Altered Books / Upcycling Love

Just found myself perusing old files and found these altered books that kind of go along with what I've been doing lately--upcycling old library materials...

I have GOT to keep remembering these! A must for my upcoming Earth Day program on Upcycling at the Library ;)

My first altered book -- using a James Christensen postcard for the image

This is one of my favorites

Not one of my best - but it's Floofy!

 This is actually an altered album cover - lot of fun with this one

 Pop up surfer dude!

He is actually a watercolor on an almost transparent paper

Totally gutted and re-vamped Reader's Digest book

This one traveled the world before it made it's way back to me-- it's now full of many of my dear scrapping friends favorite travel memories

A simple (but still gutted and newly sewn in signatures) version of a Reader's Digest book

LOVE this one - but it ended up being HUGELY fat with all the adds in it. 

A gift that I made for my friend (who had the GREATEST comments about her vacation)

Inside page to the above 

...and another inside page / paint is holding the printed acetate there on the left

Lastly, a simply altered board book

Rusty Pickle, again ;)

Just can't keep me from that Rusty Pickle!

I really thought that creativity and going up for the October Rusty Pickle Challenge was not going to be an option after all that was happening family-wise recently.

But then that Rusty Pickle Panama Jack paper just kept calling to me! Combine great papers with a class I've been preparing for in November.. and tada! You get a nice blend of both:

Journal Jar ala mode!


My Favorite Dish!

Generous Slices of LIFE!
*The photo is a stack of my journals served up on a plate.

The Recipe:
(the hang tag on the side of the jar)



The Supplies:

Rusty Pickle Panama Jack:
RP Sun Yer Buns
RP No Shoes, No Problem
RP Paradise
RP Tequila Sunrise
RP Sail Away
RP Margaritaville
RP Blue Alpha Stickers
RP Tag Set
Tim Holtz Vintage Photo Distress Ink
Basic Grey bling-it
SEI Epoxy Alpha stickers
Ultra fine point black Sharpie
Misc beads, twine and other bling crystals



I, ever the recycler, have used an empty Costco-sized jar for my Journal Jar. And, since you can't really have a journal jar without a journal... I've taken a plain old .50 cent notebook from the local school supply store, covered it with more Rusty Pickle Panama Jack, then just add an adorable and functional beaded bookmark and it's done!

------

If you are interested....

The "Preserving Your Story" Class in November:


I was asked to present a beginning basics of scrapbooking class by a co-worker. When I found out that the other class that night will be on canning, well, I thought to myself - best of both worlds - how about canning (preserving) your memories!

The best way to start preserving your own stories is to start writing them. And what is more appealing than writing in a fun and creative way, or in other words, the scrapper's way!

Easy, fun, creative and definitely a gift-worthy project - that is if you can bear to give it up! I presonally recommend making more than one!


For the class, after a little presentation on supplies, basic needs and ideas, I will be showing 3 versions of Journal Jars:

1- A Basic version - of which I'll have pre-cut peel and stick labels all ready for them to stick on the canning or recycled jars I've asked them to bring.

2- A Medium version - a spruced up version of the peel and stick basic jar, it's got ribbons and flowers added.


3- The 'All hands on deck' version - yeh, you guessed it, the one shown above! ...hey, they have to know what's possible ;)

I am also giving everyone a notebook. After they choose from some pre-cut coordinating papers they will get a chance to put everything together. My goal is to keep this whole thing SHORT and EASY. I want to be helpful, but not intimidating to new scrappers.


After the class I will send them emails with a 10 page list of questions to print out, cut and put in the jars. It's a free class, so I've got to control costs somehow!

Have fun!

p.s. I totally Googled for a whole range of Journal Jar ideas and Journal Jar questions - if you want my collection of questions - just leave me a post - I'm sure we can figure out a way to get them to you too.

Printable Documents
Preserve Your Story - Scrapbook Basics document
3x5 Journal Jar Recipe card

Did you give up on me?

So, did you give up on me ever posting again??

Hope not ;) 'cause I'm baaaaack!

First, you gotta see this - Lex on the phone to daddy in Iraq - isn't this adorable?!!



I've been busy busy busy! You would think that being off work I would be LESS busy, but no. I have no idea how I fit work into my schedule before, honestly. Or, I wonder if I just find ways to fill my time no matter what I do or how busy I am.

My mother has taken to calling me 'Molly Homemaker' If I don't show up on Tuesdays to do some sort of homemaking project at her house she makes my dad call me to see where I am and to make sure that I know they are home (they do travel a lot and are not home EVERY Tuesday). Anyway...

So a few of the projects that I've schlepped over to my mother's house (where I can get help as I need it)are:

Canning:



Peach jam & syrup, Cherry jelly & syrup, Chili sauce, and Tomato sauce. I still need to do the Jalapeno Jelly :0 (Many many days of canning!)

