Altered books have been around for some time, even before recycling, reclaiming and repurposing were all so trendy. Today on the blog is a very updated altered book that is filled with wonderful tones of pink, messages of love and mixed media techniques that will make you swoon. Crew Member Ewelina Gryglak walks us through the steps of making your own altered book and how she embellishes it in so many fun ways. This book is just in time for Valentine’s Day for those who celebrate or maybe just a good reminder to share the love in 2017.
“I really like Canterbury Tales and I have a copy of the cook dating back to my Uni days. A few days ago, I found another copy of the book but didn’t have the heart to throw it away. Instead, I decided to give it a ‘second life’ and turned it into a romantic decoration.” – Ewelina Gryglak
Materials Used:
old book
Tattered Angels Chalkboard French Vanilla
Tattered Angels Baseboard Ivory
Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze Icicle
Tattered Angels Baseboard Gerber
Tattered Angels Baseboard Red Rocks
7gypsies Mini – Ephemera Ladylike
Canvas Corp – Mini Clothespins Ivory
Finnabair Clear gesso
Finnabair white crackle paste
Finnabair Art Stones (both sizes)
13arts gel medium
Craftstore.ru chipboard die cuts
Wild Orchid Crafts flowers
13arts white sisal bristle
Prima Marketing LOVE flair button
unknown make: white cord, white frame
Tools Used – craft knife, palette knife, heat gun, hot glue gun, big paper clips to hold pages in place and stop the book from closing
Open an old book in the middle and, with a craft knife, cut out a window on each side. You need to go through multiple layers to achieve depth. The cuts don’t have to be even.
Using palette knife, spread crackle paste all over the project. Apply it in various thickness to create a variety of crackles and textures. Leave to dry (or use a heat gun if you’re impatient like me)
Use Tattered Angels Chalkboard French Vanilla and Baseboard Ivory mists to add shades to the base.
Use Tattered Angels Glimmer Glaze Icycle to add shine to corners and edges. Glimmer Glaze comes with its own little brush so you can add here and there quickly. It acts as a resist, top-coat and detail paint and it has just the right amount of shimmer.
Sprinkle Tattered Angels Baseboard Gerber and Baseboard Red Rocks on the project creating more depth. To make it easier for the colours to blend, spray the Chalkboard French Vanilla and use a brush if needed to ‘guide’ the colour.
Mix gel medium with large Art Stones. With palette knife, apply them in chosen areas. When finished, sprinkle mini Art Stones on top.
Apply Tattered Angels Baseboard Red Rocks on the edges and in the centre-fold; delicately, spray with water to blend the colours. Sprinkle the mist all over the project. Leave to dry.
Paint the chipboard pieces using Baseboard Gerber and Chalkboard French Vanilla Mists. They are perfect for paper, cardboard, chipboard, fabric, wood pieces and more.
Prepare your paper cluster using 7gypsies Mini Ephemera Ladylike. These ephemera packs come with 15 or more art pieces that all have a unique vintage feel and look terrific when added to mixed media and altered art pieces. You can leave them as they are or mist them to make them look even more distressed.
Distress the edges, layer and secure using 3d foam tape and use two clothespins as deco. The ephemera are printed on cardstock weight paper so they stand up just fine when adding to craft projects.
Arrange and attach all the embellishments: chipboards, sisal, cord, frame, flair button and flowers. Your project is finished.
Start with an old book you find at a flea market or garage sale – hardbacks are the best as they will hold up to all you can add to them. Look for unique writing, photos or sketches or just great paper. Cover the book completely or leave a little bit of the pages exposed and decorate for a beautiful art piece. To see more of Ewelina’s work visit her blog and follow her on Instagram.
Happy Altering!!!!
Sign up to Receive Inspiring Content, Exclusive Offers and More!
Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.
'An Altered Book of Love' have 4 comments
January 12, 2017 @ 11:51 am karen bearse
This is totally amazing- work of art!
January 12, 2017 @ 1:21 pm Linda Simpson
WOW this is awesome!
Hugs
Linda xxx
January 13, 2017 @ 11:06 am Carolyn
This is so feminine, beautiful and romantic! Where can I find the Ladylike ephemera?
January 16, 2017 @ 3:58 pm jean marmo
What a beautiful project!