Holiday Gift Book

For Christmas, I made this book for several people in my family. It celebrates their annual trip to Arizona to visit me each year since 1992. It has 38 pages (19 sheets of paper) with an inserted envelope. I purchased a packet of 5x7 cardstock in dark colors to make the assembly easier. I made four versions of this book that are mostly identical but have slight variations.

.

Because of the small page size and the large number of photos I wanted to use, I first reduced almost every photo to wallet size. This is easy to do if you have photo editing software. First, create a blank picture file (canvas) that is 4x6. Then open each of 4 photos and adjust the file size down to 2x3, copy the photo, and paste it into the new file as a new layer. Move them around so they all display in the new file. If this is too much work for you, Walgreens online photo service will make wallets from your 4x6 photos for $1 each. I'm sure other online photo services have similar services to make wallets.

Most of the recipients are guys, so I didn't want to use my personal style of page adornment that is normally heavy on flowers and frills. Instead, I went with a plain style that is more industrial. Tim Holtz various trinkets are great for this. I used plumber's chain to attach a subway token, a swimming pool basket tag, and a word doodad to the cover of each one. I selected words that related most to each person.



I also refrained from adding ribbons, yarns, and other frilly trims from the pages.

Each page is different color, which means that each two-page spread includes two different colored pages. The varigated colors make a fairly smooth transition on each spread. However, if I was going to redesign this book, I'd add in a common element like a constrasting paper or emphemera that would unify the spread with differrent background colors.



I put 1 to 4 of the wallet size photos on each page. On pages with 1-3 photos, I added other content including stamps, library pockets, coin envelopes, and velum pull pockets (the size of credit card holders). I also used rubber stamps to add words to nearly every spread. Having a nice selection of travel-related stamps really came in  handy. I also used some 4x6 photos as the main image on a page. I frequently overlapped this image with a wallet image that provided detail for the story on that page.

To tell the main story, I wrote up my commentary on the photographs in Microsoft Word using a nice display font. I kept the lines shorter than 5 inches so they would fit nicely on the 7 inch wide papers. I typed them single spaced and then cut them out freehand (using scissors) into word strips that I glued onto each page. I staggered the layout for emphasis, sometimes running words at a slant. The words are sometimes on the background, sometimes on the photos, and sometimes overlap the various components. I had planned to distress/chalk the edges, but because of the small size of the stips, it seemed to compete with the words on my trial page, so I abandoned this strategy.



I created the covers using book board (heavy chipboard) cut so it would slightly overlap the pages. I applied the crocodile paper to the outsides, and used a different inside paper selected for each person. I assembled the book by punching two holes in each page and cover, and used book rings. I only have 1 inch rings, but plan to upgrade them to 1.5 inches to allow the books to lay flat.

Next to each photo, I hand wrote a caption that identifies the location. My handwriting isn't expecially nice or regular, but I like the hand writing touch on the pages. I also like the slightly irregular cutting on the word strips, and a few other elements that really help to give the books an assembled feeling. I wanted it to seem more like a book that had been made over time than a project I cranked out over a few days. I like the journal aspect of this.

The books contain several coin envelopes and a library pocket where they can add their own trinket items. In a velum pocket, I've included 8 business cards from places we visited. The last page is a policy envelope with a string closure. It's not quite big enough for a 4x6 photo, but it can hold many smaller items. I didn't include journaling places because I suspect that my family members will not write in these books.



I used travel brochures on many pages. I picked up multiple copies so I could use the same brochure section in each duplicate book. These were perfect for filling in the content of the book because they were for places we visited. You can use any kind of ephemera for a similar project.

San Francisco Travel Memory Book

I'm too tired tonight to start the next project, so I decided I would blog this one and then hit the bed. I've already triaged my holiday gifts, and I'm going to call people tomorrow and explain that I don't have their gift done, but will finish it after I return to Phoenix. I'm sorry it has come to that, but I won't drive myself crazy to finish projects when I know people won't mind at all.

So, here is the second finished holiday gift for my family. This one is for my sister. She visited San Francisco this year, and hasn't done anything with her photos. I've made this book using a combination of travel guide pages, scrapbook papers, and photographs (reduced in size to act as embellishments). She can add 12 of her favorite pictures into this book.


This book doesn't have much dimension on the cover, but I did add a few layers. Notice the screen over the cable car picture (white scroll box) attached with an eyelet. I'm going to make a tag book to go inside the library pocket on the right (Bazzill).


As usual, I've added tags and tabs and clips along the outer edges of the pages along the top and side. I love the way this adds dimension to the book. I really love the grungy, distressed character of the paper, and have used the Tim Holtz distress inks to add to that feeling. The brown is Brushed Corduroy, and I've used it everywhere. I used a stamp to make the tabs out of the remnants of the scrapbook paper series.


Here's a page based on a travel guide page. I've used the description of Chinatown along with a reduced photograph from Chinatown, and added a small coin envelope (Bazzill) so she can tuck away a small treasure or two. I used Stazon ink to stamp over the glossy travel guide page and photograph.

There are more pictures on Flickr.

