Turning a FSJ Mini Book into a Journal Step by Step Part 3 Choosing your papers and making them go together by Cindy Bristow

Turning a FSJ Mini Book into a Journal Step by Step

Part 3  Choosing your papers and making them go together

by Cindy Bristow

 

Howdy!

 

Are you ready for step 3?  This is where the fun begins!!!  If you are just joining us, grab a Mini Book and join the fun!  All the links in this post are affiliate links, that means that if you click on the product and purchase it, I get a small commission.

 

I start by grabbing all of the paper and cardstock that I want to use in my journal.  Remember that I had chosen  the pink, cream, brown and grey color scheme?  Make sure you have a few pieces of blank cardstock or notebook papers thrown into the mix also because if you are going to use this as a journal, you have to have a place to write all of those big ideas!

 

 

Now you are going to start cutting all of those yummy pieces of paper down to size. DO NOT glue anything down yet!!!  I secure the pages in place by using  large paperclips.  This is so that you can decorate each page and if needed you can move things around.

 

 The regular pages in your journal measure 5 1/4" x 7 7/8".  For the half page flip out page you will need (4) 7 7/8" x 4" pages.  For the flip up page, you will need (4) 6 1/2" x 4" pages and for the full size flip out, you will need (4) 7 7/8" x 5" pages.

 

Notice that I have coffee dyed all of the papers and that I have used a bunch of plain papers.  That's ok because in the next step we are going to spice them up a bit! 

Notice the page on the left?  I used a piece of journal paper that isn't quite large enough, so I put another pink scrap of paper with it thinking that I might like to piece it together later in the process.

 

Now we are at the time consuming part...  You will need to ink all of the edges of each page using Vintage Photo Ink ... I know, not the most glamorous thing to do, but it pulls everything together.

 

Then you get to pull out those stencils you have in your stash.  For this project I pulled out three of my favorite stencils, Vintage Screen, Cement Tile, and the roses from the Flower Power Stencil.  The Flower Power stencil is 1 large stencil with 4 different patterns, but I cut them apart so I can use them separately.  I used the Vintage Photo ink pad and a sponge to ink the stencils.

Stencil each and every page because, well, it's totally worth it!

Now we get to stamp!  Grab your Black Ink pad and a few of your favorite script and cancelled postage stamps and start randomly stamping all of the pages.  As you can see, I do not stamp straight or fully on the page most times.  It is also ok if you do not get a perfect impression.  It all adds to the layers and blends everything together.

 

Here is a picture of one page before I have inked, stenciled or stamped.

 

Now, here is a picture of the same page after the inking, stenciling, and stamping.  It ages your pages and will tie everything together.

 

Your homework for today is to pick your paper, cut it to size, ink, stencil and stamp on every page.  Whew, that's a lot to do, but you can do it!!

 

Hope you are enjoying the step by step process, if you are, please share it with your friends.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cindy



Turning a FSJ Mini Book into a Journal Step by Step Part 2 Creating a Signature by Cindy Bristow

Turning a FSJ Mini Book into a Journal Step by Step

Part 2 Creating a Signature

by Cindy Bristow

 

Howdy!

 

Today's Step by Step is on how to create the Signature in your Journal.  A signature is a set of pages in your journal.  All books are created with signatures, so if you open any book up, you will be able to see a set of papers that you can tell are grouped together in a signature.  Our Journal will only have one signature in it because we already have other pages built in to it.

 

I have include affiliate links in this post, so if you click on them, purchase the item, I get a small commission from the company.

 

 

Ok, so at the end of step one, I gave you some homework, remember when I told you to start thinking about what the theme of your Journal was going to be?  I still don't have a full theme picked out but I did pick out the color scheme of my Journal. 

 

I chose to go with creams, pinks, browns and greys.  It's a pretty neutral pallet and one that I enjoy using. I use a mixture of 80 lb cardstock and thin scrapbook paper.  I do this so that the heavier cardstock supports the thinner patterned paper.  I like to use scrapbook paper that is only printed on one side so that you have places to journal in your book.   I grabbed 3 sheets of solid colored cardstock, (2) creams and a pink one.  I also grabbed 4 sheets of single sided patterned paper.  Once you have chosen your papers, cut them down to 8" x 11".   You can save those 1/2" strips to stamp words on if you like.   As you can see from my picture, I have already coffee stained my papers.

