Shabby Chic G45 Journal

I love to make altered composition books as gifts, gratitude or prayer journals. Here's one  I made with the vintage Graphic45 papers from the "Couture" collection. This paper would seem too busy for some projects, but I think it's perfect for a journal. I used to add flowers and such. Now I try to make them as flat as I can so that it's not difficult for the recipient to write on the left page.

I like to put pockets inside the covers. I kept the insides fairly simple. Here's a quote I stamped inside the front:

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them FEEL."

Inside the back cover I made a double pocket by adhering a black envelope just around the sides and bottom so things can be filed behind the envelope as well as inside. So that the envelope flap won't accidentally get "stuck," I adhered a piece of red cardstock inside the envelope to cover the adhesive. Here's the back quote that I stamped:

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson"





The back is covered with the black patterned paper that's on the left of the front cover. (Sorry I didn't take a photo!)

I'm sharing this book with the following challenges:

All Crafts Challenge April/May - anything but a card
Card and Scrap #76 - shabby chic
Crafting at the Weekend #1 - anything goes
Divas by Design - anything goes
Feeling Crafty #28 - one for the girls/ladies
Pile It On #20 - shabby chic
Simply Create Too #61 - anything but a card
SunflowerField May challenge - Vintage, shabby chic, rustic
That Craft Place - alter a can or alter it





Skylark Altered Journal

God has blessed us where we live with beautiful sunny days and the obvious evidence that SPRING HAS ARRIVED. I'm busy making altered items for two upcoming craft fairs. In our area many ladies' groups at local churches put on fund raising craft fairs. I'm always happy to help their efforts. I've really been so busy crafting that I've been negligent about blogging. Here is one of today's efforts.

Some papers are so beautiful they simply scream to be shown off in their entirety. I find it difficult to cut or cover those papers with any embellishments for risk of covering their beauty. I felt this way when I saw one of the new Close To My Heart "Skylark" papers. I used one piece to cover the front and the back of a composition book. By making the first cut at 9 3/4" and cutting that piece in half at 6," I had a long scrap left. I cut that in half at 1 1/8" for the edge of the black binding on both sides.

A few banner strips, including one from a bronze glitter cardstock, some Prima flowers and butterflies and ribbon and voila! This paper had a 1/2" strip on top with the multi-colored "arrow thingy" that I used on the top left and the bottom. The far left banner strip on top is actually from CTMH "Ivy Lane" paper. Inside I made triangular pockets which I stitched on my sewing machine for durability. I stamped a couple of favorite sayings from American poets (from a retired CTMH stamp set) on the front and back inside covers:

"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."  -- Maya Angelou

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

I kept the back unadorned since the paper was already a great composition - and it looks like a great idea for the front of another project!  Here are the newest CTMH projects I used:

Skylark paper pack

Dreamer  stamp set

I was so glad to make this discovery on how to cut one sheet of paper to use most of an attractive page to cover both the front and the back that I plan to make more this way!

Thank you for visiting and may God bless and keep you in His care!

 I'm sharing this project with the following challenges:
All Crafts Challenge Feb/Mar. - anything but a card
Altered Eclectics - Anything Goes
Crafty Hazelnuts Pattened Paper March Challenge - anything goes
Crafty Ribbons Challenge #81 - anything goes with ribbon
Word Art Wednesday #124 - anything goes with uplifting sentiment