Thursday, October 3, 2019

Eileen Hull Release- Foolish Mortals Pocket Notebook


Pocket Notebook Release Party

Welcome to the Pocket Notebook Release Party! This is Eileen Hull’s newest book die with
Sizzix. On the die, you get all of the pieces you need to make an entire book- the cover, pages,
latch and pen loop! The Pocket Notebook measures 6 3/4” x 4 1/2” with a spine that can
adjust from 3/8” to almost 2”!

String it with elastic, hemp, ribbon or twine. So many options for this fun die! Eileen’s Inspiration and Educator teams have combined options to show us their amazing
Pocket Notebook ideas.

Please follow the Blog Hop to see all of the fabulous projects, techniques, and videos! There are also two GIVEAWAYS- the Pocket Notebook die and a gift certificate for Eileen’s

To,  enter to win, leave a comment on each of the posts. Winners will be announced
on Tuesday, October 8 on Eileen’s Facebook Live show.

**The Full BLOG HOP LINE-UP will be listed below**

Thanks for hopping along with us today!
Let me start off by saying... I am a Halloween JUNKY!! It is absolutely my most favorite holiday EVER!! So I love any and everything Halloween-y! And that includes all the creepy-crawly things that go bump in the night, like SKELETONS & BUGS!

So with that in mind, I created this ghoulishly delightful piece...


If this tickles your Halloween fancy, let me show you how I created it...

Supplies Used
Mat Board (Sizzix)
Burlap (DCWV)
Cheesecloth/ Gauze
2"x3" Ornate Picture Frame (Recollections)
Skeleton Toy
Pegasus Pony toy 
Black Chalkboard Paint (Prima Marketing)
Gilding Wax (Pebeo)
Crown Charm
Tim Holtz Idea-ology -Adornments- Wicked (Advantus)
Tim Holtz Idea-ology -Adornments- Typed Tokens- Halloween (Avantus)
Tim Holtz Idea-ology -Word  Bands- Incantations (Avantus)
Metal Brads
Beaded Garland
Jump Rings
Quickgrip (Beacon)
Black Twine
Black Mat Board (Grafix)
110lb Black Cardstock (Recollections)
Jewelry Making Tools
Button Shank Remover (Buttons Galore)
Nail File or Fine Grit Sandpaper
2mm Black Elastic Cord
Long Reach Stapler

I'm gonna let you in on a little secret... I love toys... shhh, don't tell anyone! But more importantly, I love to incorporate toys into my creations. So I love to keep them in my crafting arsenal. But you don't need to spend big bucks to get an amazing project, I found these cool items at the dollar store! 

It's Halloween and you can find skeletons aplenty everywhere! I picked this skelly garland up and untied one from his noose. 

And... what little girl doesn't love pretty ponies?? Well, this girl is no exception... so, this pretty little thang is going on my project too!! Or should I say,  just her wings?? Yup, I ripped those suckers off and now she's wingless- Oh no, that's so sad... ok, I'm over it. LOL


I'll start on first prepping my boney friend...

I had some really cool charms my amazing friend, Eileen Hull, had sent me. In the batch, I found this cool crown charm. It had two rings on each end that I didn't need, so I cut them off using a button shank remover. Then I filed down the jagged edges with a nail file.

Once the edges were smooth, I glue the crown to the skeleton's forehead.


I laid him face down till the glue hardened. Then severed his pelvis from his spine using kitchen shears... Wow, sounds kind of gruesome! 

I set his pelvis and legs aside- I'll incorporate them later. They're in perfect condition... I don't want to waste a perfectly good pelvis!

Now, we bring in the wings...

I painted both the upper torso and pegasus wings with black chalkboard paint.


 I removed the backing of the ornate frame to get rid of bulk and painted that too with chalkboard paint then set all the pieces to the side to dry.


Now onto the main part... building my pocket notebook.

I die-cut white Mat Board using Eileen Hull's Pocket Notebook Die using a Big Shot Plus machine.

Then ran sheets of burlap through my Xyron Creative Station and attached them onto my notebook panels.


I made sure to burnish the burlap with a bone folding tool for maximum adhesion.

I added clear drying liquid glue to the spines and connected the spines together and used a couple of clothespins to hold my spines together till the glue set and dried.

Then, ran some cheesecloth through my Xyron Creative Station too and attached it to the front panel.


I added glue to the back of the frame an attached it onto the cheesecloth.

Then, glued the painted wings and skeleton onto the frame.

Next, I took a little spider adornment and cut off the little charm shank and filed down the sharp edges and attached it to my skelly's chest.


Then, I painted the entire notebook (back, front, and the reverse) with more chalkboard paint.


Once the paint was dried, I attached a word band with brads onto the cover.

Then, using my finger, rubbed gilding wax over the surface of the brads, band, and all the raised surfaces of the entire notebook cover.


