Be a UNICORN - Mini Journal

Hey, Friends!! Happy Hump Day! Today I have a bright and cheery project to share! 

All month long the Eileen Hull Inspiration Team will be sharing Junk Journal projects and let me tell you right off the bat I am not a Junk Journalist!!

Don't get me wrong, I love journals! I love making them. I love that I can personalize each book... but I CANNOT for the life of me fill them to the brim and decorate the innards of said books.

The thought of decorating each and every page, staining the pages, and having hidden flaps and compartments terrifies me and gives me anxiety. 

Well, my daughter's birthday is coming up and she has been begging and begging me to make her a pretty journal. She has seen the handmade journal I make and has always tried to stake a claim on them. But since lost of my projects are for different teams I'm on so sadly I have to remind her that they already belong to someone or need to be mailed off somewhere.

This time I made this one for her! She doesn't care too much for overly extravagant or any of the "foufou" stuff. Which is absolutely perfect for me because I can't compose a junk journal to save my life. Instead, her journal is more of like a journal/ scrapbook/organized hybrid. 

Don't let the Junk Journal title turn you off and intimidate you. It can be whatever it is you want to be. And you can use it and fill it as YOU want. This is YOUR JOURNAL. And you can do (or not do) with it as you want.

Let me show you what I did with this one...

Supplies Used

Eileen Hull Passport Die (Sizzix)

Eileen Hull Place Card & Flowers Die (Sizzix)

Eileen Hull Bookmark, Tag & Pocket (Sizzix)

Tim Holtz Stitched Oval Dies (Sizzix)

Big Shot (Sizzix)

Standard Magnetic Platform (Sizzix)

Mat Board(Sizzix)

Creative Station (Xyron)

Mega Runner (Xyron)

Essentials Paper Pack (Kingston Crafts)

Unicorn Mini Books (Hampton Arts)

Unicorn Envelope

Inktense Pencils - Fuschia 0700 (Derwent)

140 lb White Cardstock (Accent)

2mm Elastic Cording

Bonefolder 

Clear Drying Liquid Glue

Clothespins- OPTIONAL

I started off by cutting my mat board into smaller segments. To make the passport, you really only need to cut the cover and spine pieces with chipboard and not the entire die with chipboard. You will need two cover and one spine. Then, I cut my paper down to the same sizes as the chipboard pieces. 

I ran my paper through my Xyron Creative Station and adhered them onto my mat board pieces to cover the fronts and backs of each.

Then, I placed my pre-covered mat board over just the cover and spine piece as shown in the pictures down below.

As a rule of thumb (and to determine what side will end up where), I always put whichever side I want to end up on the front directly against the die. The side I can see is always going to be the backside.  So if it's faced up towards you, it will end up on the inside of the cover.

Once die-cut, I folded the spine along the crease lines. Then added glue along the sides and attached them to the cover pieces. I held the cover pieces in place using clothespins until the glue set.

I die-cut the page portion of the die from cardstock and folded it along the crease line and scored it with a bone folder. 

I'm not creating my own page inserts for this book. Instead, I will be using these as divider tabs.

To add tabs to my dividers, I used Eileen Hull's Place Card & Flower Die to die-cut fun patterned filled paper.

Again, folding along the crease lines.

I used my Xyron Mega Runner to attach the place cards to the sides of my die-cut insert piece.

I also die cut a few coordinating flowers (also included on the Place Card die) from white cardstock and attached them to the flower tabs- covering the front and back of each tab.

Pretty dividers weren't enough so I used Eileen Hull's Bookmark, Tags, & Pockets dies to create adorable tags and pockets to attach to each divider.

I also used the scalloped corners in the die set to mount a removable photo mat.

I aligned and attached the two bottom corners first and used the top of the photo mat as a guide for placement for the other two so that they would be perfectly spaced.

To decorate the front cover, I fussy cut this pretty unicorn I found on a paper bag! 

I die cut an oval and place the unicorn over it to gauge how I wanted to cut it. I didn't want the hoof to get cut off so I placed it over the top of the die, through the oval, and not under the cutting edge so it would die cut the unicorn without cutting off its leg.

I attached the unicorn onto the oval then attached that onto the front cover.

I threaded elastic through the spine and slid in pre-made books from Hampton art I found at my local Walmart. They were perfect and were already Unicorn themed so I didn't have to alter the covers.

Here is the finished journal...

 

It turned out great! It's bright, cheerful, and super fun!!

Just like my daughter!

I just know she will love it!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial and that you are inspired to create one for yourself.

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

~Mitsyana 

Cork Fabric Mini Journal

Hey, Crafty Friends!

I'm back again with another beautiful project for Eileen Hull Designs! And we have teamed up with our friends from Belagio Enterprises! So, throught the entire month of June the Inspiration Team will be sharing projects using Belagio's amazing Cork Fabric!

This stuff is super pliable! It die-cuts very well. And because it's fabric you can even sew with it!

Sadly, I can't sew to save my life! But I sure can die-cut till the cows come home!! And here is what I created... a Cork Covered Mini Journal!! Let me show you how I made it!

