December Daily Album Part 2

Hi, everyone! :)

okaaaaayyyyy. before you think I've gone off the deep end, making something Christmas-related in July, I must say that this project I am about to show you is a continuance ofthe StencilGirl/Imagine Crafts Christmas in July blog hop yesterdayyyyy....okay?  :) :) :)

I have been having so much fun prepping my December Daily journal. I want it ready for quick documenting in December.
My previous post
HERE
describes much of it, but in this post, I will include three things:

1. Give you more details on how I made the book.

2. Show you a few of the pages I've prepared, including some step by step photos.

3. TWO videos: a before and after flip-through.

Book Assembly

I used the same method as the first book I ever made. Here: My Coptic Stitch Bound DLP Journal
and here: My Handmade Journal for DLP.

For the front and back cover, I simply used one of the gelliprints. I didn't explain this in my previous post, but of the 15 sheets of cardstock I gelliprinted, three of them are coldpress watercolour paper. I folded one of the watercolour prints and glued it shut, doing the same for both front and back. This creates a bit stronger cover. Note: you might want to use a stiffer and thicker substrate, like chipboard and decorate however you want.

I learned the coptic stitch method from these videos:
How to Make a Sketchbook: Coptic Stitch

and the assembly from this one:
Coptic Stitch Binding Tutorial by Sea Lemon.

Keep in mind that it requires practice to get perfect results. I don't mind that my book isn't perfect bound. It adds whimsy. ;) In fact, if you watch my video flip-throughs, the book is quite wobbly and loose.

Spine

For the ribbon I simply cut a 24"length of sheer ribbon, hand-dyed, opened the book to the middle, threaded one end through the second and the other end through the second last coptic stitch, pulled both ends through, and tied a bow on the outside spine. :)

 Inside Pages

Since I first printed each sheet of paper front and back, then folded the papers and sewed the book "signatures" together, the design of each two-page spread don't exactly work together, left to right, so I will alter each page so they coordinate, as I like the look of unified pages.

Here is an example of what I mean:

Day 1 and Day 2

Before

Looking at the spread above, I make observations:

Red on left, lots of pink on right. No turquoise on left side.

My eye demands that I need to have a visual triangle of colours and images spanning the two pages.

After

1. I smoosh some pink paint on left side, covering up more of the white area at the top.

2. Another turquoise flower on the left, using THIS GORGEOUS STENCIL and for the third element, I add some of the turquoise paint on top left corner with a stencil (of course;) ). There. Now I have three places with turquoise. :)

Circles, same thing. Date circles (uneven - asymmetrical) and the circle cluster at the bottom right. :)

For the circles, I punch out circles from an old Christmas craft book, paint with some color, stencil, glue to page, doodle with white gel pen, and draw the number on an old painted book paper and cut out. Add some shadowing with black Pitt marker and black Stabilo All pencil. 

I made this cluster of circles after watching Rae Missigman's latest video on StencilGirl Talk. She paints very loosely and she also uses pencil to add more detail marks, so I do the same. I love her loose and carefree style!

I start with four various-sized white circular smudges. Then I add purple smudges with a Silks acrylic glaze, then apply the marvelously fun Amplify Neon by Imagine Crafts, brushing it with some golden metallic paint. Lastly, some turquoise dots, white gel pen and pencil squiggles.

I looked at this lily stencil and thought it looked close enough to a poinsettia. A modern and funky twist on a traditional Christmas flower. :) I first stencil with white paint to make it pop from the red background, then with the turquoise (Americana Bahama Blue craft paint). Next, I add dots with Golden Fluid Iridescent Gold Deep (Fine) paint. To finish it off, I made some loose marks around the petals with a brush and white paint.

Day 3 and Day 4

Before

Observations: 

I love the blocking the 6x6 Decorative Folk Flower Screen stencil achieved.

I like the contrast of the turquoise thread in the middle (messy stitching of the signatures).

The dark green on lower right makes the whole spread unbalanced, as there is no other spot with that colour value.

Too much white around the whole spread.

The gold chevron washi tape is there because I pulled the thread through the paper too tightly while binding the signatures. LOL. An oopsie made pretty. Will add more gold in other places to make it look on purpose.

After

I feel like I have too many patterns and textures going on, which is partly from the high contrast of white and red in the middle there. When I go back to fill in my December 3rd and 4th, I will fill in more areas with solid colour. I'll probably journal and put photos in the middle, leaving only some of the lovely pattern showing in a few places. Won't see much of the grid, which I might regret...

 

The mini scallop shapes are made using one of the cute designs from the StencilGirl April 2016  Private Collection 16.2 club sheet.

I added more dimension to the square in middle with the Amplify stuff, further framing the square in middle.

