Journal Cover inspired by Sue at Paper Artsy

Over at Paper Artsy this week Sue Carrington has presented some beautiful projects and shared some fabulous techniques. Do pop over HERE and you will be inspired!  Being a true magpie, I'm always on the look-out for new techniques to treasure - and Sue has certainly provided them. Because our kitchen is still only a quarter done and it looks like it's going to be the end of the month before work can be resumed on it, I'm still struggling to find time and room to craft. I would love to have played along with all three of Sue's projects, but instead I combined some of her techniques in one project. Please click on the images if you would like a more detailed view.

The journal I'm working in at the moment has a canvas cover that can be decorated so I decided to use some of Sue's wonderful ideas and adapt them to this.

I had already painted the cover with Frescos in Bora Bora, South Pacific, Zesty Zing and Blood Orange so I had my background. Maybe in the future I'll try out the effect of running colours down the surface. Sue had used the inner frame from one of those photo frames where you can display a collection of your favourite pictures. I didn't have one of these, but what I did have was the chipboard left behind after die-cutting two shapes. I painted this with Snowflake and then blended Distress Inks in Broken China and Peacock Feathers and Walnut Stain onto it. I also tried out 'tie-dying' some fabric with Frescos and stamping images from Paper Artsy Vintage and Buttons plates on this.

I also stencilled Grunge Paste through a harlequin stencil onto the background and painted and distressed an oval shape I had die-cut from chip-board.

I edged my frames with a little Treasure Gold, painted the diamonds with Frescos in Guacamole, South Pacific and Blood Orange and die-cut some Tim Holtz embellishments painted them with French Roast, Crackle Glazed and then went over with Bora Bora. I stamped some script over my background with Coffee Archival ink and then added layers of book text, painted and distressed in the same way as Sue had done on her second project. I added buttons, painted and stamped with script and a TH tattered pine cone rose, painted with Bora Bora and Blood Orange.

For the finishing touch I added some golden wings and the title of my journal 'Words', as this is the journal in which I play along with the Craft Barn Alpha/Dictionary Challenge.

Thank you, Sue for some great new ideas: stamping on tie-dye type fabric, using a chipboard frame and my favourite - the layers of curled book pages.