I like to buy notebooks this time of year and then make covers for them and give them as gifts as the holiday season approaches. For this cover, I started out with Strathmore Mixed Media paper. I sprayed it with Dylusions Spray Ink and water. Dylusions sprays and water are a great way to color a lot of space with minimal effort.
I started layering strips and scraps of painted paper and Washi tape onto my cover, then decided to whip out this charming girl image from Dina Wakley's Gals and Borders stamp set. I love a lot of stamp images, but I'm not always clever enough to figure out how to use them when they have big sections of opaque color. I knew that if I stamped the girl as she was, she'd cover up a lot of the collaging I'd just done. So I tried something new. I stamped her in black ink, then cut our her torso, leaving just an outline of her torso which I glued a strip of patterned black and white paper to. Here's a pic of my separate elements: the notebook, the cover, and the girl.
I glued everything together and added some stitching, a flower, and a "clever girl" sentiment that I stamped with alphabet stamps. I wanted the girl to be the focal point, so I had to make sure she was nice and dark. To get a super dark black stamped image, I usually have to either heat-emboss with black powder or color in the stamped sections with a Sharpie. I used a Sharpie for this image.
I added a strip of an old vintage Bingo card to the spine and painted the edges black. As a final step, I wanted to top off my notebook with some yarn. A simple way to do this is to tie fibers to a paperclip which can be used as a bookmark.
Here are the supplies I used on my project that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

My heart and good wishes go out to all those youngsters and maybe not-so-youngsters who have recently headed back into the world of academia! Go you! Be sure to get crafty if you need a break from homework and being responsible in general. Create something study-rific and upload it to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!
What a beatiful cover you have created Andrea...the 'Girl' stamp is absolutely adorable and the idea of cutting it out was so brilliant!!! Totally love her...Huge Hugs!!!! Simona
ReplyDeleteGorgeous notebook cover Andrea! YOU are a clever girl cutting out there torso and creating such an awesome background! Love the tip of tying fibres onto a paper clip too, one I will definitely be copying ;-)
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Lols x x x
Oh how I love your notebooks, Andrea, and this one is no exception! It's amazing and so fun and I love the paperclip idea for a bookmark. Love it!
ReplyDeleteCathie ♥
Love it- the colors the image the stitching-and the clever way you allowed the dress to show more of that fab color too!
ReplyDeleteSuch a cool clever girl notebook! I think I would have studied more with a notebook like this...or maybe just doodled more! Love your bright colors and the paper clip idea is an awesome touch, Andrea! hugs, Maura
ReplyDeleteThis altered notebook is stunning Andrea and I love the paper clip with the fibers tied to it. All the patterns and colors are wonderful as always.
ReplyDeleteYour creativity and stunning ideas amaze me! This is another so your-style project with a bounch of crazy colors, patterns and textures. I love the bold black clever girl against the rainbow of colors behind. Hugs, Marzena!
ReplyDeleteHow cool is your project???? As always you used the stamps in a way absolutely unique, mixing colors and fab design! Your creative mind always amaze me! BArbara
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful and creative piece of art...this tag is just fabulous Andrea and I adore all the detail you've added to bring the whole piece to life! :)
ReplyDeleteanother colourful beauty Andrea and the sentiment says it all...you sure are one very clever girl...hugs kath xxx
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing Andrea!!! Love the girl and love how you used the colors!!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a fabulous creation, Andrea. Love the beautiful layered embellishments. :)
ReplyDeleteSo pretty, Andrea! Love the revamped mini notebook cover, you're the queen of funky bright colors with bold black stamps! Stunning! Hugs, Sandra
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