a new trend.
I had planned to upload this over the weekend but my sister and I were just having too much fun setting things up for the March challenge... the Spring Stashbuster Challenge #SSBC I only got on the laptop once in five days!
Aside from little tasks around the house on this glorious day, putting this slide show together on Kizoa has taken me several hours.
First, I learned how to add text to the images! That helps a long way in showing you what each slide is about.
Then, after a call into their help line and clearing my cache, I was able to finally get all 30+ photos set to a movie slide. This is the result. I hope you enjoy my journal. I love how it turned out. Now that the challenge is over, I'm still finding other things in my studio to include. The final product will be a work in progress.
FYI - I'd recorded an actual video for YouTube but my clipchamp editing program isn't recognizing the MOV.file I have a call into Alex at clipchamp to see if I can get that fixed. Otherwise, this is the only visual of the completed album. I suggest clicking on the full screen icon in the bottom right corner of the video to open to a larger view.
Today, I'm showing off the tags from the last mini- challenge as well as how the cover came together. I hope to do a walk-through later this week via video. However, Bob came home last night. He's only home for two weeks so I may just focus on the 'have to do' posts until then. I do know a new challenge will go up later this week.
Tag fronts. The one on the far left is actually a shaker tag.
Tag backs, front to back in the same order as the ones above.
I wanted to use this Tim Holtz fabric and loved this postal print.
This fabric from my stash, while cotton, has the look of a Victorian carpet bag fabric.
Next, I did get the signatures done (3), sewn into a hidden spine then the final cover on.
Fabric seaming the natural-toned linen fabric for the front/ back covers
The front cover.
You can't see the pearl accents from The Paper Studio in the upper right corner very well in the photo. That should show up better in the video.
fabric clips
These were pieces I clipped away from the floral I used on the front cover. I took a piece of fabric and backed with fusible web. While I could have glued the floral fabric to the front, I wanted the fusible web more for stability so that I could fussy cut the image. These pieces are ones I chose to snip away. I can use them as accents on pages/ pockets within the journal.
With Bob home, I'm not sure I'm going to get to work on this much the rest of the week before the next challenge goes up. I'm hopeful. I am looking forward to what Julie has in store for March.
For anyone who says crafting is a sedentary life, I have news. I racked up over 12,000 steps on two different days last week as well as 13,000 yesterday. Craft and Move!
I really hope to do a video tomorrow or Wednesday. I'm still pulling items. Pulling, dying stuff over the weekend. Not sure if the tea dying is allowed. I know we could use coffee/tea-dyed but I didn't have any. I'd never dyed papers before and it's something that I wanted to try and would fit perfectly in this Victorian tea-themed journal. I spent most of Saturday dying items. Today, some of them will take a bit of a press.
This is photo-heavy as I walk you through the items we were allowed for EACH signature and the charms I made for the second mini challenge. Let's start with those.
The cool thing about the mini- challenges is that we are not bound by parameters. We can use anything we want as long as they include fabric. This is a FABRIC junk journal challenge, after all.
I loved putting these together:
Because we could use anything, I could use whatever tools I wanted. This gave me the opportunity to use the new Tea Time Framelits dies (free with a $100 purchase from our catalogs/ clearance) from the Stampin' UP! Sale A Bration catalog as well as the coordinating Tea Together stamps from the Occasions Catalog. If you need a refresher in the bead shopping, you'll find that HERE
Okay.. the pictures of items for my signatures. I've decided based on the multiple things we are to include, that three signatures will be plenty.
5 Copy Paper
5 assorted from the following:
Ledger
Mulberry
Tissue
Vellum
Five light-weight scrapbook/ digital:
I've had this package for years, just waiting for the perfect project.
Five from each of the following:
Five plain cardstock:
Five printed cardstock. This one confused me a bit. Julie pulled from a paper pad, calling it printed cardstock. So, while all of the items look like traditional scrapbook paper, they all came from a variety of three different paper pads:
Five assorted card/ index/ greeting:
Tea-dyed large index cards. The MemoryDex belong in the 5 for the whole journal category. The 5 'cards' in the front were cut from the back of the calendar I pulled the pages from. I also found some vintage greeting cards last night I can pull into this one.
