Me and Mine: December 2022

Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Wildflower Journal

Hi Audrey here once again with another journal. I hope you all had a Wonderful Christmas, if you Celebrate it.

This one is made from scratch, using mostly 49 and Market’s ARToptions Plum Grove Collection. The cover is from an old book, the book measured approximately 21cm long but I cut the width to 11cm which is slightly wider than the largest of the bookplates in the Curators Essential - Bookplates, folded.

The signatures inside, there’s five in this journal, but once it was finished I think three would have been enough as by the time I’d decorated the inside it was chock'o'block. They are made with a combination of beautiful 6x8 Plum Grove papers, Curators Essential - Bookplates, ARToptions Plum Grove - File Essentials, ARToptions Plum Grove - Ephemera Bits, blank pages and even large paper doilies. (There are some very good tutorials on YouTube on how to make journals, covers and inside signatures). Once I’d made the inside pages, I sewed the signatures to the spine of the book, covered the stiches on the spine of the book with Curators Essential Fabric Tape Set - All Black. I used extra glue for longevity. The inside covers are lined with ARToptions Plum Grove - Flourish paper from the 12x12 Collection Pack.

I then went through the journal page by page and added laser cuts and elements along with lots and lots of rub-ons and washi tape. I used a variety of Rub on transfers from the huge collection of transfers in 49 and Markets range throughout this Journal. Including the ARToption Plum grove 8x6 and 12x12 Rub-Ons, along with the NEW Essential Textblends Rub-On Transfers These really made the extra plain paper I added for journaling so much prettier. I've cut some pages to fit and ripped others. 

The journal was made with the style of a junk journal in mind.

I added a large eyelet to the front and back cover so I could thread some Lacey Trim through them as my closure. I used two strips of medium thickness trim, in cream and the thinner one in the pack and sewed them together down the centre to make the strip of lace. I glued a large ARToptions Plum Grove laser cut to the front, a tiny book plate also from the laser cuts and the word 'journal' to the top, front of the journal.

I glued a collection of beautiful Wildflowers Paper Flowers -  in Plum and the Florets Paper Flowers - in Soft Lilac to the lace, making sure the lace could still move through the back eyelet if the journal needed more width.

Here's a little run through video of the journal.

You can see a run through video HERE on the 49 and Market YouTube Channel.

You can also find this journal (soon) and more for sale on my Etsy Shop The Bowerbird's Loft

49 and Market Products Used:⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove - File Essentials ⮙⮙ Curators Essential - Bookplates ⮙

⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove 6x8 Collection Paper Pack ⮙⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove 12x12 Collection Paper Pack ⮙⮙ I used this one from the pack ARToptions Plum Grove - Flourish ⮙⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove - Ephemera Bits ⮙⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove - Laser Cut Wildflowers ⮙

⮙ Ticket Essentials ⮙

⮙ Sunbeam, Salsa, Plum, Eggplant, Hickory, Sage ⮙

⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove -6x8 Rub-on Transfer Set ⮙

⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove 12x12 Color Wash Rub-on Transfer Sheet ⮙

⮙ Essential Textblends Rub-On Transfers - Eggplant, Citrus, Hickory, Sage, Plum, Fern ⮙

⮙ Essential Butterflies 01 Rub-On Transfers ⮙

⮙ ARToptions Plum Grove laser Cut Elements ⮙

⮙ Vintage Bits Essential Filmstrips - Plum ⮙

⮙ Vintage Bits Lace Washi Set - Hickory ⮙

⮙ Curators Essential Fabric Tape Set - All Black ⮙

⮙ Curators Essential - Curators - Washi Tape Stitch Set ⮙

⮙ Wildflowers Paper Flowers - Plum ⮙

⮙ Florets Paper Flowers - Soft Lilac ⮙

⮙ Lacy Trim - Cream ⮙

⮙ Jute Cording - 5ply ⮙

⮙ Vintage Artistry Essentials - Words Clips - Rose Gold ⮙

⮙ Curators Essential - Metal Index Clips ⮙

⮙ Spectrum Sherbet - 6x8 Leaves Rub-on Transfer Set ⮙

Until Next Time

Have a Safe and Happy New Year

Audrey x

Monday, December 12, 2022

Believe in the Magic

Hi there Audrey here again with a layout using ARToptions Holiday Wishes with a touch of ephemera from ARToptions Alena. The colours in the photo of my girls were just perfect for both collections. The photo shows my daughter and her face reacting to the very large present Cadence my granddaughter is trying to hold and eventually unwrap a few Christmases ago.

I started with a base of Beacon of Light paper from ARToptions Holiday Wishes. Cut a piece of The Village paper to approximately 18x20cm and ripped off the bottom edge.

I cut the photo mat from the fussy cut piece in the 12x12 pack, mounted it to the top section of the stripped paper. Matted my photo on some white card with just a thin bit of the white showing and mounted this to the photo mat. As usual I only use adhesive or mounting tape in the centre back of my pieces so that I can tuck more goodies behind if I wish. If the pieces need more securing once I finished I will add more adhesive. I mounted this all to my page.

I then cut some more pieces from the fussy cut page. The blue text & green card. I ripped these and tucked them, some frames from ARToptions Alena, Ephemera Bits and ARToptions Holiday Wishes - Ephemera Bits, behind and around the main photo. Words, tickets and tabs with added Holiday Wishes Rub on Transfer attached. I just played and tucked until I was happy. I did the same for the collection to the bottom right of the photo. A combinations of Holiday Wishes goodies including ARToptions Holiday Wishes - Laser Cut Elements & Ephemera Bits, Tags and NEW paper flowers. to finish off I tucked some frayed bits of white Lacey Trim here and there. I applied these using hot glue.