Holiday Gift Tags

I'm so excited to share these with you! These are my holiday gift tags this year. I normally make nice tags, but I decided to go all out this year. This is my first holidays with my studio, and it is the best present I have ever given myself! Here's some of the back story on how I made these tags.

[Ooopps. I guess Jamie and Tyson now know they are getting something from me! Maybe I should have posted a spoiler alert.]

First, I pulled out everything I could think of related to a holiday theme from my stamp collection. I ended up going with a star theme because I have a nice star quote stamp. It speaks to the holidays without specifically being about Christmas or any specific holiday.

Then, I spent about an hour designing and mocking up a tag. I focused on placement and layout, and once I had it the way I liked it, I started thinking about the colors. My inspiration for the colors was a ball of recycled silk yarn from Tibet. I love this stuff, and want to use it where it has a big impact. I pulled colors from this to select which of my Tim Holtz Distress inks I would use. Because I love green and all shades of blue-green, that's my main color. The red really contrasts nicely with the coolness of the blues and greens. I wasn't thinking Christmas when I picked this scheme, but it works.


I started by using the applicator to put a background coat of Broken China (blue) on each tag. Next, I used one of the Tim Holtz masks along the left border and applied a coat of Peeled Paint (green) with the applicator. I turned each card over and lightly covered the back. I really hate raw surfaces in my projects.

As you can see, I went through a learning curve with the ink and applicator. After a few tags, I figured out that rubbing the applicator over the ink pad and then rubbing it over the tag gives the best color coat without applicator sized blotches. That's what I love about my art right now, I'm starting to master tools because I'm using them more often.


I added a shooting star stamp across the top of the tag over the hole. I tried using silver because I thought it would go nicely with the aluminum ring around the circle tag, but in the end, I went with copper. The copper blends into the background colors and I liked that look better than the shiny look of the silver.


I started adding content from the bottom, starting with the year. I love the way this Fired Brick red contrasts with the cool blue green background.


While playing around with the prototype, I decided that I wanted some sort of scrolling image in the middle of the tag, but subtle so it doesn't make it hard to read the quote. I tried several scrolls, but ended up with this one because it is light handed. I used the Pine Needles ink for this, which is more of an olive, yellow green. I love using adjacent colors on the color wheel like this because I love the richness it adds to the palette.


I used the Fired Brick again on the quote to make this the most prominent part of the design. It took a bit to figure out the placement for the stamp so I had the words in the best location. It was fun watching them suddenly appear nearly finished on the table.


I finished up the inking by using Pine Needles on the edges and doing a bit of distressing on top and bottom. I love the distressed grunge feel it gives. I wrote the recipient names on the circle tags, and using a paper piercers, I punched a hole and inserted a star brad to attach the circle tag to the gift tag. I noticed that the circle repeats the scrolling design underneath, and love the way it lines up with the scrolls. I wish I could say I planned that, but in truth, it was a happy accident.

I cut the yarn and attached them to the tags. They are so pretty I keep one near me when I'm at the computer just to cheer me up!

More pictures on Flickr.

Project: Accordion Book with Tag Book

I had a blast making this gift. First, the people receiving it have been kind to me at a time when I was struggling, and I appreciate that kindness. But building on what I've been making, and taking it to the next level, was such a stretch. It's an amazing thing to watch myself build skills in both design and execution. I'm really proud of everything I've made this year, but I feel this one is the one where the design I see in my head is very nearly the design I hold in my hand. I'm closing that gap (even as the designs in my head get better and more complex).


This is another accordion book that open both from the top and the bottom. I put a 7 Gypsies book belt on this one to hold the contents together. It's slightly off center, and I laid out the cover to accommodate this element. The cover contains two photographs trimmed down and distressed. The Bazzill library pocket is stamped with a Tim Holtz stamp using Peeled Paint Distress Ink. The pocket holds a tag mini-book (see later photo for details) with various ribbon, yarn, and a few Tim Holtz distress elements danglies. The ribbon across the bottom wraps around the front cover, and holds the paper flower with a crystal brad. I used Glimmer Mist (Patina and Coffee Shop) on the paper flower to make it blend in a bit more with the cover elements. A stamp, a compass, and a Chinese coin round out the cover.


The tag book is made from manilla tags that I've sprayed with Glimmer Mist (Patina and Key Lime Green) and then stamped with various stamps using Tim Holtz Distress Ink in Peeled Paint. They are stamped on one side and have Glimmer Mist on the back side. My thinking is that they can add pictures on the stamped side and write on the back. The tags are bound with a ball chain (which I trimmed down) and adorned with yarns and ribbons and danglies. I tried to make this gender neutral, but I couldn't help myself with the yarns. There are six tags in this book.

The interior pages I used Glimmer Mist (Patina and Robin's Egg in one direction, Patina and Coffee Shop in the other) using Tim Holtz masks with the clock face and gears. I added tabs and other page marking items. When you open the book from the top, it contains a photo holder that I also distressed and painted with Glimmer Mist so it blends into the rest of the project.

