Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Stitched Notebook

Hello friends! Today I have a notebook/journal tutorial to share, for a notebook with a stitched binding. If you don't want to make a notebook, the cover can easily be turned into a card instead.

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I love to make my own notebooks and sketchbooks. They are also great gifts. This notebook is 5x6 in, a folded Tim Holtz Backdrops paper. The Backdrops papers are so gorgeous and make for great notebook or journal covers. I stamped a dragonfly image on the cover and colored it with pencils. The dragonfly was also stamped on Clearly For Art Modeling Film. Later, I might have removed the modeling film dragon fly, but only because it was a little too dimensional for my liking. 

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stamp dragonfly on the notebook cover.

Fold a piece of Backdrops Vol 4 paper in half and stamp the dragonfly image from Stamper's Anonymous Classics #1 on the cover.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Color with colored pencils.

Color the dragonfly with colored pencils. I used Prismacolors. Use a white pencil to blend the colors.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Add details to the dragonfly with a black pen and a white gel pen. Don't worry about getting it perfect, since that is not the point.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stamp sentiments and circles.

Stamp circles from Simon Says Stamp Mix and Match Circles and various sentiments on the background.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Color patterned paper with pencils.

I wanted the title to have the exact same colors as the dragonfly and used the pencils to color another piece of Backdrops paper. I created an ombre effect.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Die cut the title with Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Emporium dies.

Use Tim Holtz Alphanumeric Emporium dies to die cut the letter.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Stamp the dragonfly with Stazon Jet Black on Wendy Vecchi Clearly For Art Modeling Film

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Color with alcohol ink.

Cut the dragonfly out and color the body with alcohol ink.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Shape the modeling film.

Gently heat with a heat tool and shape the wings. Be careful not to burn yourself. The film keeps its shape perfectly.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Add Ranger Stickles.

Add Distress Stickles Moon Dust to the back of the wings and let dry.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Cut inserts from your paper of choice. In this case, I used fairly light-weight notebook paper, which can take fountain pens without problems. Make a template first by piercing holes through a folded piece of paper. As you can see the inserts are larger than the cover.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Pierce holes along the spine.

After you pierced through all the layers, it looks like this.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stitch the notebook along the spine.

I stitched the book using three strands of DMC embroidery thread using a saddle stitch. Tie it on the inside.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I trimmed the inserts and a tiny bit of the covers to get a notebook where the pages went right up to the edges of the cover. Normally, I make the pages slightly smaller than the cover, but since I used thinner paper than what I usually use, it was possible to trim through them all at once. 

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Using colored pencils to color the paper before die cutting creates a nice effect and the paper is satin smooth.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Stamp some of the circles off the edge for a finished look.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Dimensional dragonfly.

The Moon Dust Stickles gives a great shimmer to the wings of the dragonfly. 

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

The Clearly For Art Modeling Film is one of my favorite surfaces and you dan do many techniques with it. 

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Even though I loved the dimensional dragonfly, I decided to remove it. Since the cover and the inside pages are pretty thin, it bothered me when I was writing in the book. I might put it back again, or I will use it on another project instead.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

The white and black pen details add movement and life to the wings.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Here's another look at the stitch. If you want to, use a contrasting or bright colored thread instead.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Since the Backdrops papers are double-sided, the inside covers are patterned too.

Layers of ink - Stitched Dragonfly Notebook Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Here's another look at the notebook without the Modeling Film dragonfly.




Thank you so much for stopping by here today! 


Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.


Monday, March 25, 2024

Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial

Hello friends! I hope you are well and had a good weekend. We had sun, rain and some snow. 

Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.



This week we have an Emboss It theme at the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog. It is also the last week for our March guest designer Ann Chuang. Be sure to check out the stunning card she has created.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I combined heat and dry embossing on this tag, for a quick textured background. The background technique can be done with many types of embossing folders. The tag was embellished with flowers made with various flower dies by Simon Says Stamp, and vellum leaves. 

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Emboss in Tim Holtz Mosaic folder.

I started out with an inky watercolor paper left-over from another project. It had been inked with Uncharted Mariner Distress Ink. Die cut a tag from the paper. Drag an embossing ink over Tim Holtz Mosaic embossing folder and emboss. Cover with white embossing powder and return the excess to the jar. Emboss. Do not touch the melted powder until it has cooled down completely.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Ink with Distress Ink.

Ink with first Uncharted Mariner and then Scorched Timber, in a pattern following the circles of the design. 

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Color watercolor paper with ink.

The flowers were die cut from watercolor paper which had been colored with Distress Inks. I made three shades of pink paper. Smear the inks on a non-stick craft sheet, mist with water and press the paper into the ink. Let dry and repeat. 