 

The next thing you do is fold your papers in half to make each page measure 8" x 5 1/2".  The best way to do this is to carefully match the edges and hold them in place with one hand and place the tip of your  Bone Folder  in the middle of the folded part and crease from the middle out.  Repeat this process with all of your paper pieces.

 

Now you have 7 sheets to put into your signature.

 

Our next step is to grab your Mini Book and open it up to the center.  We are going to use the holes that already exist in the book to add our signature to the Journal.  I always grab one of the pieces of 80 lb cardstock to use as my guide.

 

Carefully place the center of your cardstock in the center of the Mini Book, hold it in place and flip the book over.  Now, using a pencil, mark your cardstock through the holes.

 

After you have marked you holes, you need to punch them out.  I like using this Press Punch to do this step because you can use it anywhere on a page.  Most hole punches won't reach in this far.

 

After you have punched all of your holes, it's time to reinforce them. I reinforce all of the wholes so that you don't have to worry about the paper ripping.   I use this package that I grabbed at Walmart.  Before I stick them on my paper, I ink them up using my Vintage Photo ink pad.  I tend to ink up a few sheets at a time so they are ready to use.

 

Make sure you reinforce both sides of every sheet of paper.

 

At this point I put my papers in order, a patterned piece and then a plain cardstock piece.  Now it is time to put a temporary bind onto my signature so that I can take it apart to work on the pages.  I use a piece of twine and tie my signature together. 

 

Now it is ready to slip into the center of my Journal for  our next step.

 

I hope you are enjoying these step by step tutorials, and if you are, please feel free to share.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cindy



Turning a FSJ Mini Book into a Junk Journal Step by Step Part 1 by Cindy Bristow

Turning a FSJ Mini Book into a Junk Journal Step by Step

Part 1

 by Cindy Bristow

 

Howdy!

 

In this step by step guide I will be showing you how to take a FSJ Mini Book and turning it in to a Junk Journal.  I have included affiliate links in this tutorial which means that if you click on the link, and purchase the item, I get a small commission.

 

I'm sure some of you saw this Garden Themed Junk Journal over on my Instagram or Facebook Page, so now I am going to show you the step by step on how it was created.

 

 

I tend to see a sale and think ooohhhh I can do something with that and then buy the item in bulk... who else suffers from this addiction?  That is how this whole tutorial got started.  I have a ton of these Mini Books that I just had to have because I had a grand plan.... what that was I am not sure, but now I am hooked on the whole Junk Journal thing and these are perfect for the base of them.

 

The first one of these Junk Journals I made was pure trial and error... I have made a few tweaks to the process and this first step is one of them.  We will begin by cutting off the top and bottom flaps that are designed to hold all of your goodies secure.  I'm sure if you where using the mini book for what it was designed for, they are wonderful, but I have found that when I make a Junk Journal, I add lots of pages and they are not good for that.  You can save them if you want because they are sturdy and would make a great base for an embellishment.

 

The next thing we are going to do is take this elastic band off.  Don't throw it away, you might want to use it later.  I have a stash of them because, once again my journals tend to get very bulky and the elastic band isn't strong enough to  hold them shut.

 

Now, head over to your stash of cardstock, and find the ugliest pattern paper you have... make sure its cardstock and not paper.   Once again, I had grand plans for this stuff, got carried away, and now I have a ton that I look at and think, "what was I thinking?"!!!!  It doesn't matter what it looks like, it is going to be the base of flip pages that we will layer other paper onto.

 

You will need to cut (2) pieces 7 7/8" x 5 1/2".  Score both of them down the long side at 1/2".  These are going to be full sized flip out pages.

 

Next, you will cut (2) pieces 7" x 4 1/2".  Score both of these along the short side at 1/2".  These will be flip up pages.