I finally got back to my pelvis and dangly legs...

Using a piercing tool, I poked a tiny hole through my tailbone. And painted the lower body with more chalkboard paint. Then, rubbed gilding wax over the raised surfaces. And hooked a tiny jump ring through the hole.


For the inside of the notebook...

I decided I wanted a pocket on the inside front cover, so I die cut one from black chipboard using Eileen Hull's Gift Card Folder & Label. I folded the mat board along the creases and glue the overlapping edges together. Again, I used a clothespin to hold it in place till they dried.

For the cards, I found some cool Halloween cobweb paper in my stash. When I die-cut the pocket from the black chipboard, I also die-cut cards out of it too. I covered the fronts of the cars with the cobweb paper and attached a small spider to the top of each along with bows made from black twine.


Then placed my cards in the inside pocket. 

My Inserts were nothing fancy just pieces of folded 110lb black cardstock die-cut using the Pocket Notebook Die that I stapled together with a long-reach stapler.


And here is my finished Notebook... 



I also decorated the spine by stringing this gorgeous beaded garland down the side. I attached charms more to the ends.


I also strung some nylon cording from the jumpring I attached to the tailbone and tied it to the top center hole in the book spine to use the skelly legs as a bookmark/ place keeper.


I absolutely LOVE how this turned out... It's so CREEPY COOL that it's AWESOME!!


I hope you enjoyed my project & tutorial!

CREEP IT REAL, GUYS & GHOULS!!
~Mitsyana

AND...

Don't forget to visit my amazingly talented crafty sisters for more amazing Pocket Notebook projects and leave a comment on each blog to be entered into the GIVEAWAY!!

**BLOG HOP LINEUP DESIGNERS**

Mitsyana Wright (YOU ARE HERE)

71 comments:

  1. So very creative , and a lot of work , but what a great result .

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  2. Your link https://youtu.be/ZrtzCjX8L7E on Eileen's blog is not active.
    THANK you for exampling burlap through the xyron tool AND accenting it in black

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    1. Thanks, for letting us know. We were able to fix the link. It's working now!

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  3. What an awesome notebook. I love Halloween and this book is right up my alley!! Thanks for the in depth instructions!!

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    1. Thank you so much!! Glad I'm not the only Halloween fanatic!!

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  4. Oh my - never seen anything like this before - lots of hard work and it is stunning TFS

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    1. Thank you so much!! It was a true labor of love!!

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  5. Oh my!! You are very CREATIVE, not only in your pocket notebook but also in your clever way of giving directions....very talented, thanks for sharing your goulishness!!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by an hopping along with us today!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!!

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  6. This just might be my all-time favorite journal project! You rocked it, Mitsyana!

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    1. AAWWWW!! Thank you!! That is so stinking sweet of you!! I truly appreciate the compliment!

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  7. WOW WOW WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is incredible. I just love everything about it. Halloween is my favorite holiday, so I might be biased? No. It is amazing.

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    1. You are not biased at all... Halloween is awesome an my all time fave too!!

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  8. I don't know if you are brilliant or slightly demented😉. This project is incredible and the dangling legs, OMG!!!!! I love this book.

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    1. Brilliant, highly umlikely. Slightly demented... yeah, that's plausable! LOL

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  9. Oh those poor little ponies beware.😂😂😂

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  10. I am completely gobsmacked at the transformation of these embellishments! Girl!!!!! I'm speechless...and that just doesn't happen. Amazeballs!

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    1. Awww!!! Thank you so much, Kathy!! Totally appreciate the compliment!!

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  11. Love this. The dangling skeleton is so creative & fun.

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    1. Thank you, Rosemary!! Remember, never waste a good pelvis!! LOL

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  12. this is such an amazing project & having had the privilege of actually seeing it live so much stinkin texture & depth. One of my all time favs!!!

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    1. OH Thank you, Karen!! So glad you enjoyed it an got to see it up close and personal!!

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  13. Mitsyana, I read through your blog post with relish!!!! I absolutely adore this fabulous Halloween creation, one of the very best I have seen this year! I especially love how his legs are dangling from the bottom - so fantastic. Love, love, love this, it is truly amazing that you can transform plastic in this way! Hugs, Anne xxx

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    1. AWWWW!! Thank you, my sweet friend!! Oh how I adore and miss you!! Always so kin, loving ,and supportive!! **BIG HUGS** my friend!!

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  14. WOW, a little work of art, its gorgeous

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  15. Wow wow wow, this is soooo cool.
    Anita Holte

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  16. So excited to finally see how you put this totally awesome, creative and gruesome (!) notebook together Mitsyana! You are so clever to put all these pieces together - LOVE IT!! xx

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  17. Oh Mitsyana-I`ve already admired this journal on Eileen`s videos from the UK paper trail. This must be the best halloween covers I`ve ever seen.Soooo creative ! I can`t get over how the skeletons legs dangle at the bottom.I`m also loving the pocket you created with Eileen`s gift card folder die .