The filigree design is stenciled with the Decorative Filigree Ornament Stencil by Gwen LaFleur. 

December 16 (I skipped to this page in my book, as I had ideas for this page. :)

Before

Observations:

That big swath of pink in middle left will need to be toned down.

More turquoise on left to balance the amount on right.

I will need to go off the page on right with a similar colour value as the image on top left corner.

After

Step-out picture below:

I apply that lily stencil again to top right, starting with white. This stencil and mask is part of a set, and they all work nicely together. 

I add pinks and purples with stencils and finger smooshing. :)

First purple, then pink mini scallops, then the funky hot pink puff balls. Christmas ornaments, right? ;)

Squiggles with pencil and white gel pen.

Here I add the puffy stuff in different shapes.

Have you seen the little video I made demonstrating this product? Here it is:

Pink mini scallops on white edge. All so yummy and textural and colorful.

I made a little video flip-through of my pages before I added the extra embellishing and refining.

And another after:

I hope you enjoyed my very long blogging here. I am totally loving this little work in progress book! 

Don't know what I mean with a December Daily journal? Check out Ali Edwards' plan. She journals daily through the whole month of December in a scrapbooky style, with photos and journaling. I hope to include both in this journal. We'll see, though. I change my mind so much. I might just use it for fun art journaling.

Thanks for visiting! I appreciate any and all comments and questions! Bring it on!

♥♥♥  Anna  ♥♥♥

May 9 DLP Challenge: Stitches

This week's DLP challenge is one of my favorites so far: stitching. Well, close behind the Gelli®-printing one, actually. :)

Haven't heard of these DLP challenges? The project is called The Documented Life Project. Every week you get a journal prompt and an art prompt, with monthly themes. It's great for the beginner and the more advanced art journaler. Tons of support on the Academy and on the FB group! It's a wonderful community and place to be! Totally FREE to join!
It's the brainchild of four beautiful artists. Check out their blogs here:

 Sandi Keene,
Lorraine Bell
Roben-Marie Smith
Rae Missigman

Each week they share their take on the challenges.
Check out The Documented Life Project 2015 - The Journal here.

Anyway, back to my page.

I have been busy making little happy mail pockets with my sewing machine, so when I read the May 9th challenge: stitching, I was thrilled!

It all started with this gorgeous Gelli®-print I could not bring myself to use, as I liked all the little details on it so much. I didn't want to cover any of it. Then I started getting ideas on how to use it.

The print was mostly made by removing the paints from the brayer while Gelli®-printing. In addition, I learned how lovely the effect of brayering on top of the stencil on the Gelli® plate. So, lots of that on the background as well. I also added some stamping by covering the plate with paint, then stamping  on to the plate, then the background. Rae Missigman's stamps are so gorgeous, and I was so pleased with how the flowers looked against the other colors and patterns.

For the left side of the page, I attached flowers, and on the right -  an Audrey Hepburn quote.

Audrey Hepburn is brilliant, isn't she?

For BEAUTIFUL eyes, look for the GOOD in others.
For BEAUTIFUL lips, speak only words of KINDNESS, 
and for POISE, walk with the knowledge that you're never alone. 

For the flower: I freehanded the outline of each flower with my trusty black Stabilo All pencil, wet it,  and once it's almost dry, I added more freehand petals with the Bic white-out pen. I say "almost" because I didn't have the patience to wait until completely dry. LOL Then, I added some more color to the petals with Neocolors2 crayons and Gelatos. Next, I stitched around the circle, up the petals and back and forth in the flower middle. For the little dots, neon pink irRESISTable Pico Embellisher. These work so quickly and easily! I want every color! Scroll further down for a link to the product; if you want to know what I'm talking about. :) 

To make those pink circles with the white dots, I simply took a Stabilo All pencil and brought the existing circles forward from the background, adding white with a Bic white-out marker. (Next time I should take a photo of the Gelli®-print before I made changes, like a before and after.) 

The white harlequin texture is modeling paste, smoothed through a stencil. YUMMY! 

For those cute pink stitched circles, I sewed a grid on a piece of pink painted paper, and cut out circles, attaching to the page in a pleasing formation. ;) The purple flower has pink dots, right? They are made with a most darlingest of new art supply in my every-growing supply stash! They're called irRESISTable Pico embellishers.  This product creates sweet 3D texture.

Another close-up of the stitched circles and the modeling paste. Yum.

For the lettering, I used an old Ki Memories alpha stamp set, using a foam brush to apply the white acrylic paint to the letters. The smaller lettering is simply freehanding with a Bic white-out marker. It's my favorite new white "paint pen".

And there you have it. My Stitches challenge. :)