 

And the last step for today will be to cut (2) pieces 7 7/8" x 4 1/2".  Score both of these along the long side at 1/2".  These will be your 1/2 page flip out pages.

 

I will be back on Monday with the next part of turning your Mini Album into a Junk Journal. 

 

 Along with doing the above steps, start thinking about what type of Journal you want to make... Garden, Flower, Faith, Cooking.....Travel?  The possibilities are endless!

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cindy

 

 



Vintage Style Butterfly Postcard Step by Step with Cindy Bristow

Vintage Style Butterfly Postcard  Step by Step

with Cindy Bristow

 

Howdy!

 

Today I'm sharing a step by step to show you a masking technique.

 

Let's start out with the supplies, these links are affiliate  links which means I get a small commission if you purchase from the links.

 

I used the Small Things stamp set, the Vintage Notes stamp set,  Carte Postal stamp   Black ink, Vintage Photo Inkpad ,    Color Burst Pencils,   Cream cardstock,   Kraft cardstock,   Dark Brown cardstock, Coffee dyed lace, HayStack Ribbon,,  a wooden butterfly embellishment, and the most important tool,

POST IT NOTES!

 

I started off by stamping the smallest butterfly 3 times onto a piece of cream cardstock that measures 4" x 2" with black ink. (make sure you stamp the first butterfly in the middle of the paper so you can use it for spacing).  Then I stamped 3 more butterflies onto sticky notes to use as masks.  I like these arrow ones because the sticky part is right in the middle of the stack and it makes it easy to keep them in place.

 

Fussy cut the sticky note butterflies out.  You don't have to be perfect.  Place the sticky note mask over the butterflies on your cream cardstock.

 

Then you take your Vintage Photo ink and the Vintage notes stamp and stamp directly on top of the butterfly mask.

 

As you see, once you peel off your mask, the music becomes your background and the butterflies are in the foreground.

 

Then you get to color!  I chose to do my butterflies in a variegated color scheme.  Once they are colored, ink your edges and layer the cream cardstock onto a piece of dark brown cardstock.

 

Then you layer the butterfly piece onto a postcard size of Kraft cardstock and stamp the Carte Postal stamp to the left.  I mask off the top of the stamp and stamped a second time to make sure I had writing all the way down my Kraft paper.  I layered some lace, a bit of the yellow ribbon and a wooden butterfly on as an embellishment.

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cindy

 

 

 



Punch Board Envelopes for Cottage Flower Tags, Step by Step by Cindy Bristow

Punch Board Envelopes for Cottage Flower Tags, Step by Step

 by Cindy Bristow

 

Howdy!

 

I'm back with another step by step of how to make a cute envelope for the tags we created yesterday.

 

 

Let's gather our supplies, I have included affiliate links which means I get a small commission if you click on the link and purchase the product. 

You will need:  light weight cardstock cut to 6 1/2 x 6 1/2, an Envelope Punch Board, Old Paperwork stamp set, Cottage Bouquet stamp set, Date me stamp set, Black Ink pad, Vintage Photo Ink pad, Corner Chomper, Color Burst Pencils, Black Pen, Ribbon, and Coffee stained lace.

 

Our finished envelope will measure 3 x 4 1/2, so by following the chart on the punch board, we need to place our cardstock at the 2 3/4 mark to make our first punch and score line.  Then you rotate your cardstock to match the scoreline to the blue tab, punch and score.  Continue around your cardstock. 

 

This is what your finished envelope will look like.  Make sure you ink your edges with the Vintage Photo ink.

 

 

I also inked the inside of my envelope before I glued it together.  Then I grabbed a piece of heavier weight cardstock , traced around the top of my envelope and cut it out.

 

Glue that piece to the flap.  I do this so that when I am ready to use it in a junk journal, I can stitch the flap to the page with out the thin paper tearing.  I learned this trick form watching some Youtube videos.

 

Now that our envelope is finished, it is time to embellish it!  Grab the Specialite Products stamp out of the Old Paperwork set, a piece of coffee stained paper (remember when I said I stained in bulk and saved all the scraps from making journals!)  Ink the stamp up and stamp away.