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  18. I LOVE your book-so fantastic. I love halloween and your book would be perfect for display with all my other decorations. Love how creative the team is-everyone has a different take on the die.

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  19. YES!!! Beware of us Mortals! LOL...love every fabulous dissected element that you worked with! The skills of a surgeon, lol! Beautiful project and it is over the moon fantastic! You know my addy!

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  20. I am still laughing at your description of the wings removal ! thanks for sharing and thank you for the hop xx

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  21. This is fantastic! Creepy and fun!

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  22. Mitsy, you blew me away this projecct. So much creativity. Love, love, love!

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  23. The poor horsey lost her wings, but boy do they look good now! Totally awesome cover on this...blew me away!

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  24. This journal cover is just amazing. So much time and effort has gone into it. The wings are fabulous and totally justify being ripped of the poor sucker horse. Lol. Thanks for sharing 😍

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  25. Wow, it's amazing that you can take two unrelated toys and unify them to make it like they were supposed to be that way. Glorious!

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  26. Crushing on your skeleton ! Love, love, love this project ! Love skeletons especially
    with dangly legs !!! Awesome job !

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  27. This is epic! You did a fabulous job! Just WOW!

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  28. I love your journal, so creative. Thanks for the step by step. I was surprised that chalkboard paint covered the skeleton. I must say the pictures with the scissors and the pony and the cut off wings, they were Halloween scary!!

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  29. wow!!and Wow!!!! i love your imagination ,it's stunning!!!Thank you for sharing your skill!!

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  30. Oh my gosh love this I’m not that big of a fan of Halloween but this is cool!

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  31. Perfect theme! Thanks for sharing all the details!!

    Noreen
    Crafty Journal

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  32. THIS is insanely cool! I love all things Halloween and your step by step is perfect! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  33. Oh my this is magnificent, being a lover of using fabrics to create texture this spoke to me instantly. Hessian gives such texture and it's create a fabulous structure to your background. So much work and attention to detail, i've enjoyed it all every step of the way.. Thank you for sharing craetive wishes Tracey x
    P.S I'm sure that Unicorn will grow new wings very soon :))

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  34. Having seen this incredible Pocket Notebook for real and drooled over it like so many others in the UK it's amazing to see how you created the fabulous cover! I love how you layered lots of texture underneath the winged skeleton and adding the crown was a touch of genius (as was the idea to include the dangling legs!) Love it x

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  35. Great textures! I love the re-purposed items... so cool!

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  36. Absolutely phenomenal composition on the front of this notebook and the inside is just as amazing! Wow, you've totally raised the haunted spooky crafting bar! Cheers and thank you for sharing your cool toy ideas, I e got a little stash of these goodies I like to incorporate as well!

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  37. hahah....this is so great and spooky! love it! Great inside touches too! TFS!

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  38. OH. MY. GOODNESS. In general, I don't go for spooky, but the way you have embellished the front is just doggone awesome!

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  39. I don't celebrate Halloween but you did an awesome job making this.

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  40. Oh my gosh! This is amazing! I have to try it! You are so creative! Thank you for sharing that creativity with us!

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  41. I loved learning your surgical techniques with the poor little pony :-) This was one of the favorites of the Paper Trail UK- so good to finally see how it was actually created! Thanks for adding fun to the hop and your always interesting take on these dies - you are a gem <3

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  42. Incredible. Love this, so creative

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  43. Holy Halloween, this is AMAZING! Love the use of toys and bits, then chalkboard paint, then the touch of silver to highlight. I love it!!

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  44. Hi Mitsyana, you attention to detail is amazing. Love this tutorial on how to achieve layers and use larger pieces as textured and 3D elements. Amazing.

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  45. Wow. This is amazing. Thanks for sharing

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  47. WOWSER!!! Luv this Foolish Mortals journal notebook!!! What amazing things you do to plastic toys! Now ... I'll always be thinking of what I can do with a little black chalk paint and gilding wax!!! This is awesomely spooky cool! Thanks so much for all the details! Wow! Luv it! Suzy Q

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  48. Such creative use of 3d objects!!!

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  49. Wow!! You are hilarious!! "...I'm over it" You cracked me up! So creative with the layering of all the pieces and adding the pelvis!! Great tutorial on the Creative Station!! Am a BIG fan of Xyron for over 20 years but don't have the newest newest! Have all the previous starting with the X, and 810 from the 90's. Amazing project and designer!! Really enjoyed it!

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  50. This is one of the most amazing things I have seen!

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  51. You did your very good job. Pony toy and skeleton toy both are nice but you used very efficiently. What a idea and creativity. baby toys

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