GD: Lelainia Lloyd Project #2 Journey Tag Book

"Hello everyone, Lelainia here with my next project as Guest Designer. I’ve learned that if I don’t write things down, I won’t remember them! What better way to help keep organised than by creating a small tag book to jot down all those important thoughts, ideas and dates"?

 These giant #10 size Manila Tags (8 ½ x 4 1/8) lend themselves perfectly to this!

I started by laying a thin coat of Turquoise paint down on a piece of ephemera. I just squirted the paint right onto the paper and used my brayer to spread it out.

I let it dry completely and then applied a layer of the London Bus paint the same way.

This is where I worked quickly because once the paint was spread out, I used a very soft bristled brush and flicked large drops of water all over the paper. I wasn’t very careful about it-I just kept dipping the brush in water and flicking it over the paper. Now came the hard part: just letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. The water will pull up the top layer of paint as it sits, revealing the layer below in a very splotchy, painterly way.

Once it had a chance to sit, I used a sheet of paper towel to dab at the watermarks. You want to be sure to dab, rather than wipe, to have the effect work properly. 

This technique works best using two paints that are high contrast to one another so you can really see the reveal. I gave the paper a quick blast with the heat gun to make sure it was dry.

Next I took the tag and using a stylus and my ruler, scored the folds to turn it into a book. I lay the tag so that the side with the hole was on the left. I measure from that edge, inwards ¾ of an inch and scored. Measuring ½ inch further in from that score line, I scored another line.

From the right side, I measured inwards, 3 ¼ inches and scored a line. From that line, I measured another ½ inch inwards and scored it. Using my bone folder, I folded and creased all the lines.

Next I covered the tag using the painted paper I’d made. I generously applied UHU glue stick and lay the tag on the wrong side of the painted paper. I just let the pattern fall where it may-I like things wabi sabi. I smoothed the paper with my bone folder to make sure everything was adhered properly and then trimmed the excess paper away. I did the same thing to cover the inside of the tag as well.

I used EEV06 and ESN10 with Black StazOn Ink and Martha Stewart Snowflake Ink to add some extra yummy layers {Of course you could use Snowflake Fresco Paint to create the same effect} .

 EEV06

ESN10

I took the "Journey" metal tag from the Prima Mechanicals Plate and Label Set and using my finger applied a bit of Turquoise paint. I used a paper towel to wipe most of it away and then applied some Snowflake and Hey Pesto paint and wiped it away too. The idea was to make the metal plate look antiqued.

Next I cut some 6 ½ x 4 inch pages for inside the book and folded them in half, making a good crease with my bone folder. I did 3 signatures of 8 pages each. I used a simple 3 hole stitch to sew them in. There are some instructions for that here which you can print off and follow.

I finished the cover by gluing the Journey plate to the front, being careful to make sure it didn’t end up under the little fold over on the cover. 

I looped a 12 inch piece of pretty fibre through the hole to hold the book closed. I like books that have a flap and a fibre loop because as I fill them up, the can get quite stuffed. The flap and the fibre loop helps to keep it all together. Another option would be to use a thin piece of elastic cording.

These little tag books are so easy to make, you could create a few extra and stash them away for little gifts to give any time. I think they’d be really fun done up in all kinds of colour combinations.

Try pairing these combination of Fresco Paints for around the year seasons/themes.

-London Bus and Snowflake (Valentine’s)

-Spanish Mulberry and Yellow Submarine (Easter)

-Beach Hut and Limelight (Summer)

-Tango and Little Black Dress (Hallowe’en)

-Orchid and Little Black Dress (Paris)

What other colour combinations can you envision? I would love to hear what you all come up with.

~Lelainia~

A huge thanks from all at PaperArtsy HQ. This book is the perfect size for jotting down important info/life stuff, I don't think you are alone with this Lelainia hehe. Again you have chosen a striking colour combo to work with and the added layers of the bold background stamping makes everything else "pop". Liking your train of thought on the colour combinations i.e Spanish Mulberry and Yellow Submarine.

We would love you to join in with our monthly challenge. If you are inspired by any of this month's guests who have blogged between Sept 1st 2014 and Sept  30th 2014 then join in and link up your creativity HERE. You will go in the draw to win a voucher to spend on products of your choice from the PaperArtsy online store. You need to add your link by 19:00 (London time)  Sept 30th 2014