Monday, May 22, 2017

Passport to Paris with Astrid

Hello lovely Shimmerz friends, thanks for being here!
One of my favourite things to do is make little books, I love the way they look, they are easy to do and are so useful for so many things.
I have shown one of these little books before, - today's version is soft and feminine. I created mine with the Eileen Hull Passport die, but you could easily make one from scratch.

For the cover and spine I used matboard (mount board in the UK) and for the inside pages I used scraps of Prima paper, some tea dyed paper some digi downloads and finally some pages I designed myself.  You can download these from my blog HERE. They are sized to fit this particular die, but can be printed in different sizes too..
 I have a few photos of how I put it together:
I stencilled with some texture paste, covered it with gesso and then added the soft shimmering colour with just 3 colours on Shimmerz paints:
Inklingz in Angel's Kiss and Tarnished Treasure
Creameez Black Cherry Soda
Then I made a new discovery that I was really happy about. By mixing the colours on your non stick craft mat, you can dip a Tim Holtz mini blending tool into it and achieve a wonderful effect by using stencils. I used this technique for both the covers and the inside pages. For embellishments I used just a couple of stickers from my stash for the front
And some lace for the back, plus some more stencilling as you can see.
Here you can see the inside of the cover, all done with the same technique. The elastic is there to slip the inside pages under, super easy and effective.
Below I quick run down of some of the inside pages:
A little pocket and tag and more paint and stencilling work with my chosen colours.
One of the pages I designed myself, after printing I used the same colours and stencils to make it blend in with the rest of the project.
This page was white and enhanced with the paints, stencils pockets and tags plus some washi tape.
More of the same but more blank space for journaling.
And finally, a couple more pages with my own design papers, I forgot to photograph these before sewing my book together:



Well, that's it for today, below I will show you the spine still and I hope that I have inspired you to have a go at your own little books using Shimmerz paints for colouring and stencil work.
Thank you for your visit like always and see you next time.

17 comments:

froebelsternchen said...

Absolutely amazing Astrid!

Fliss said...

This is absolutely stunning Astrid and looks like a die for the wish list she says smiling.
Fliss xx

Maryann Laursen said...

I absolutely LOVE your little books Astrid. They´re so beautiful and well made on every page and looks soo amazing. Stunning work here as usual.

Annie said...

stunning work Astrid and I love the way you have incorporated the Shimmerz products within this fabulous passport die and pages..........FABULOUS

Hugs Annie xx

Francesca said...

Fantastico

PlumTuckered's Paper Plays said...

This is absolutely gorgeous!!! I love your pages you created...perfect blend of feminine and grunge. 💗

Mrs.B said...

A fabulous little book and each page looks wonderful, fabulous effect with the paints too.
Avril x

Helen Wallace said...

A delightful mini book to showcase shimmerz as well as your own beautiful designs. Love the shabby chic/elegant style. Inspirational work.

Juliz Design Post said...

I love this mini book Astrid, the colours from the Shimmerz products are beautiful and suit your vintage design perfectly.
Julie x

eileen hull said...

Simply awesome as is everything you do Astrid! Love the Shimmerz!

Candy C said...

Gorgeous Astrid. Your blog post is wonderful. Thank you for the patterns! I need to check those out. You are so talented!

Brenda Brown said...

Beautiful and brilliant Astrid. I just adore this design xxx

Sandy said...

Beautifully made with gorgeous papers Astrod!!
Sandy xx

Anonymous said...

Inspirational! Thank you so much for sharing!��

pearshapedcrafting said...

This is the most beautiful little journal! Thank you for the inspiration! Chrisx

Primitive Seasons said...

What kind or size of elastic did you use?

Words and Pictures said...

Just glorious! Love the delicate barely-there neutrals with the tiny accents of colour. Enchanting!
Alison x