Labeling our irises has taken up a lot of my time in the last couple of weeks. However, yesterday morning we finally were able to plant part of our church community garden where the harvest will be donated to the local food pantries. It was chilly and windy, but we planted the tomatoes, peppers, and squash. More to do later when the other garden area dries out. Dave posted info and a picture on his blog.
On Earth Day I started several journal projects. We had lots of rain which gave me an excuse to play a little inside for a change. I wanted to make these booklets from supplies I had here and also things I would normally take to the recycle station.
This first one was made from one of our fertilizer boxes. I just love their artwork and have wanted to make something with them. The inside pages, old hanging file folders, were sewn in.
Next I grabbed the Teddy Grahams box from the recycle bin.
I coated the box sides with black gesso. After they dried I painted it with acrylics and then rubber stamped. I like using the rings to bind so I can add pages anytime.
This journal cover was made with watercolor paper that I painted with acrylics. I spent several hours one rainy afternoon playing with my acrylics. I smeared the paint on with my fingers and felt like I was back in grade school playing with finger paints! It was so much fun and I have so many beautiful pieces left. This was bound using the basic 5-hole stitch. Here is one of the tutorials I found on the web. The waxed linen thread is hanging on the outside waiting for me to add some beads.
I’ve been wanting to make a journal for my favorite quotes. This is another 5-hole stitch booklet where I started sewing on the inside so the threads end on the inside. I covered the cardstock with some scrapbook paper, making a neat clean cover.
But the last one is my favorite.
This was made from pieces of corrugated cardboard I tore to reveal the fluting. After it was torn to suit me, I sprayed the cover with Glimmer Mist, a supply I purchased a year or so ago. I never really seemed to get what everyone liked about it. Well, it sure leaves a shimmer to this cover. After it dried I added an acrylic iridescent white. The butterflies are also made of corrugated cardboard and colored with some ink and covered with the acrylic paint. I just love the texture on this project.
Well, that’s all on crafts for today. I’m off to read the paper. My new column, Telling Your Story, is in our Sunday paper today (although the web link is not yet up). It’s all about beginning the process of writing your story.
Happy Mother’s Day to all! Have a wonderful day.
These are sooo nice–very talented 🙂
Great books……….thanks for the inspiration.
Those books are beautiful, that must be a lot of work! My favourites are the first one and the ‘believe’ cover 🙂
Your journals are beautiful and I love that you chose to used re-purposed items. I recycle almost and it’s a great feeling to know that its not filling our landfill. Super job!