Christmas Memories Journal

By: Stephanie Loomis, Artistic Guide

 Finished size: 6”x8”

Supplies:
Stamps:         
Joy of Christmas, Simply Christmas, Heart Sings, Joy (The Angel Company)
I Will Honor Christmas (Rubber Cottage)
Silent Night Plate #064 (I Brake for Stamps)
Fear Not, Angel Wreath (Sweet Grass Stamps)
Wonderful Counselor (Artful Illusions)
Paper:                       
Figgy Pudding patterned cardstock, 5-6 sheets of your preference (Basic Grey)
Ivory Stardust cardstock, 5-6 sheets   (Wausau)
Ink:                
Versafine: (Tsukineko)
     Onyx Black
     Vintage Sepia
Brilliance: (Tsukineko) 
     Coffee Bean
     Cosmic Copper
     Galaxy Gold
     Pearlescent Crimson
Other:
Glimmer Mist: (Tattered Angels) 
     Merlot
     Aspen Yellow
     Graphite
Clock parts stencil masks (Tim Holtz/Ranger)
Sparkly Gelly Roll Pens: browns, reds (Sakura)
Colored Pencils (Prismacolor)
Dimensional sticker flowers (Trim Designs)
Adhesive Jewels (K & Company)
3 in 1 Advanced Craft Glue (Beacon)
Double stick tape (3M, ATG tape gun)
Empty cereal box
White Gesso (Demco)
Freezer paper
8” x 10” off white cotton, washed
Clear Digital Ground medium (Golden)
Digital photo image
Acrylic Polymer-GAC 100 (Golden)
Fiber Paste gel medium (Golden)
Heavy Body Acrylic Paint: (Golden)
     Quinacridone Magenta
     IndianYellow
     Burnt Sienna Soft Gel Medium-Gloss (Golden)
Bind-It-All tool (Zutter)
.5” brass colored Bind-It-All wire
Miscellaneous sheer ribbon 

Directions:
Pages:

1. Cut all cardstock to 6”x 8”. These will be your journal pages. Save the leftover pieces.
2. Place clock mask on the lower left corner of an ivory page.  Stand up the leftover pieces of ivory cardstock to protect your work surface from overspray. Spray with Merlot Glimmer Mist and let dry. 



3. Place two gears masks on the upper right corner of a second ivory page. Spray with Aspen Yellow Glimmer Mist and let dry.
4. Place two gears masks on the lower right corner of a third ivory page. Spray with Graphite Glimmer Mist and let dry.
5. Tear a 6” long scrap of cardstock lengthwise and use it as a mask on the other two sheets of ivory cardstock. Use Merlot and Aspen Yellow Glimmer Mists on one, Merlot and Graphite on the other. Let dry.
6. Place dry pages underneath a couple of large books overnight. (That’s a little tip from Artistic Guide, Shelly Newkirk, which I’ve adopted.)
7. Score or lightly mark the left side of each page at the .5” mark. This serves as a reminder to leave that area unadorned for binding.
8. Stamp your pages as desired, making sure to leave room for journaling.
9. On the patterned paper pages, cut a piece from your leftover ivory cardstock (the ones now beautifully colored with Glimmer Mist overspray) and adhere that to the page for journaling.
10. Print some inspirational phrases or lyrics from Christmas carols to add to your pages.
11. Embellish the pages with flowers, stickers, rub-ons, brads, and whatever else you have on hand. This is all free play. (Just remember that it’s a journal, so there has to be some room for writing later.)  

Covers:

1. Cut the cereal box so that you have two pieces of equal size. (Mine are 6” x 8”)
2. Paint both sides of the pieces with two coats of white gesso and let dry completely.
3. Iron the cotton to a piece of freezer paper.
4. Spread a layer of digital ground on the muslin. (I use a palette knife for this so I don’t lose any product in a brush.) Let dry completely.
5. Choose a photo and enhance digitally if desired. (I used Photoshop Elements 7.0. For this project, I added two texture layers, copied the star into its own layer, and desaturated the whole thing.)
6. Carefully tape the dried fabric to a sheet of copy paper. Secure the masking tape to the top and sides of the paper and allow it to wrap around to the back. 



7. Place the fabric assemblage into your printer and print your picture. Allow to dry for at least 30 minutes.
8. Spread fiber paste over one side of each of the covers (I use about 2 teaspoons for a 6” x 8” cover.) Use a palette knife or even a small kitchen spatula for coverage.
9. Drizzle a little GAC 100 over the fiber paste and spread with the palette knife.
10. Squeeze out a minuscule amount (less than .125 teaspoon for both) of magenta acrylic paint onto the covers. Use the palette knife to spread the color so that it is darker in some places, lighter in others, and white in others. Let dry.



11. Repeat the fiber paste treatment using Indian Yellow paint.



12. Repeat one more time with Burnt Sienna paint.



13. At this point your inside covers are wonderfully colored and textured. You may stamp them or leave them as they are.
14. Repeat the color layering process on the flip side of one of the covers. This will become your back cover.
15. On the remaining cover, spread small dabs of all three paint colors and a few drops of GAC 100. Spread colors together to create a single multicolored layer.





16. Apply a layer of gel medium over the paint. (Gel medium is wonderful glue for this kind of project.)
17. Place the digital photo on fabric in the center of the cover. Burnish well or brayer to remove all air pockets. Finish with a thin coat of gel medium and let dry completely.



18. Assemble according to Zutter manufacturer instructions and bind pages and covers together. Add ribbon to wires as desired.
19. Sign your art!



As an added bonus, we've created a slideshow for your viewing pleasure, showing each individual page in Stephanie's wonderful Christmas Memories journal.  Enjoy!