Supplies Used

Eileen Hull Designs Pasport Die (Sizzix)

Big Shot (Sizzix)

Mat Board(Sizzix)

Real Cork Fabric - Blue/ Silver Flakes (Belagio)

Real Cork Fabric- Taupe/ SilverFlakes (Belagio)

Real Cork Fabric Metallic- Gold (Belagio)

Creative Station (Xyron)

Grey Lillies (I Am Roses)

Daisy Leaves (I Am Roses)

Tiny Green Rose Leaves (I Am Roses)

Tim Holtz Quote Bands (Advantus)

Strong Clear Liquid Glue

Mini Composition Books

2mm Elastic Cording

Clothespins (Optional)

I started with Eileen Hull Designs' Pasport Die, Mat Board, and 6" x 12" sheets of Belagio's Cork Fabric in Blue, Taupe, and Gold.

Then ran the sheets of Blue & Taupe through my Xyron Creative Station and mounted them both onto a single sheet of Mat Board with one color cork on each side.

Once my the cork was adhered to the mat board, I placed my the cork I wanted to be on the outside down onto ONLY the COVER portion of the Pasport Die and ran it through my Sizzix Big Shot. I did this twice so I could have two cover panels, one for the front and one for the back.

Then I ran 2 smaller 3 1/2" x 6 " pieces of Gold cork fabric through my Creative Station

. I mounted both pieces onto a single piece of mat board of the same size, one piec of cork fabric on each side.

Then placed it over the middle segment of the die with stripes and wholes and die-cut it out to create the spine.

Eileen Hull's Pasport Die cut through all three layers (2 fabric, 1 matboard) of material like butter!

Next, I folded the two outer segments of the spine panel along the pre-scored creaselines. Then applied a strong clear liquid glue them and attached the cover panels.

Then, I clipped the panels together with clothespins to prevent shifting while the glue set.

While that was drying, I ran remnants of cork fabric through my Creative Station and attached to the covers of mini composition books. Now, they perfectly coordinate my journal cover.

I threaded 3 single strands of 2mm elastic cording through the holes along the spine and tied each into a basic double knot. 

Then lifted each strand and inserted a mini composition book.

I decorated the front of my cover with beautiful Grey Lillies, Daisy Leaves, and Tiny Green Rose Leaves from I Am Roses.

Then finished off with this beautiful metal embellishmwent from the Tim Holtz Quote Bands.

And here is my finished Cork Fabric Mini Journal...

I hope you enjoyed this project! And don't forget to visit the Eileen Hull Blog for more fabric covered inspiration! Check-in all month long! My Design Team sister are doing amazing things!! Haad on over and check it out!!

As always...

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

~Mitsyana

Winter Stag Journal

Hey there, Crafty Friends!

Do you make gifts during the holidays? There's nothing quite like a handmade gift. Sure, buying gifts still take time and consideration to select and purchase. Navigating stores, fighting crowds, and waiting in long lines can be physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausting.  That is why I like to handmake gifts and avoid some of the hustle and bustle. 

Journals have been on a hot streak and it doesn't seem like it's going to cool down anytime soon. And I absolutely LOVE making them. I pour lots of love and thought into each one. Today, I created this gorgeous Shabby Chic Winter Stag Journal with the help of my Xyron Creative Station Lite. This little machine has been a HUGE timesaver... Move over decoupage, Xyron adhesive has a permanent place in this crafty girl's heart!!

Supplies Used

Creative Station Lite (Xyron)

Mega Runner (Xyron)

Big Shot (Sizzix)

Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook Die (Sizzix)

Tim Holtz Dashing Dear Die (Sizzix)

Printed Corrugate Cardstock (DCWV) 

Patterned Paper (DCWV)

Chipboard

 White Peony,  (I Am Roses)

Small Spring Cottage Flower (I Am Roses)

Achillea Cottage Flowers (I Am Roses)

Cherry Blossoms (I Am Roses)

White Maple Leaves (I Am Roses)

Elastic Cording

4" x 6" Notebooks

Jeweled Brads

Guillotine Trimmer (Swingline)

Crop-a-dile (We R Memory Keepers)

Hemp Twine

Self-adhesive Iridescent Flowers 

Liquid Glue

Clothes Pins (Optional)

I started by die-cutting my journal covers. I used the Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook Die and my Sizzix Big Shot to die-cut two pieces of medium weight chipboard.

Then added a small amount of liquid glue to the spine and attached the two covers together, I made sure to line up the holes on the spine so that the covers were straight and laid properly when closed.

To ensure the covers dried in the correct position, I clamped them together using mini clothespins- but regular-sized ones would work too.

I usually cover my chipboard entirely with patterned paper, but this time I opted against it. Instead, I opted to make "card-front" like panels. Again, I wanted this to be "Shabby Chic" so by leaving the chipboard somewhat exposed it gives it a more rustic feel.

I cut two panels each of white cardstock and patterned paper. 

