This is my finished product from Vicki's Challenge Kit. If you didn't read in my previous thread, Vicki had a challenge posted on her blog that the first 20 to respond to her comment section would receive a kit. Then beginning the week of July 7th she would post all through the week what each crafter made during the week. It was my lucky day...I was 1 of20 crafters who got Vicki Snail mail. I can't tell you HOW EXCITED I was to see the mail the day it was delivered. Please stop by her blog:
This art that makes me happy to see all the projects that were done with this challenge. Say hi to Vicki and view all of her blog.....Her blog oozes with creative inspiration. I am sure
that you will be inspired by all that you see. Thanks Vicki for doing this!!
Well, I was dumbfounded when I first got my packet....YIKES....what am I going to do?
Then I remembered that my friend Robin loves to go to the beach and walk and collect shells.
In fact, the shells in the picture are shells that Robin brought me last year when she was here for CHA. So, I knew what I wanted to make...a paperbag book...for her to journal in or for pictures she has of her trips to the beach. I knew that I had to get the book for her to take to the beach for "beach reading". And I was thrilled beyond measure when I saw the book's 50th anniversary edition matched the colors of my theme. (This book, I have tried to ready every summer for 20 years. It is one of the BEST books I have ever read.) The name of the book is: Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
This picture is a close up of the cover of the album. I stamped the title on to paper bag paper and then tore it to fit the page and popped the words with dimensionals. (I was inspired for the design and title from a recent Oriental Trading Catalog I received.) The vintage image is from Crafty Secrets's Images & Journal Notes: called Summertime. These images come with a picture and journaling block. I used the journaling part of the image on the back of my album for the designed by signature and a note to Robin. I love the versatility of picture/journal pages they make.
When you open the book, you see this saying "Our memories like the ocean will linger on long after our footprints in the sand are gone". It is from the Crafty Secret's Clear Art Stamp called:
Seaside. It is framed and popped up on dimensionals. The paper I used is from FancyPants and I used this paper through out the book. It makes a project so easy when you can purchase paper that is in a coordinated series. That is so genius for us visually challenged paper crafters...like me.
These Crafty Secret images were colored with copic markers. I sewed around the edges of the images and then I distressed them with Ranger Distress Ink called Old Paper. I used that medium for distressing on all pages in my projects. I had to throw in pink....its my favorite color.
The final two pages of my book..or should I say, Robin's book used Crafty Secrets Seaside Clear Art Stamps, Copic markers for coloring, FancyPants design paper, Ranger Distress Ink and sewing. Is this a perfect verse or what for beach theme: "The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. I used my zigzag stitch on my sewing machine without the thread around the sand dollar and the title. I sewed the shells with a simple straight line stitch to attach to the page.
Phew that was alot!!! I would also like to thank my friend, Michelle, who came through and sent me the stamped images that I used in the book. I knew I wanted to use those images and by the time I decided to use them, it was too late to order them......so Michelle to the rescue.
And some hints about making a paper bag book:
1. Iron your paper bags.
2. Spray them with an Archival spray to make them safe.
3. Sew down the middle spine to keep bag together
4. My finished pages are just a tad over 6 by 6. I used giant paper bags that I bought from Target.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you have some time to create today.
