Tutorial: Make a book with shaped pages

This cute little shaped book is so much fun to make.  Let me show you how I did it!

First, I used my die cutting machine to cut several pieces of thin chipboard and two pieces of cardstock for the cover.  I used the spellbinders label 8 die.  Use bookbinding glue or PVA to glue the chipboard pieces together.  I use glue from Club Scrap.

Fold one die cut page and use it to trace where the cover will be trimmed.  The folded edge will be flush with the cover, and there will be an even reveal around the other sides of the cover.

Use the first cover to create a trim line for the other cover.  After trimming, you'll have a front cover (left), back cover (right), and a little strip of chipboard in the center that is scrap.  I use a utility knife to cut my chipboard.

Ink or paint all of the exposed edges.  I like to use pigment ink, and these spot ink pads from Stampin' Up! are great for solid coverage and getting into curved areas.  I inked the edges several times until I was happy with the color coverage.

Glue a piece of the die cut cardstock to the cover and trim.

Glue the remaining part of the die cut to the other side of the cover and trim.

For the inside of the book, cut as many pages as you would like and score them in the center.  I like to use a scor-it board for easy positioning and a crisp crease.

Pierce hole in the fold of each page.  I'm sewing over the green ribbon, so I'll have six holes along the spine.  See my "Getting started" link on the left side bar for links to videos for stitching together a book.

Glue the finished book block to the front cover.  Let dry until sturdy.  I usually dry overnight in my book press or with heavy weights on top.

On the back cover, punch two evenly spaced holes for eyelets.  I like my crop-a-dile for this.  Put elastic in one hole and set an eyelet in that hole.

Repeat on the other side, cutting the elastic to a length that will wrap snugly around the book.  (I have a longer tutorial on the elastic closure in an earlier post.)

Glue the back cover on the book, and embellish as desired.  I used some paper flowers and punched leaves.  To give the flowers a bit of gloss and make them a little more sturdy, I coated them with gel medium.  For a little extra pop, I used some self-adhesive pearls from Stampin' Up! in the centers.

I tried something a little different for wrapping the cover, and ended up with this:

As you might guess, I'm a bit obsessed with covering the edges of chipboard any way I can!  Hope you enjoy this project.  I'd love to see what shapes you can use to make books.

Quick Look: Versamark and chalked cards

While the glue is drying on my latest shaped book (tutorial coming soon!), I thought I would share some cards I made.

I made the background with a single stamp on both cards.  I love how I can get a totally different look for each of these cards with different colors.

I stamped the background with versamark ink, and then dusted with a variety of chalks.  A simple focal image on a tag or matted scrap and some ribbon finished off the card.  Sometimes, limiting my supplies and choices really opens up my creativity.  These cards were the result of a skiing trip where I was limited in how many supplies I can bring.

This is also a bit like my last post - once you have a design for one card, try it again with a slight variation.  We can all use a few more cards and little more time!

What is your favorite technique to do with limited supplies?

All stamps, paper, and embellishments from Club Scrap.  Chalk from Stampin' Up!

SFYTT - Baby cards using a sketch

I've been wanting to try some sketches for a while, and this sketch from i{heart}2stamp appealed to me:

SFYTT means "sketch for you to try!"  Since I'm also trying to use my stash, I dug deep into my older papers and found these fabulous pastels from Club Scrap along with the Oh Baby! stamps.  I made two different cards using similar colors (once they're out on your desk, it is sooo easy to make two cards rather than one!).

The dots around the "hello baby" saying from Stampin' Up! are by viva decor - it's a dimensional paint.  Great stuff.

The second card is very similar, just a different image for the focal point.

Both images were colored with colored pencils, and then blended with low odor thinners (for oil paints, but heck, it works here!).

It was fun to make these cards and I look forward to doing some more challenges.  When you don't have a great idea for a card, these are great ways to kick-start your creativity!  On top of that, you get to see a lot of different ways of interpreting the sketch.  I'm going to have fun looking at what everybody else did.

Quick Look: A shaped book

This book started out as paper, chipboard, linen thread and a band of elastic.  I worked on this for an upcoming art show that I hope to be exhibiting at.

Interested in learning more?  I'm going to be making more of these - I really enjoyed the process.  Leave a comment if you like the book or would like to see a tutorial!

Enjoy the day!

Scrap your stash into a card portfolio

I like to give gifts of cards - who can't use a few extra birthday or thank you cards?  I made this cute little portfolio using some scraps from my stash.  The patterned paper is a special release from Club Scrap that I decided I needed to use rather than save!

To start, I cut chipboard into two covers (5" x 6.25") and one spine (1" x 6.25") using a utility knife and grid ruler.  These are generally scraps from packaging, or the backs of notebooks!

Apply glue to the front of all pieces, and glue to paper.  The white paper is the patterned paper - it covers part of the front cover.  The blue paper is cardstock - I checked the grain before cutting to make sure it was aligned in the easy to bend direction.  Leave a 1/8" gap between all pieces.  I use a grid ruler to line up the bottoms of all pieces.

Clip the corners, and wrap around the chipboard.

Cover the inside with a piece of cardstock. Make sure the grain of the paper will allow easy bending along the spine.  I use a bone folder to push the paper slightly into the gutter.  After the glue has set, exercise the joints so that the cover bends easily.

Now, you're ready to make the pocket that will go in the inside back cover.  Cut two pieces of paper (9" x 3.5" and 4.75" x 3.25").  Score the long piece of paper 1" along the long edge, and 1" and 2" from each short end.  For the smaller piece of paper, score at 2.5".  I like to use my scor-it board.  The scores are really easy to fold, and it's easy to get scores in just the right places.

On the long piece, cut along the four short score lines - I like to cut a little "V" along each, and use a bone folder to bend the paper and reinforce the scores.

Glue together and you have a box with an open back.  You can stop here if you like, but I like to close my box.

I drop the folded smaller piece into the box, figure out where it will touch the box, and apply glue.

On the back of the box, apply glue and put it on the back of the portfolio.  To be on the safe side, I like to place the unglued box on the back of the portfolio to see where it will be before I lay it down.  When you're finished, the box will hold quite a few standard sized cards and envelopes - at least five.

I like to wrap a little ribbon around it before I give it away.  These are a big hit with my friends who received them this year.  This project is based on a project I made at a Club Scrap retreat.  I covered mine differently, made a different size, and finished my box off in a different way.

These portfolios (I made four) used up a fair amount of my chipboard, and some cardstock that I had been hoarding rather than using.  I also started making a book (completely different project!) that isn't ready to share yet.  To see the other ladies who are scrapping their stash and to join in on the fun, check out Lala's World blog.