Prima Zella Teal Eileen Hull Birthday Organizer

Hiya sweeties!  Today we begin a new challenge at Frilly & Funkie and our hostess Suzz has chosen the theme "The Year of....."  She says, "Welcome to a brand new year!  I am not very good at New Year Resolutions but I do like to think about what I want to focus on in the New Year.  To help me do this, I pick a word that is my word for the year and try to use that word to keep me focused on what is important. The challenge to you is to  pick a word that will be your inspiration for 2018.  Create a vintage or shabby chic project that includes your word of 2018.  The word can be part of a sentiment, phrase or stand alone on your project as long as it is featured somewhere in your art."

Now, I had already revealed my "one little word" for 2018 to you in THIS post where I recapped my blog milestones for 2017.  I couldn't very well cheat and make up an easier to portray word!  There was no going back!  Ha ha ha!  I thought long and hard about how the word "savor" could be applied and decided to transform an Eileen Hull travelers journal into a fixed page birthday organizer / monthly agenda.  I hope to savor my friends and family more this year and do better at sending cards.  Sadly, I really stink at that part.  But my goal for 2018 is to do better and show my love and appreciation more.

My finished notebook has six pages, all stamped with this very old Autumn Leaves stamp set, which my friend Carol was giving away and I hoarded it lovingly took into my home.  :)

I'm sure you have a set of numbers/alphabets you could use if you want to replicate the idea.

I started with a 6x6" pad of Prima Marketing Zella Teal designer paper and did a patchwork collage onto the covers of my die cut journal.  I used DecoArt Decou-Page, which worked brillaintly.  Then I applied washi tape (using a glue stick for extra strength) to the spine sections.  I later covered this up, but wasn't sure at this point how much would show...

On the inside covers I gessoed each side, then added strips of tissue tape, scraping more gesso over the top (a little trick from Emma Williams).  I covered the score marks of the spine with more tissue tape to strengthen the fold.

I had a good old time messying up the inside covers with tinted crackle paste, Color Bloom and Glimmer Mist sprays, Distress Crayons, and texture stamping.

I made a second spine, wrapped in paper from the Prima Rose Quartz collection.  My idea was to adhere the two sections of the die cut spine to this one.  If you decide to make this project, cut your spine to 8.75 x 1.25 NOT 1.5 like I did.  You will see why further down.  This is my prototpye, so I learned as I went...

I really wanted a mega tassel to hang from my cover, so I took my sweet daughter's advice and made my own with 100% cotton yarn, which I dyed with Peacock Feathers Distress Ink.  HERE is a pin I found most helpful.  I adhered it through an eyelet with Red Line Tape.

I applied Red Line tape to both of the spine sections on both front and back cover and adhered to my new spine.

Sadly, there was a little more than a 1/4" gap.  I contemplated adding a strip of chipboard, but changed my mind.  

Anyway, you can see how it all lined up here.

Next I made a button and hair elastic closure.  I got this idea from THIS pin.  The wire worked great!  I secured it with two layers of Red Line tape and then concealed with a few pieces from the Zella Teal ephemera pack.  On the back cover, I simply punched a hole and strung the small sized hair elastic.  

I used a beautiful button by Tim Holtz.

I gave my patchwork covers a coat of watery gesso to bring the patterns together, then stenciled the same Prima stencil on top.  This time in white.  I stamped a Prima texture stamp repeatedly and embossed in chunky platinum EP.

Once more, let me urge you to check out Seth Apter's new line of chunky embossing powders and preorder HERE.  I cannot wait!

I had such fun creating the bundle for the cover of this book.  I included a Prima leaf die and flowers, an embossed Tim Holtz scroll die, a beautiful leaf charm and snippet of Venise lace from Linda's shop.  The bird is from the embellishment pack.  I made the spotted tag and the glittery hole reinforcer is from the My Prima Planner line.  The little plus signs are the cast off of a Tim Holtz Alterations die, which I stained grey.

The letters are from an old sign at the church where I work.  My friend Bonnie saved them for me during a clean-up project.  <3 <3 <3  There are similar letters by Tim Holtz found HERE.  The sentiment stickers are also TH.  

One of my 12 little Christmas pressies from my crafty BFF and F&F sidekick Sara Emily was a few alcohol inks.  I mixed these two to form the teal color to stain the letters.  

To for my signatures I followed the same process I described HERE, but with these measurements.
Signature One: 8 1/2  x 1 1/4
Signature Two: 8 1/2  x 1 3/4
Signature Three: 8 1/2  x 2 1/4
Score each Signature ½” from each end.

I cut my watercolor paper pages 8 1/2" tall, then scored at 4 1/8", folded and matched up the other side (total width of 8 1/4, just folded in half for ease).  I glued the edge of one side of page to the signature, then added more glue to cover the full page and folded it in half, surrounding each little flap on the signatures one page at a time.  I use Beacon 3 in 1 glue for this.  It has a little more give than the Red Line tape.  Wet glue is definitely your friend here!

I continued on page by page...

You can see if I had gone with a smaller spine, my pages would have had less of a gap at the front and back cover, but I'm still pleased with the result.  No one would know if I didn't point this out - I just don't want you to make the same mistakes I have!

I colored each page by dipping it into watery Peacock Feathers DI before assembly.  I can't wait to get more organized and fill up this book with the names of my loved ones.  So what's your one little word this year?  I hope you will consider turning it into a design for our current challenge.  I hope you've been inspired and will pin this page for future reference.  <3  Hugs, Autumn

Find these and many other incredible supplies at the Funkie Junkie Boutique:

Prima Marketing 6x6 Paper Pad - Zella Teal	Prima Marketing Color Bloom 2 Fir Needles	(March Pre-order) Prima Marketing 12x12 Paper Pad - Rose Quartz	Prima 6x6 Stencil - Flourish
(APRIL pre-order) Sizzix Bigz Die - Scroll by Tim Holtz	(APRIL pre-order) Sizzix ScoreBoards XL Die - Journal by Eileen Hull 661906	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad - Peacock Feathers	VersaMark Watermark Ink Stamp Pad
Dina Wakley Media Mediums - White Gesso - 2 oz. Tube MDM41672	6 Piece Copper Leaf Embellishments	Sizzix Frameworks Die - Crosshatch by Tim Holtz 661191 (February Pre-Order)	(February Pre-order) Tim Holtz Idea-ology Butterfly Design Tape
Ranger Inkssentials Wonder Tape - 1/4"	Tim Holtz Idea-ology Accoutrements - Fanciful Buttons	Venise Lace Trim - 1.25 Inches	(LATE SEPTEMBER PRE - ORDER) Tim Holtz Idea-ology Clipping Stickers, Christmas
Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Sail Boat Blue	Ranger Adirondack Alcohol Ink - Honeycomb	Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - 6PC Set #1 TDBK47902 (February Pre-order)
Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Crayons - 6PC Set #3 TDBK47926 (February Pre-order)

I'm also sharing with:

That's Crafty!: Feeling Blue
The Artistic Stamper: Anything Goes
STAMPlorations: Anything Mixed Media Goes w/Stencil

More Mixed Media: Anything Goes w/Option Blue
Happy Little Stampers Mixed Media: Garden

Simon Says Stamp: Birds of a Feather