More pictures available on Flickr.
Project code: 280111

Project: Photo Accordion Book

Tonight, I gave a gift book to a very dear new friend. I decided over the weekend that I would make a small book for her. So I spent some time going through her Flickr archive looking for a photo I could use for the cover. It turned out, she has quite a collection of photos out there, and so I decided to print several pictures for her book.

Note: I was able to do this because my friend had not copyright protected her images on Flickr. If she had protected them, I would have needed her permission to use them, even in a gift for her. I would have taken that step, even though it would have removed most of the surprise of the gift.

I decided to use an accordion book. I assembled the book so it opens from both the bottom and the top. Before assembling the book, I decided that I would leave the book mostly blank for her to put in her pictures. Because she would be adding photos, I needed an artistic design for the inner pages that I could do, rather than embellishments added on top of photos. I decided to use Glimmer Mist and a Heidi Swap mask. Using three colors (Patina, Robin's Egg Blue, and Key Lime Green), I misted the backgrounds on both sides. I used papertowels to cover up pages that I didn't want to mist in each section. I made some more green and some more blue, mostly by the color I put on the top.

While the inner pages dried, I covered the covers with Bo Bunny striped paper, and then assembled the front decorations. I did a dry layout and used my digital camera to snap the planned layout for later. I went through my stash, and used some elephant stamps, a small compass, the word "journey," and a lot of flowers. I used a Tim Holtz ATC stamp to add some interest to the Bazzill library pocket. I used Peeled Paint distress ink to stamp the library pocket, and a series of green cateye chalks to distress the edges of things on the cover.

Next, I assembled the book, using a UHU glue stick to assemble the pages to the covers. I closed the book, and put it under something heavy in my office for an hour to make sure it was solid before moving forward. I added a few photos to the interior before I assembled the front cover. After the cover was finished, I went through and added tabs to many of the interior pages. As a last step, I used a small photo folder and attached it in the middle from the top, and inserted the remaining photos in it.


When I was finished, about an hour later (not counting drying time), I had a lovely gift I was proud to give. Total cost was under $10. My friend can use a Sharpie or a pigment ink pen to write captions on and around her photos after she assembled the whole album.

More pictures available on Flickr.
Project code: 280011

Project: Tim Holtz Distress-a-polusa

[Note: I've updated the photo using my new Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80]

I just got home from a fabulous class with Tim Holtz at Scrapbooks, Etc. I took a quick picture of my finished project with my cell phone, but it does no justice to the project. I'll retake the photo after I replace my digital camera.

The purpose of the class was to experiment with the distress product lines. And who better than Tim to teach them! The class was full, I heard there were 40 attendees and a waiting list. I went in with high expectations, and the class exceeded them all.

First, Tim is great. He's down-to-earth, a guy who is living his passion in life. His passion is contagious. His teaching style is laid back, and he knows how to plan a class. It's the first project I've ever finished in a class! He totally tells you to do anything, do random things, and not to overthink it all. He's friendly and accessible. And did I mention that his projects totally rock! If you ever get a chance to take a class with Tim, do it.

The project is based on a 10" IKEA mirror, just like the one on my studio worktable for the wedding project. We were given a series of chipboard pieces and acrylic shapes from his Fragements line. We distressed each one, and they got glued to the mirror in a patchwork pattern. Then, we attached bits of found objects to the tops of them.

The heart of the project is the chipboard pieces. They fell into three groups for distressing.

1) We used crackle paint on the largest pieces. When the crackle dried, we used distress inks over the top. The crackle colors were a bit too pure for my liking, so I was thrilled to see how totally the colors changed with the addition of a layer of ink. It's not so much the color of the ink that changed the crackle paint, it was the texture of the ink that changed the texture of the crackle paint more than the color impact. I wish my photo showed that kind of detail. All I can say is you have to try these paints and ink over them, even if you use the same color ink.

2) We used embossing powder on the smallest pieces. The distress embossing powder is different from regular powders because it has grains that are supposed to fall away to give the distressed look. So the color after embossing is splotchy. We next inked over these, and again, the ink changed the entire look of the pieces. It filled in the distressed splotches.

3) We inked the remaining pieces, and then used black archival ink to stamp on them. We didn't use the distress inks for this because the products would have blended together instead of giving a sharp black stamp image.

We next created the acrylic squares by gluing them to pieces of paper from Tim's discontinued ephemera paper line.

Once all of the pieces were crafted, we arranged them around the mirror using a template Tim gave us. We tweaked the placement by swapping out pieces of the same size and shape until we liked the layout. Next, we selected from the bag of found object goodies the items we wanted on the pieces, and arranged them around the mirror. This was a blast. The goodies included things like a game board spinner, a small lightbulb, pressed tin crown, game pieces, and a button Tim made to hand out to the class attendees, among other things.

As much fun as I had all of the way through, I thoroughly enjoyed gluing down the individual pieces. We used a Ranger product (I don't remember the name) but it is clear and dried very quickly.

It was fun to see what everyone else created. We had the same materials available to us, and they all look so different! I had Tim sign the back of mine, too! I can't wait to hang it up in the studio.