Travel Gatefold Folio

I've finally finished this Gatefold Folio that I started working on the end of April.

I'm so happy with how it turned out! This book for my daughter. I told her I would make a book for her and had planned to make it as Christmas gift. Well, that didn't work out. I knew what paper collection I wanted to use, but I didn't know what type of book I wanted to create. 

I purchased this paper collection from Paper Phenomenon called Flight 2715 quite a while before I decided on a project. I finally settled on the Gatefold Folio that Frances Long from Your Book of Memories created. 

It probably wouldn't take a normal crafter as long to finish it as it did for me. Working full-time and only maybe getting an hour or so each evening if that to craft isn't much time. I try to get as much done on the weekends as I can, but that doesn't always pan out either. The good news is that I'm not working anymore so hopefully I will have more time for crafting!

I followed the tutorial pretty much exactly as Frances created it, but there were a few things I did a little differently. After making this, I know that next time I may change up a few other things. That's the beauty of her tutorials. You're mind is always thinking of different ways to either add or take away something. 

I decided to add a collaged piece to the front. I added magnets so that the whole piece just lifts off. 

This is the patterned paper I used of both sides of the spine.



On the back cover I adhered some words I cut apart from the collection.



When you open the folio you see each side and the center.

The left side opens to show a vertical waterfall with a pocket on each side that holds a photo mat.

There are two flaps that open to reveal another pocket with a mat and places for journaling. 

On the right side there's a pocket that opens to reveal a booklet for journaling. 

The first flap opens to the right and reveals two expandable pockets that will hold photos or memorabilia.

The next flap opens to reveal a page that opens to hold more photos.

The flaps with the arrows hold the photo mat in place to keep the page closed.





The next flap opens up to reveal more photo spaces.

There are also two stacked pockets with photo mats inside.

The next flap opens to the right and another one to the left. There is a pocket on each side.

Each pocket holds more photo mats. 

The final page holds a horizontal waterfall.

There's also another pocket to the side that holds a photo mat.

I cut apart one of the sentences on one of the ephemera sheets and adhered it to the back of the waterfall. 

I loved making this Gatefold Folio and will definitely make another one. I love Frances Long's tutorials!

I didn't have a lot of ephemera to decorate with. I spent time looking for stickers and other items prior to and while I was working on this. The paper collection didn't come with any stickers or chipboard pieces. I used the few items I fussy cut out of the paper sheets. The rest of the items I used dies that I had in my stash and a few odds and ends that I picked up either at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Once may daughter adds photos more stickers and ephemera can be added. 

I know this post was a little photo heavy but it's the only way to show each page in detail.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!

8 X 8 Baby Boy Album

 

I finally finished this album!! 

This baby album took a little longer than I anticipated.  My cousins wife saw a baby girl album I made about three years ago. She asked me if I would make one for her son when they had a baby. They are having their first baby in June. I got it finished in plenty of time. 

When you are working on a project and you only have an hour (if even that) at night after work and weekends to work on it, it seems like it takes longer than it should to finish it. I cannot wait for the day when I'm either not working or working part-time so I have more creative time!

I followed a tutorial from Your Book of Memories for this book. I did do a few things a little differently but that's the beauty of tutorials. They are just a guide and you can make whatever your working your own. I want to give a big shout out to Frances from Your Book of Memories because she is an excellent teacher! I will be making more of these books in different themes. 

This post is very photo heavy. I used the paper collection Bundle of Joy from Echo Park for this book. I used two collection kits. From my stash I used white seam binding, string, a die from Sizzix called squares framelits and the double stitched circles from Our Daily Bread. 

For the buttons on the front cover I had a horrible time trying to search through my collection to find just the right ones to use. I finally gave up for the night when I was working on this part because I couldn't make a decision. The next morning I had a brainstorm while having coffee but I could do anything because I had to go to work. All day I thought about what I wanted to do. When I got home I went straight to my craft room and looked for some clear buttons I have from Hero Arts. I glued them to some of the paper scraps. I then went about doing other things I had to get done. Later when I had time to craft I used my craft knife to cut around the buttons and sanded them little. I love how they turned out and they match the collection!

For the frame on the cover, I die cut several pieces using a Sizzix framelits die and stacked them together. The right side is open so a photo can be inserted.

 

I made a tassle of sorts for the spine. 

I love using crinkled seam binding. 

 

I ended up making seven buttons. Four for the cover and three for the spine. 

I didn't wrap the spine like Frances did in the tutorial. 

Sometimes I will use sticky back canvas not the spine, but I liked this one without doing that. 

 

The back cover is pretty plain. I used a cut apart from the collection and mounted it on cardstock.

 

The from inside cover gave me a few issues. 

