Hello everyone!
Patti is here today sharing steps to put together a lovely 7gypsies journal complete with pockets, tags and an abundance of room to house photos.
Let’s take a look at what she’s created.
Several months back I did a video for Canvas Corp showcasing the new Architextures Parchment Rub Ons. I used them with the 7gypsies Starter Journal which is a stitched canvas book cover complete with pockets front and back to slip in a book, or in this case, a journal. Well, the other day in the midst of looking for something else, I ran across the cover and had a light bulb moment – gotta finish that journal. So here we are, ready to see how to incorporate the pre-made canvas cover into a lovely Mini Album Journal.
The canvas cover is large enough to hold a 5″x7″ journal and I made mine to fit. I used the bulk Kraft cardstock from the store which is a heavier weight paper but perfect for construction or card bases. Since the eight pages grew, as most minis do, I had to decide on what type of closure and opted to use an expandable belly band. The band secures with two strips of heavy duty velcro and is adorned with flowers cut from the paper collection, tags, sisal rope sprays and items from my crafty drawers.
I went through my supplies and decided on the 7gypsies Wanderlust paper pad, more of the Architextures Parchment Rub Ons, some items from the Stash Paque Create, of course my favorites, Glimmer Mists. I also pulled out some leftovers from past Gypsy Moments projects, a few tags, ATC folders, File Folders etc. That’s the beauty of Canvas Corp products – they all play nicely with one another. Most often, you can easily mix and match collections within your project.
I’m only going to give you a brief run-through here because the video has a lot of the processes captured to show you how and why I did what and where. This mini doesn’t have hinges and gussets; it’s simply 4 Kraft pages folded in half and stitched to the middle with cording to secure. I was afraid that because I wasn’t going to stitch it all together until after I’d matted and finished each page I’d get confused as to what page went where. An easy way to solve this is to number each page and tag each mat to correspond with it as you go along. This prevents a lot of ‘oh, no! What goes where?’ moments. I also found that backing each of the page mats with a solid, light weight, black cardstock made the pages pop a lot more.
You’ll see I’ve consistently used the black to mat almost everything.
Don’t be afraid to use the paper as the embellishments. Case in point is the belly band which is adorned with flowers cut from the Wanderlust collection. You could use any floral cutting die you own, I opted for the Tattered Floral die by Tim Holtz. Be sure to ink everything! I used Distress Ink in Aged Mahogany throughout the journal, including the flowers.
It never ceases to amaze me how much room a mini of this size ends up having for photos and journaling. I’m calling this one a pocket mini since I tried to incorporate some sort of pocket on each set of pages. As you’ll see in the video, I also tried to leave the designs intact since they are stunning and I didn’t want to lose the visual effect of the paper. Cutting around the shape of the image is a great way to give focal interest as well. As you see above, my pockets are not all straight and even. I’ve followed the curve of the dancer and the shape of the book tops to give movement to the pages. Again, I’ve backed them with the solid black and see how it makes them pop from the pages?
I really liked incorporating the Mini Kraft bags into my pockets. They create a wonderful home for tags. Using the Distress Ink around the edges blends the Kraft to match the book. Using snippets of the paper to cover the front and back ties it all together. Again, you’ll notice the paper has been torn that’s on the front of the bag, no need for precise, straight lines, we want to keep that grungy feel.
When you are starting with gorgeous paper, like the 7gypsies Wanderlust collection, it’s often times hard to allow yourself to eliminate the images. Here you can see I’ve solved the problem by adding an identical second page over the top. I wanted to keep the lady in her full splendor so to accomplish that, and still have a pocket, I’ve cut an identical piece with a smaller width to place over the top of the glued mat. I did strengthen the back of the pocket piece with the lightweight black cardstock. Also, before you glue, stretch the open end slightly between your fingertips. You’d be surprised how a little stretching can give a much greater access to your pocket. You can see how nicely the tag slips inside now.
Once in a while, I just can’t bring myself to cover the paper up. That’s what happened with this design, it just touched some place inside me and I had to leave that gorgeous design shine through. It will leave ample room when photos are placed to now have a large photo on the left. On the right, I happily stumbled upon the idea of taking 9 of the small quote images, cutting around the edges and mounting them on single strip of black cardstock. The cardstock was left 12″ wide and cut and folded to allow a nice border around each photo. At the very end on the right I left a 1/2″ piece and scored it at 1/8th intervals. Before I glued it to the book I creased, rolled and glued this piece to form a stopper. Once the small mats are accordion folded, they tuck nicely up against this stopper and the seam binding tie holds everything neatly in place.
There is just so much more to share with you about this mini journal and I’ll leave the rest for the video. I hope you enjoy the process and consider making one of these for yourself or a friend. I know you’ll love the finished project. Have fun creating everyone. A supply list will follow the video as well as social links for Canvas Corp and myself.
Supplies from the Canvas Corp Stores:
7 Gypsies Architextures 8×8″ Paper Pad, Architextures Stash Paque – Create, Wanderlust 8×8″ Pad, Architextures Parchement Rub Ons – Pose and Inspire, Gypsy Moments File Folders 4×6″, Gypsy Moments ATC File Folders, Gypsy Moments Tags, Gypsy Moments A Novel Thought 12×12 Paper, Gypsy Moments Under The Cover 12×12 Paper, Starter Journal Cover 5×7″, Mini Ephemera Credentials
Tattered Angels Glimmer mists – Crushed Shells, Tea Cup, Marigold, Patina, Sun Sisters, Amethyst
Canvas Home Basics Jute Cord Ball, Bulk Kraft Paper 80#, Sisal Rope, Kraft Mini Bags, Mini Clothespins
Follow Canvas Corp Brands Store, Blog and Facebook Collective Group (this is a group you must request to join, but boy is it worth it!!!)
Tattered Angels on Facebook and Instagram.
Canvas Home Basics at Facebook and Instagram.
7gypsies at Facebook and Instagram.
Visit me at A Soul’s Heartbeat on Blogger, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram.
Thank you for spending your time with me!
Happy crafting!
– Patti Senter –
'Gypsy Soul – Mini Album Journal' have 3 comments
September 10, 2017 @ 11:34 am beth ervin
Patti, this is absolutely gorgeous. I so want to come and visit you and play together!
September 10, 2017 @ 1:52 pm Leslie
You are so creative. Love the designs. Thanks for sharing!
September 11, 2017 @ 9:17 am ava gavloski
Patti, Bravo, wonderful mini journal album . You have inspired me to make one as well. Love the presentation of all the CCB products