My Swap for Sherry.

These are the 4 items that Sherry sent to me. Design paper, lace, beads and green net flowers. I forgot to take a picture of them before I started and have borowed this piccy from Sherry.

I spent ages thinking what to do with them and had two things in mind but eventually kept coming back to the idea of making a journal from an old book. I had found the idea in my 'Craft Stamper' magazine and had it ear marked to have a go one day. When I went to start cutting the paper I turned it over to mark the lines and found the name of the design. It is called Life's Journey Old Rose. Well that cinched it, a book to record a journey through life it became. The book came from my local charity shop. (I had to break my UIU pledge to buy it but as I needed it in order to use up both Sherry's and my stashes I felt it was justified.)

Gluing the pages together became totally a battle of wills between me and the book! I mean how difficult can it be to stick book pages together. Started off with PVA glue 80%glue/20% water. Ha! All I ended up with was a soggy book. So into the airing cupboard it went for 5 days and came out with the pages peeling apart as I opened it. Der. Ok. Next try glue in a stick push up tube. That worked better and I really thought I had sussed it. Next day nice and dry but still peeling apart. Okey Dokey out came the glossy accents and a good amount was applied around each section of pages (fifteen to one new page. ) Next came my heat gun which promptly cut out cos I was using it too near the page. Resort to the hair dryer. result? Buckled pages!! When your back is up against the wall and as a last resort get the iron out and iron like the clappers for all your worth whilst singing "I will survive"!!!!!!!!!!! Finally with Inka Gold rubbed over the edges they were stuck, after all how diffuicult can it be to stick book pages together!!!

After that it was plain sailing and I really enjoyed myself.

I personalised the front cover with hardboard initials which I painted and then covered with crackle paint. Home made flowers and some of the beads used for the centres.

Inside cover using some of the green net flower and more of the beads + the 1st page.

I painted over the pages with a thin wash of acrylic matt artist paint in off white and used distressed inks around the edges.

Had to slip the shrink plastic' wally heart' button in somewhere! + some of the lace.

Added lace from my own stash and used loads of different stamps on the pages.

'Fluffy' gave me some Luminarte paint pots that she wasn't using and they have quickly beocme the new shrink plastic for me. The effect on the roses/flowers on the pages is really lovely.

A deep lace pocket with ribbon was used on this page and a tag insert made with the green net flowers.

More stamping and flowers.

Another pocket made from a page that I embosed with butterflies and a tag insert.

More of the lace.

And the last pages.

And a close up of the tags.

I had one tiny scrap of the paper left over and one bead which I used to make a card for Sherry that I enclosed in the parcel. See the post under this one to find what Sherry made for me.

I am entering this into the following challenges:

Anything Goes: Altered Projects. (Old Book)

All Sorts: Anything Goes.

Crafty Catz: Favourite Things . ( I used the the 4 swap items from Sherry)

Totally Gorjuss: Lace. (Throughout the book)

Creatalicious: All about Lace. (Anything with lace on)