French Country Journal

Hi beautiful

Over the summer on the hot days, I've been enjoying some papercraft. This past couple of weeks, the leftovers of my French Country papers and stickers and recycled manilla folders have come together to make a journal.

Cover

The manilla folder card formed the base pages (6"x 8") with the Graphic 45 papers and ephemera providing the magic. I machined stitched the borders of feature pages and used a variety of pockets and tags. 

Pockets and tags

Sunflowers

Stitched pocket

Lots of journaling spots tucked away.

For a flip through the journal, check out the video, French Country Journal.

And would you believe, I still have tags left! Another album for another day......

Love

Cara

Diving into my stash

Hi beautiful

Making Christmas cards recently left me with the hankering for more paper crafting, so it was time to dive into my stash. Hey presto! Some leftover card stock from the Graphic 45 collection, "By the Sea" caught my eye.

It's summer and my thoughts turn often to the beach and swimming in the surf! What better theme to use for a journal than "By the Sea" and what wonderful papers to use! 

I wanted to keep the journal simple, no planning required. (It was hot, I needed to stay calm and cool!)  I had a few pages left in an 8" pad, lots of tags and 3 sheets of 12". The album therefore was to be 8" x 8". So the feature pages became this:

More writing space needed! I added different plain pages - drawing paper, Kraft paper, printed watercolor paper, layout paper, all great for doodling over, painting etc. Lots of pockets with little booklets, cards.

Side pocket with envelope

Side pocket with note

Belly band with large envelope

Booklets, extras inside envelope

Belly band with envelope

Contents of envelope

I managed to keep this journal relatively plain and simple. Lots can be added as I use it. I'm looking forward to recalling and recording my "By the Sea" holidays and outings, past and in the future.

So much fun to make and to use! 

Have fun this holiday season.

Love and lightness of being to you.

Cara

Family File folder album - part 1

Originally published in July 2015. Some minor edits 1/3/16.

Hi!

I have a few craft projects on the go; nothing unusual there! One of these is the family file folder album. I have yet to finish it with photos and journaling as well as the cover. It's a combination of two of my loves - paper craft and family history.

So here's Part 1.

The basic album has been constructed using tidbleger75 PDF tutorial (https://youtu.be/Mpt6Z3fqYPo) and Laura Denison's stacked deck hinge technique (https://youtu.be/5Z_6pe2ZhDI. Both were nice and easy to follow.

I used Kaisercraft double sided papers in the main with some other papers from various vintage collections. Below are the pages. Some pages have fold out flaps. I'll show these in Part 2. 

First page

Some photos added

Last page

I also made a video showing the pages as they are at this stage.

https://youtu.be/zTvnwVqAmCY

Enjoy your creating! 

Love Cara

Family History Mini Album

Hi Beautiful

It's a rainy day here today which is so delightful after the heat and intense sun of the past few weeks. Perfect timing for me to record and publish a clip showing the finished (at last!) mini album of one of the families in my tree.

I posted the bare structure of the album last September. Here's the link.
Family File folder album Part 1

Since then I've worked on the album off and on. Yesterday I finished it. It's a "no frills" album which suits the sensible and practical nature of the family being documented. I'm satisfied with its look and feel, being sturdy and practical.

Cover

Let me take you through the album. Family History Mini Album

Enjoy!

Love Cara

Envelope mini album - Month diary

Hi kindred crafters

A few days ago I bought myself the Envelope Punch Board from We R memory keepers. I've eyed off this little beauty for over a year and finally succumbed. It's been such fun to play with. I've been finding some great inspirations for its use on you tube. 

Here's the one I did today, inspired by Sunshine Creations and Crafts. (http://youtu.be/ahNcsKUviwQ)

Thanks for the idea!

 

Front and back covers.

 

Inside each page is a journaling card. Here are two. I hope to do a short video clip in the next few days - this will show all the inserts.

Materials used:

Papers - Kaisercraft Hopscotch.

Plain white envelopes

Cards - various from stash

Scotch Duct tape for binding spine.

There's lots more fun to be had with the Envelope Punch Board.

Enjoy creating.

Love Cara

Inspired by photo folders

Today I started working on the inserts for my most recent mini file folder album. I knew I wanted to use envelopes in some way, so began with the cardstock used in the album - Kaisercraft 75 cents. 