(NOTE: We created the Chili Sauce recipe, and a super incredible Tomato Soup recipe - I'll post them if you want - oh, don't be misled by the name 'Chili' - it's got no hot peppers in it at all, just spices and bell peppers)

Sewing:

Olivia Quilt,


Serendipity Quilt,


Civil War Quilt squares of the month,




and the last of my Summer Quilt. Oh, and I did manage some general mending in there too.

On the other days I've scrapped - Christmas stuff, so I can't show it, you'll just have to take my word on it. Okay, so I do have this altered bottle - got to love this recycling stuff, particularly when the economy has been the way it has lately!



I am still being very careful about my back. I can't sit for too long, or stand or walk for extended periods of time. I get exhausted easily too. But I am crossing my fingers, hoping that I can return to work at the end of November. I don't have a dr.'s clearance for that yet, but if I go asking, return to work papers in hand, I just might get the okay. Limits in place I'm sure, but at least an okay.

Anyway, lots to pack in in one blog, but I'll work at doing it better :)

Recycling - Scrappin' Style!

Hi everyone!

Still having computer issues, hence the late hour that I'm actually getting online and posting anything - it just takes SO long to get the photos off the camera and then to photobucket.

Finally, I have the mini album I made for a gift. Ignore the photos, you've seen them before, I promise I will really really try to not use them again (or at least not post the projects I do with them!), but it was for a gift.

Anyway...

Like the post says, this is a recycled project. LOTS of recycled stuff here:











Supplies:
Heart Candy Box - bet you couldn't figure that one out ;)
Plastic packaging - 2 of the pages were cut from leftover packaging
Corrugated packaging
Daisy D's
Misc. Rubons, Chipboard. Flowers and Bling

I used fabric to make the binding. The cover/top of the candy box, holds the album together. Or is it that the bulk of the pages hold the top on, either way, it worked out nicely. I just used the box itself to create the page pattern.

Well, thanks for peeking :)

Have a GREAT weekend all! We are doing the Orem Summerfest tomorrow, rides, parade and fireworks!

Creatively Juicing, uh, er..canning ;)

I KNOW this is dated the 2nd of March, and I really DID do this project way back then, I just forgot to finish the darn post!

Anyway, please forgive me, enjoy any creative flow you might get from my little fun project I did here, and then go play with your little treasures :

If Beauty, Spunk and Energy could be canned, this would be it.

Alas, I can only manage to stop time in my art and not IRL.

I've taken a perfume canister from Hollister (I think I only bought it for the canister - oh that kind of shows how bad/addicted I am ;)

- Anyway, here is the end product I created -

My attempt at capturing and stopping a moment in time by freezing it on a canister.

Canned Alexis
(no... not "Can it Alexis!" LOL! Although a 'Can' do Alexis or a 'Can'tcha just stop growing... might have been just as appropriate ;P)

I DID add some stickers, rubons and cardstock embellies. The stickers got all scrunched and munched to make them look a bit like the Hollister item# sticker. The only other bit'o altering was a touch of distressing with sandpaper to some edges :)

Challenged Inspiration

I'll leave it to you to decide if I'm more 'challenged' or 'inspired'! ;)

I sketched and planned on all my breaks yesterday, in preparation for my day off - I've got about 4 sketches and lots of technique ideas that I'm just dying to try out -

So... what do I do in my studio today? I totally ignore the sketches and ideas and go off on a whim! Now, I did create a quote-centered project, just not the same quote (yet) and not what I sketched and not even a 'technically' scrapbook related project!


In any case, here it is:





I took an old out of date orangey-yellow wood frame (see the wall arrangement where it goes here) then;



1- sanded the edges

2- added metal flake with two-way glue

3- rubbed the whole thing down with Folkart Antiquing Medium.

4- added photos to black cardstock to fit in frame

5- added a Daisy D quote rubon between the photos

6- added Imaginisce brads & jewels



Now, on to the next project!

(If only I had as much time as I currently have ideas for!)

Playing around...

I'm off doing some of my favorite stuff! Editing photos!! I just love it when it all comes together. Take a look at this one:



Okay, don't give me too much grief, I KNOW it's not a rose! It was the raindrops and the favorite things that got me - I could not resist. I LOVE raindrops!

Oh, I've not had a chance to tell you how much FUN I had yesterday making an altered Inkpad Storage rack from old Audio Cassette holders! I had planned on doing ONE side, since the far side will be facing a wall when they get mounted - but I had so much fun, I just couldn't stop! Take a look!

Side 1


Side 2


Tops


Can you see why I had so much fun! They are so beautiful. Each quote means something special to me and there are hidden meanings I've got tucked in there too - example, the Heart with the 'Beauty' rubon - because I love beauty in all things - neat isn't it?

I used My Minds Eye Signature collection papers and diecuts. Have I mentioned I LOVE MME!! They also do Bohemia - Most of my projects have been Bohemia this weekend :)

TTFN!