Happy 2013!!
Thirteen is my lucky number, so I am hoping that this year brings some "luck" to me.
You might have seen my post on using die cut foam core board to create cool Christmas ornaments? I liked working with foam core board using my die cut machine so much that I decided to create a craft for the new year.
Is your New Year's resolution involve getting organized, writing things down, making lists or journaling daily? How about making a shabby chic journal cover that will inspire you to finally keep that determined spirit?
I used Elmers Foam Core Board, die cuts and the BigShot Pro die cutting machine by Sizzix, along with paints and embellishments to create this elegant, yet shabby journal cover.
The Bigshot Pro by Sizzix is hardy enough to cut cleanly through foam core, so I used it, along with this chadelier die cut, to create lightweight foam core shapes to decorate by covers with.
If you are using a journal cover without a black cover, you will want to paint the cover black first. I was lucky enough to find these simple, inexpensive, black covered journals.
First, apply wax to the cover in a random fashion using a candle.
Use acrylic paint to paint the cover white, and paint the foam core motif black.
The cover may require several coats depending on what it is made of. Don't worry too much about the paint showing through as you will be sanding it next to reveal a distressed surface.
Use a sanding block or lightweight sanding paper over the surface of the cover, areas where the wax was applied will rub away revealing an aged, chipped surface.
I also dry brushed the surface of the chadelier with white paint to add a little more depth to it. Using Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac glue, I glued the motif to the upper half of the cover. I used a heavy book to hold it down for a few minutes while the glue set.
Use the gem tac to adhere flat backled acrylic or glass stones, crystas, flower embellishment, etc to the chandelier on the front cover. I also placed a row of self adhesive gems to the area between the binding and cover.
Finally, I used Beacon's Dry Paper Glue to adhere die cuts (from black cardstock) to the cover below the chandelier. I used Sizzix's Serif Essentials in letters and numbers to do this.
Think of short items like the year or a monogram that you would like to use on the cover. These are rather large characters so use a smaller die cut set or stamp a phase as an option if you want to include more letters or numbers.
"Note" that I also dry brushed the book spine to have it match the chandelier.
There are so many things these handy new year journals can be used for. Here are a few ones I can think of off the top of my head;
Grocery lists, Daily Journaling, Inspiration Books, Dream Journals (keep next to bed to jot down dreams before you forget), Health and Fitness log (for those of us who aspire to become more healthy, a place to record calorie intake, excersice ideas, healthy snack recipes).
What can you think of doing with these?
Live Life Creatively,
Love it! 13 is my lucky number too.
Posted by: 365 days of crafts crew leader | January 2, 2013 at 02:05 PM