I had no luck adding the expandable pocket as shown in the tutorial.

I ended up doing it a different way. It worked and I'm happy with how it turned out. 

 

There are many flips and flaps in this book. I love it!

 

 

Lots of pockets and places for tags and photo mats!

 

 

 

There are tons of journaling spots!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The photo above and the ones below are the photo mats that pull out of the pocket on each page.

I've shown both front and back.

 

 

If you are interested in this tutorial, here's a link to it. 

I have to put a few finishing touches on some smaller books I have. 

One I started last October. The book is finished I just have to embellish it. 

After that I'm starting a travel album for my daughter. 

If you follow me on social media, I share updates of my projects as I work them. 

I love this little chunky book! It's kinda heavy too!

Thanks for stopping by!

Christmas Cards 2018

Christmas cards are one of the occasions that I love to create cards for. 

I've downsized my card list considerably. I used to attempt to make every card I sent out different. This year I decided to do something different for me. I created a small amount of one card design and then moved on to another design. 

I created these wreaths but changed up the background paper for each card. I didn't purchase any new Christmas cardstock this year. I just used what I had on hand. All of the cards shown below with the exception of the snowflake cards use Tim Holtz Idea-ology Paper Stash Tidings cardstock. I've had it for awhile and I love it. It's pretty much used up. I'll have to see if I can find another pad of it or see what other Christmas cardstock Tim Holtz has available. I love his products because they are so vintage. 

For my wreaths I die cut circles using the Double Stitched Circles from Our Daily Bread. All of the greenery was die cut using Sizzix Thinlits products. I used Tim Holtz Alterations Retro Merry Christmas, Holiday Words: Script - Christmas and Garden Greens. I used some miscellaneous poinsettia's that I picked up last year at Hobby Lobby. 

I did make my own poinsettia's using a Sizzix die. After I had them all together and I had sprinkled some Papericious Frosting Powder on them, I didn't like them. I just set them aside for another project. 

I used glitter cardstock for the sentiments. 

After the wreaths had been assembled I splattered them with Perfect Pearls. This card was my favorite!

For the next card I used the same paper. 

I heat embossed the sentiments using Hero Arts Gold and Silver embossing powder. 

All of the sentiments are from the Stampers Anonymous Tim Holtz Mini Doodle Greetings stamp set.

I bought this set and the larger set last year and this is the first time I've used them!

I added a strip of Tim Holtz Idea-ology gold deco tape to each card. 

For the greenery on my cards I used Concord and 9th's Take A Bough Die. 

I used Rangers Tim Holtz Distress collage medium that I spread on with a brush and then sprinkled on frosting powder from Papericious. I first saw this stuff at a stamp show I went to this past summer at the Heartfelt Creations booth. The poinsettia is from Hobby Lobby. 

This card again uses the same paper as the two cards shown above.

For the sentiment I diecut Merry Christmas using the Sizzix Tim Holtz Alterations Retro Christmas die. The greenery is Holiday Greens and Garden Greenery. The same dies I used above on the wreath card. For both cards I added Ranger Ruby Red Liquid Pearls to the Kraft colored cardstock. I again spritzed perfect pearls over the greenery. 

For my snowflake cards I heat embossed snowflakes using the Simon Says Stamp Lots of Snowflakes stamp set. I stamped them with Distress Oxide ink in evergreen bough and then used Hero Arts clear embossing powder. 

I cut a strip of patterned cardstock from a paper pad by The Paper Studio called Old World Winter.

I added a strip of Tim Holtz Idea-ology gold deco tape.

The stamp and die are from WPlus9 called Hand Lettered Holiday. 

I cut three Merry die cuts. Using one I added VersaMark several times and kept heat embossing it with Hero Arts gold embossing powder until I was satisfied with how it looked. I then adhered three die cuts together. I then stamped the Christmas sentiment and heat embossed it with gold embossing powder. 

I happened to be up in Plymouth last Saturday so I popped into Anchor Paper.

I found this die from Hero Arts called Snowflakes & Ornaments Fancy Die. 

There's another piece to the die so that you can make the snowflake look like an ornament.

I chose not to use that piece for this card. 

I watercolored two pieces of cardstock. One with Distress ink in candied apple and one in mowed lawn for each card. I die cut the circle snowflake out of the candied apple cardstock and then adhered it to the mowed lawn cardstock. 

I then die cut three circles for each card using white cardstock and the double stitched circles die from Our Daily Bread. After adhering them together I added them to the front of the card piece around the snowflakes.

I added a few silver sequins to the front of each card and they were done!

I still have a few cards that I'm working on but this is the majority of the cards I made this year. 

I'll post any others I send out in another post. 

Thanks for taking the time to stop by!