Bags and envelopes
For the remainder of the Five for the WHOLE Journal, I've not pulled those yet. I should have them to show next Monday as well as how the signatures come together.
One more picture. Our final mini-challenge is to make five tags. All must include fabric. I cut the tags in two different sizes from the Tim Holtz tag dies. One of the frames (haven't decided on the size) will be turned into a shaker card.
So my projects for this week is to do the tags and put my signatures together. I still haven't put my cover together. I think while I have the iron out today, I'll get fusible adhesive on the floral sections I want to use as cut-outs so I can get the cover finished and the signatures in place.
I will have Teapot Tuesday cards up tomorrow. I need to catch up to the one from last week. A very special story to share, as well as the one for this week.
I am really excited about my current mixed media project. For one, this project has a deadline. I have until February 28th to complete this journal. To make this more fun, there are mini challenges along the way - with deadlines. Each of the mini's have to be done by the Friday following their posting. Let me tell you about the project then I'll show you where I am right now. I had intended to have a video for you today but I did not get all of the supplies pulled yesterday in time to film. That is on my list for today.
The project is called the February Fabric Junk Journal Challenge - #FFJJC if you want to look for pictures on social media.
Each month Youtuber, DearJulieJulie posts a month-long challenge. In January they did a junk journal challenge using junk mail (I didn't see that one). But this February challenge got my attention. I have TONS.. or should that be TUBS of fabric I've been wanting to sift through and do up some things. That's one of the bullet points on my 2019 UFO list.
I'm posting the video here if you'd like to check out what we're up to. There is still time to join in.
Okay.. this list is going to be a bit long, but this is what I will be pulling today:
We can use ANY fabric. I've already pulled mine except for the fabric for my cover.
We must include
15 Fabric Functions.. meaning these items must be made from fabric:
1 - fabric cover
1 - fabric flip (I'll show this in a future video)
1 - fabric page
2 - different fabric edges (can NOT be lace. has to be made from fabric)
2 - different fabric tuck spots or pockets
4 - different fabric tags
4 -different fabric embellishments
While Lace/ Tulle and ribbon are not fabric, we can use those in any way.
Paper Items (for EACH signature and we can have as many signatures as we want)
5 - pens - any color/ type (if we use a multi-color pen, that counts as 1)
4 - washi
2 - colors of thread (if using a machine with different color bobbin/ top that is your two)
5 - Total (flowers/ erasers/ buttons/ beads)
5 - Total (pins/ eyelets/ washers/ 6" wire
Items for the cover - book/ box/ craft board, etc)
Any Ruler
Stapler and staples
Iron and ironing board
Any type of glue (this includes adhesive backed trim and wonder under)
Any type tape
Gesso & brush
Mod podge
4 stencils
4 sprays
Binding Kit
Our first Mini Challenge was to make a tassel. All of the challenges must include fabric.
Here's mine:
You'll notice the tea charms. My book is going to have a Victorian tea theme. I initially tied the charms on the narrow ribbons in the tassel but would prefer a chain charm.Our second mini challenge is to make up to 10 dangles/ clips. I didn't have any chain in my beading box. A trip to Hobby Lobby on Saturday and their 50% off some of the jewelry lines took care of that!
I also added some Tim Holtz items:
I spent most of yesterday clearing out my beading box, which I hadn't touched but probably twice in over 12 years.
I have a standards size bead/ embroidery thread style box with chunk charms and a couple of small bead boxes from $Tree for the smaller items. The 2 smaller boxes fit down in the center of the bead box.
I've put the first coat of gesso on my book cover. I will be using fabric but the original cover is black and I'm positive that would show through the fabric. I'll add a second coat later. I'm thinking 3 signatures, possibly 5. Whatever I will need to fill the spine space in the cover. My other project for today is to tea-dye the 5 sheets of copy paper. I already have the tea steeping.
I haven't forgotten the Whispers of Me. The tote I thought contained all of my saved items to make that journal, isn't where I thought.. and this fabric journal has a deadline so it's what I'll be showing you this month.
