Dollar Store Crafts Canvas Notebook Cover Tutorial

How could it possibly be the sixth month of the year!  Where does it go?  Today we launch the June challenge at Mini Album Makers.  I have been wanting to launch a new blog series on Dollar Tree / Dollar Store crafts.  Make sure to follow along for other ideas of how you can make fun craft projects with simple dollar purchases.

I picked up this journal for a buck and created a "souped up" cover for it.  The journal slides in and out of the cover so it can easily be written in and also replaced when filled with thoughts.

Here you can see how it easily slides out.  I was pressed for time this month, but you could easily add pockets and flaps and more to the left side.

To make the covers, first measure your journal insert.  Add 1/4" to the width and 1/2" to the height for your covers.  My insert measures 3 3/4 x 6 3/4 so I cut my covers to 4 x 7 1/4.  I used canvas board by Heidi Swapp.  Next, make a flexible spine.  I used two sheets of sticky back canvas by Ranger with the sticky sides adhered together.  Measure the width of the spine of your journal insert and add 1 1/2" to that (more if you want to add stuff to the left side inside your journal).  My spine measured 1/2" so I cut my canvas to 2" wide.  Adhere 1/2" Red Line tape to either side of the canvas and adhere one of your canvas boards to each side to form your book.  I cut off the excess with scissors once it was adhered.  

Please forgive me for not showing enough process pics...  I opened my covers and laid them on a paper towel then laid the Unblocked Stencil Girl stencil over the canvas and sprayed first Sea Mint Green Shimmer Spray by Lindy's, then C'est la vie Cerise Flat Fabio Spray, alternating the design and drying between colors.  

While I had the stencil wet I did a monoprint of each color onto some watercolor paper.  I cut these pieces to the size of my covers to decorate the inside of my journal.  I stamped the top of the monoprints with Seth Apter's Dot Matrix stamp to coordinate with the pattern of my $1 journal.  I made a wrap to hold my journal and adhered it around my paper then glued them inside to line my covers.  

I used more watercolor paper to mop up the extra spray inks and cut the new Stacked Baroque die and layered with a Mini Detailed Butterfly die which I embossed with Wendy Vecchi Watering Can EP.  

For my cover I embossed my IndigoBlu butterfly in Watering Can and then stamped the sentiment from Tim's Theories stamp set, both onto my  mop up paper.  I finished with a couple of Prima flowers and a vintage seam binding bow.  The ferns are from Tim's Garden Greens dies.

Here's a side view.  You can see the way the canvas boards look with their raw edges.  I love the feel of the canvas and it took the sprays very well.  Of course, you could wrap your covers with designer paper if you like and make a leather or fabric spine.  You could use iron-on interfacing to adhere two pieces of fabric together if you have some fabric you'd love to use.  There are so many options, this is just the basic.  I hope to make another similar design in the future and build upon this concept.  We'd love to see your albums in our June challenge.  One lucky winner will receive a $25 Stencil Girl certificate!

I'm also sharing with:
Simon Says Stamp: Anything Goes
Crafty Creations: Anything Goes
Crafty Gals Corner: Anything Goes
Tuesday Throwdown: Create Your Own Background
Craft-Dee Bowz: Anything Goes w/Handmade Bow

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