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Add more ink.

I also made three shades of orange/peach papers, using the inks you see on the photo.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Die cut Simon Says Stamp Layered Rosebud.

Die cut Simon Says Stamp Layered Rosebud from the pink papers.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Add shape to the petals.

Shape the petals with Tim Holtz Shaping Kit

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Die cut more flowers.

The orange flowers were die cut using the Dreamy Daisy Layers and the Etched Magnolia Blossom.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Orange flowers.


Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Dye ribbon with ink.

The May Arts Faux Silk Ribbon was dyed with Distress Ink to coordinate with the tag.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Tie ribbon to the tag.

Tie the ribbons to the top of the tag.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stamped sentiment.

The sentiment comes from Tim Holtz Tiny Text and was stamped on one of the inked papers and matted on vellum. The little heart beads have been in my stash for many years and were bought in a tiny craft shop in South Africa, long ago.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

The texture from the combined dry and heat embossing is pretty cool. Don't worry about stray embossing powder since it only adds to the effect.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Glue the flowers together and add a pearl to the center of the orange ones.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Dimensional paper rose.

Glue the pieces of the rose together as shown here.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Paper flowers.

The leaves were die cut from vellum using Simon Says Stamp Tattered Leaves.

Layers of ink - Circle Mosaic Tag Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Vellum leaves.

The flowers are quite dimensional. If you want to make a flatter project, layer the flowers without shaping the petals first.

I hope you will join us this week in our Emboss It challenge. You have a chance to win a $25 gift voucher to do some fun shopping at Simon Says Stamp. You have until Monday 8am Ohio time. 1pm UK time, 2 pm CET to join in.






Do you use Instagram? If so please add #sssmchallenge so we can see your entries there too.





Thank you so much for stopping by here today! 

Happy crafting!

Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.


Friday, March 22, 2024

Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial

Hello and welcome to my blog! Today I have an art journal page tutorial to share, with a textured and inky background. You can also use the techniques for cardmaking or scrapbooking.

 Please note: this post has affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I wanted a very inky and splotchy background and combined it with an older stamp by Tim Holtz called Grunge Alphabet. The birds were die cut from papers I colored recently for another project, with Paper Artsy Infusions Colored Stains. The page is in my Small Creative Journal.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Start by white embossing the Grunge Alphabet on watercolor paper.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Color with Distress Ink.

Smear Distress Inks on a non-stick craft sheet and mist with water. Press the paper into the ink. Let dry and repeat until you are happy with the look. 

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I did a final inky layer using Mermaid Lagoon Distress and Twisted Citron Oxide Inks as well as Scorched Timber Distress Ink, but forgot to take a photo of that step. Distress the edges, mat on kraft paper and stitch with a sewing machine. I used both zig-zag and a straight stitch, aiming for a messy look.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Stamp with Tim Holtz grunge stamp.

Stamp here and there with a texture stamp from Tim Holtz Ultimate Grunge.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Paper Artsy Infusions colored papers.

I had fun coloring a lot of watercolor papers with Paper Artsy Infusions Colored Stains recently and you see some of them here. The papers were used on an art journal/scrapbooking page, which you can find here.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Die cut Simon Says Stamp Whirl Bird.

I used an orange, yellow and pink paper to die cut Simon Says Stamp Soaring Whirl Bird and Standing Whirl Bird. The birds were also die cut from old book paper and a sheet of Tim Holtz Backdrops paper.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Assemble the birds. Glue black paper behind the eye and add a highlight with a white gel pen.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

The inky layers give an interesting look to the background. I added a few Clippings Stickers as sentiment.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Flying Whirl Bird.

The yellow soaring bird. If you make a card or a tag, you can add dimension to the wings. In my art journal, I prefer to keep things fairly flat.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

Try to die cut the birds from a section of the paper that adds extra interest. Here I placed the die so that the bird's chest would have the darkest color.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Standing Whirl Bird.

The orange Standing Whirl Bird. I like that the bird 'books' show on the wing, which was a coincidence. I used vellum and inky leaves from another project as a standing place for the bird. They were die cut with Simon Says Stamp Budding Branches.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson.

I added some strips of Design Tape Trims to the page too.

Layers of ink - Grunge Mixed Media Tutorial by Anna-Karin Evaldsson. Grunge texture.

The inky background has a layered look, where you can see the ink in the background showing through. I particularly like the blue area mixing with the green at the bottom of this photo. The title was stamped on vellum and comes from Tim's Ponderings set.





Thank you so much for stopping by here today! 


Anna-Karin

Supplies:

* Please note: the links are affiliate links, for which I receive a small percentage of sales generated by the link, at no extra cost to you.