 

I generally stamp multiples when I have a stamp out.  That way when I am crafting, I don't have to stop and create a embellishment for layering.

 

Next I cut out the labels, use my Corner Chomper on the 1/4" side to round my corners.  I like the Chomper because you can also use it on chipboard unlike most corner rounders.  Make sure you ink the edges of your labels with the Vintage Photo ink.

 

I used a wide piece of lace on this project.  I had already coffee stained it so there was no need to ink it up.  I used craft glue to adhere it, making sure to leave a bit hanging off of my envelope.

 

I layered the label over the lace and glued it down.

 

While that was drying, I grabbed a scrap of coffee stained paper and stamp the daisy onto using black ink.

 

I colored it with my Color Burst Pencils.  The I pulled out my pinking sheers and cut it into a square.  I wanted to make it look like a postage stamp.  After I cut it, I used a black pen and drew a square around the edges.  One day I will find a square stamp set I like, but until then, I will hand draw my lines.  I grabbed the small number 3 from the Date Me set and stamped it on my faux postage stamp.  Then I inked the edges with Vintage Photo ink.

 

The finishing touch was to grab a small piece of blue gingham ribbon, age it with some ink, glue it down and layer the daisy stamp on top of it. 

 

Hope you enjoyed this step by step project.

Thanks for stopping by,

Cindy

 



Vintage Style Cottage Flower Tag Tutorial by Cindy Bristow

Vintage Style Cottage Flower Tag Tutorial

by Cindy Bristow

 

Howdy!

 

I had taken a break from blogging and wasn't sure if I should continue until one of my Facebook followers ask if I would be doing a tutorial on some of the vintage style junk journals and embellishments I had been posting. This will be the first of many tutorials on my new endeavor.  My post will have affiliated links on where you can purchase some of the supplies that I uses, plus you can check out my Etsy store in the side bar if you would like to purchase some of the items.

 

These are the finished tags from today's tutorial.

 

 

Our first step is to gather our supplies.  You will need manila tags, coffee for staining ( I have mine in Jane Davenport daubers I purchased online at Michaels), Vintage Photo Distress Oxide ink pad, Black Licorice ink pad, vintage book pages, Paperwork stamp set,  Cottage Bouquet stamp set,

Black Twine, Coffee stained lace and ribbon, and coloring tool of choice.

 

 

The first step is to coffee stain your tags and papers.  I do this on a craft mat with the daubers I mentioned above filled with coffee.  I tend to do my coffee staining in large batches.  I gather cardstock, patterned paper, ribbon and what ever other items I think I am going to use and then die it all at one time, that way I have it on hand when I am ready to create.  I store my solid colored cardstock in one folder and all of my patterned paper in another folder.

 

After my tags are stained, I ink the edges with the Vintage photo ink pad and a sponge.

 

The image below is a plain tag to the left, a coffee stained tag in the middle, and the last tag is a coffee stained and inked with the Vintage Photo ink pad around the edges.

 

Next I pull out my black inkpad ad the ledger stamp from the Old Paperwork stamp set.  I stamped each of the tags with the same stamp.  Notice how they all look different depending on which direction I stamped.  I also used different parts of the stamp on each tag.

 

Now it is time to stamp the flowers onto the old book paper.  I used black ink to stamp with.  I also tore some of the edges.  I made sure to ink the edges with my Vintage Photo inkpad and sponge.

 

I used my Color Burst pencils to color the images.  I haven't tried Copics or other markers on the book pages because I think it would bleed through, the pages are very thin.

 

Now you get to go through your scraps of patterned paper and pick out some to go with your flowers.  Like I said in the start of this post, I coffee stain in large batches and save it in a folder.  Most of the pattern papers I used in this project where scraps that where left over from junk journals I have made.

 

After you glue your pattern paper and colored image onto the tag, it's time to embellish!  For this project, I kept it simple, a scrap of ribbon, a scrap of coffee stained lace, black twine and a button.  I tied the ribbon and the lace together with the twine and then threaded the twine through the button to secure it.  Once it was all tied together, I used craft glue to adhere it to the tag.

 

Here's the close up of the finished tag.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by,

Cindy