White Cardstock- 3 7/8"x 6 1/2"

Patterned Paper- 3 3/4" x 6 1/4"

 I layered and attached the patterned paper over the white card stock using my Xyron Mega Runner. Then attached them onto the outside flaps of my cover.

I ran a 5.5" x 8 " piece chipboard through my Xyron Creative Station, then flipped it over and ran it through a second time to add adhesive to both sides. I left the protective film on and cranked it through my Big Shot machine using the Tim Holtz Dashing Deer Die.

Then, I die cut another deer from corrugated cardstock and adhered the two pieces together to give my deer more bulk and dimension.

Then I attached the deer onto the front of my book cover. and attached a multi-looped bow made from hemp twine.

 I created a swag of flowers and leaves under the deer. I curled the leaf stems before I attached them for a bit of interest. Then surrounded the bow with an assortment of flowers.

I made sure to use muted tones throughout to keep with the Shabby Chic feel.

I used my Crop-a-dile tool to punch holes through the thick chipboard on both the front and back covers lined up on both flaps and looped a piece of elastic through it for a closure that hooked onto a jeweled brad on the front cover.

Lastly, I threaded elastic strands through the pre-cut holes and inserted four premade notebook inserts. 

And here is my finished journal...

I covered all pre-cut holes with jeweled brads to give a more finished look.

I hope you enjoyed today's project and that it inspired you to create your own beautiful handmade gifts... there really isn't anything like giving a piece of your heart to your loved ones this holiday season!

Thanks for stopping by!

~Mitsyana 

Creepy Skull Trio- Easy Mixed Media with Xyron

Hey, Crafty Guys & Ghouls...

I'm baaaaaack!! And this time with some spooky mixed media! I created this Creepy Skull Trio Journal for Team Xyron... It will be a cringe-worthy piece to add to anyone's Halloween collection.

Let me show you how I simplify my mixed media creations with the help of my Xyron Creative Station!

Supplies Used

Creative Station (Xyron)

Big Shot (Sizzix)

Eileen Hull Pocket Notebook Die (Sizzix)

Black Chipboard (Graffix)

Black Gesso (Golen)

Gilding Wax (Pebeo)

Black Netting

Cheesecloth

Plastic Bugs

Plastic Skulls

2mm Elastic Cording (Darice)

Strong Liquid Glue 

Tweezers

Non-Stick Scissors

Paintbrush (Prima Marketing)

4" x 6" Notebooks

Clothes Pins (Optional)

I love making little books and journals. They are great as gifts but also make wonderful home decor.

I love to display my finished pieces on my living room mantle and they are always an eyecatcher.

For this book, I used Eileen Hull's new Pocket Notebook Die to create the base and cut 2 panels from black chipboard using my Sizzix Big Shot.

I use strong liquid glue on the spine to attach the two panels together. I secure them in place with clothespins till the glue sets.

While the glue is setting, I cut 2 8"x 8" pieces of black netting. I ran each piece of netting through my Xyron Creative Station. I make sure to burnish each piece with my bone folder for maximum adhesion to the netting. 

Then, I peel them off the protective film an attach the netting to the outside my book cover.

For me, using my Creative Station and adding adhesive this way. cuts down my creative process time by at least half. A lot of wet adhesive mediums take hours and sometimes days to fully dry. By adhering my materials this way, I save myself a lot of unproductivity and unnecessary waiting.

Next, I used non-stick scissors to trim off any excess or hangovers.

I found these little plastic skulls at the dollar store... loved their dimension but their heads stuck too far out. So, I cut the back half of their skulls off. These skulls were hollow so they were very easy to cut just using scissors.

Then, I added glue along the rim an attached the skulls onto the front of my journal cover.

To hide any glue, I shrouded the skulls with little wrapped hoods.

I created each hood by running layers of cheesecloth through my Xyron Creative Station and cutting them into strips and draped the cloth over and around each head.

After I've hooded the skulls, I attache plastic insect toy figures to the front and back cover.

Then coated everything with black gesso. 

Gesso dries fairly quickly. And once my gesso was dried, I used my finger to rub gold gilding wax over the raised areas. 

I wanted to have texture on the inside of my journal cover, so I ran more cheesecloth through my Creative Station and adhered it to the inside flaps. Then covered the entire inside with more black gesso.

I threaded 2mm black elastic coring through the pre-cut holes in the journal using needle-nose tweezers. 

Then inserted premade 4"x6" notebooks under each elastic band. These books were a good-sized thickness, so I used only 3 books to fill my journal cover. 

And here is my finished book...

I absolutely love how simply painting my project completely black then rubbing a metallic wax over the raised areas can look so awesome!!

Check out all the amazing dimension...

Front Cover

Look at all that texture and detail just pop!!  Look at the texture on the fly wings and those teeth on those skulls... WOW!!

Back Cover

The Entire Outer Cover

I hope this project doesn't give you too many heebee-jeebees!!

I think it is totally wicked!!

I hope it inspires you to try this mixed media hack and create something spooktacular of your own!!

Happy Haunting!
~Mitsyana