That worked for the front of the envelope. (Postcard front in image below).

While ferreting around in my stash, I glimpsed the box of old family photos. Lid off, immediately the colour of old photo folders got my attention. Soon I was photocopying these wonderful memory holders! 

Hours later I had made up replicas of two of them and used the front cover of another as decoration on the back of the envelope. In the photos, they look like the real thing. 

There are so many possibilities with the ephemera I have in the family history collection. Inspiration is endless! I'm excited!

Mini album opened with 3 examples using copies of photo folders.

 

Back of envelope. A pocket sits behind the image.

Inside of Kodak folder. I made a pocket to slip tags etc.

Inspiration is all around us. We just have to open our eyes. 

Cara

Stitching and staining

The last few weeks I've been playing around with a range of mini albums which use stitched binding and coffee staining for that vintage effect.

Ageing paper by coffee staining paper was certainly fun. I used large sheets of watercolour paper (thin variety) for the papers and painted the coffee solution with a wide brush on one side of each page. About 3 teaspoons of coffee in about a third of a cup of boiling water gave a reasonably dark look. In the hot sun, it didn't take too long for a side to dry. I then painted the reverse side. I experimented with real coffee mug rings on some of the pages and splattered with a flick of the brush on other pages.

Coffee staining on page

Three pages, folded and ready for stitching.

The pages when dried are wonderfully crackly! Great texture. I added some stamping of text randomly to add further interest. Pages were scored and folded, with three in each signature. 

The cover, made from a recycled manilla folder and wrapping paper was prepared with eyelets. End papers using the "aged" paper were adhered. 

Cover with eyelets ready for stitching

Cover showing eyelets

Each signature was stitched to the spine. 

First page

The basic album is now ready to use and embellish. I plan to feature a great aunt using her sewing bits and pieces and photos. The vintage pages will give a great background.The old buttons on the outside spine are from her button stash.

Finished album

Spine decorated with buttons

I have the bug now ... currently working on another album using recycled calendar. 

So many possibilities.... 

Take care, Cara.

Birthday booklet

Always wanting to try something different for a birthday greeting, I combined a miniature book and matchboxes for a sweet 15 year old.

Here is the finished book. 

Book tied with ribbon

The book opens to reveal a pocket holding two tags on the left inside cover and two matchboxes on the right hand inside cover. 

This was so much fun to make! Help from the following tools :-)

Dies: 

• Book: Susan's Garden by Susan Tierney Cockburn (Bigz XL)
• Matchbox: Tim Holz's Movers and Shapers (Bigz L)

Papers:

• Project Life - Becky Higgins: Sunshine edition (American Crafts)

Hearts made from moulds (long time ago!) stamped with butterfly stamp.

Other bits and pieces from "the stash". 

Potpourri in drawers; pearl studded spine

Drawer knobs even

 Wishing you happy days creating for those you love.

Cara

Stationer's Desk Mini Album

Today I finished another mini album, this time using the Prima papers, Stationer's Desk. The papers are a luscious vintage style and highlight all the wondrous stationery accessories of yesteryear - sealing wax, mucilage, dip pens, ink etc etc.

I used the Kaisercraft card stock (Licorice) for each of the folders which were then glued back to back to form the album contents. These were encased in the cover made from chipboard covered with Kraft Boutique paper (Francheville) and the fabric covered spend binding.

I've included a sample of some of the pages.

Cover

Left: Vertical pocket; Right: Flap in centre

Fold out flaps at top

Flaps top and bottom on left side

Tags with wax seal tassels

Always fun to create an album from scratch. This one evolved with each page. Looking forward to adding photos and comments on the theme of stationery.

Till next time, enjoy the moments....

Love C

Mini book

Inspired by Julie Fei-Fan Balzer's post in 2007, I tried out her booklet plan using just one page of 12" x 12" and lots of bits and pieces from my leftover / recycle stash. Here's the end result!

Front cover

The front cover uses washi tape for the binding, embossed watercolour sheet, metal flower for a clasp and gelli plated paper wrapping around from the back cover.

Page 1-2

Remaining pages use a mix of clothing tags, postcards, stencilled and painted pages, collage, gelli plate, seals, rub ons. Essentially anything to hand in my "collect all the bits and pieces" box.

Back cover

A cute little booklet measuring 3" x 4". A great way to use up those bits and pieces!!

Have fun!