Hi
everyone, Mou Saha here from
Creating Keepsakes magazine. Summer’s
almost over and it’s time to go back to school! My daughter’s 9 and going to 5th
grade this year. She is into art journaling in her own way. So I thought I’ll
style an extra composition book for her to do her own thing. Let me show you
how.
Start
with a plain regular composition book like this one.
Use
a sanding block or sand paper to tone down the glossy surface while giving the
covers some tooth to grab the adhesive in the next step.
Wipe
the dust off with a towel to get the book ready for the next step. I used gel
medium to layer some old book paper and library receipt on the cover.
Once
it’s dry, turn the book over and trim off the excess papers using a sharp craft
knife. Repeat on the back cover.
Well,
now comes the most fun part of this project! Gather washi tapes, paper tapes,
sticker borders, etc.…my daughter’s favorite color is blue, so I picked blues
and greens with touches of white, black, and red.
Start
attaching strips of washi tapes starting near the spine. Wrap the tape around
at the top and bottom for a neater finish and to avoid lifting off later.
Keep
adding tapes till you have reached the right edge of the composition book. If
you are wondering why I went through the trouble of sanding and layering the
book papers, let me explain… washi tapes are not thoroughly opaque—you can see
what’s underneath. The black stripes of the notebook cover would have made the
tapes look darker and streaky. Plus, I wanted the book papers to peek through
just a bit to make it look more interesting.
Now,
draw a label on cardstock and cut it out with scissors. Attach it to the front
cover and seal the whole surface with a light quote of gel medium. You can
still write on the label with a Sharpie.
Before
I take your leave, let me share some info about my upcoming Mixed Media
workshop at CKU.
Class Description:
Get your art on mixed media style as you collage together two scrapbook layouts while learning to use some of the hottest and trendiest products in the industry. Come and explore techniques using gelatos, canvas postcards , spray mists, modeling paste, dress patterns, chipboard, stencils, watercolor pencils, and more. You'll leave with enriched artistic technique skills that you can apply at home to your scrapbook layouts and other creative projects. Featuring latest products from Faber-Castell Design Memory Crafts, 7 Gypsies, Canvas Corp, Studio Calico, and The Crafters Workshop. See you in class!
Class length: 1.50 hours
Get your art on mixed media style as you collage together two scrapbook layouts while learning to use some of the hottest and trendiest products in the industry. Come and explore techniques using gelatos, canvas postcards , spray mists, modeling paste, dress patterns, chipboard, stencils, watercolor pencils, and more. You'll leave with enriched artistic technique skills that you can apply at home to your scrapbook layouts and other creative projects. Featuring latest products from Faber-Castell Design Memory Crafts, 7 Gypsies, Canvas Corp, Studio Calico, and The Crafters Workshop. See you in class!
Class length: 1.50 hours
San Jose, CA – September 6-8, 2012
Dallas, TX – October 11-13, 2012
Stamford CT- November 1-3, 2012
You can find the class
details here.
You can find more helpful information here.
-Thanks, Mou, for doing a wonderful guest post on my blog! I love the look of this altered composition book, I'm sure your daughter will love it! -Katie