Up On Tippy Toes: pocket notebook

150 Sticker Maker (Xyron)
Square Punch (Epiphany Crafts)
Square Rhinestone Charm (Epiphany Crafts)
Paper Trimmer
Elastic Cording
Rhinestone Slide
Tassel
Acrylic Beads
2" Fine Chain
Claw Closure
Jewelry Pliers
2 mm Elastic Cording
4" x 6" Notebooks

Liquid Glue

Clothes Pins (Optional)

I started by running sheets of blue and yellow polkadotted paper through my Xyron Creative Station. Then I cut both sheets in half, making 2- 5 1/2" × 8 1/2" pieces.

I peeled the protective film off the back and attached them onto a 2 separate pieces of Sizzix Mat Board. I covered both sides of each with one side blue and one side yellow.

The paper comes a little short so make sure the both come up short on the same end.

Then I ran my mat board through my Big Shot using Eileen Hull's Pocket Notebook Die. I made sure the color I wanted on the outside was the color that was faced down onto the die.

This cut out 2 pieces to my pocket notebook.

I applied a strong clear drying liquid glue to the very last segment of the spine ( the one with the hole in the center) and attached the two spines together, making sure the holes were perfectly aligned. Then I used clothes pins to hold them in place till the glue set.

I cut a piece of light blue gingham paper to 3 3/4" × 6 1/2". I also cut this pretty floral paper, from Jillibean Soup's Garden Harvest Collection, down measure 3 1/2" × 6 1/4". Then layered and attached the two pieces together and mounted it onto my notebook cover using my Xyron Mega Runner.

I took a 14" piece of blue head band elastic and threaded it through the center hole of the books spine.

If you have any charms or buckles add them now before you thread the other end of your elastic through.

If your hole is not big enough to fit your elastic, take a pokey tool or ball stylus tool and wiggle it around in a circular motion to widen it.

Once both ends are through, make sure the lay flat when wrapped around the journal and make adjustments as necessary. Then tie a simple tight knot on then side of the book to close it off.

I didn't want my elastic to rip off any flowers I was going to add to my book so I made a makeshift guardrail using this stitched strip die from the Tim Holtz Stitched Rectangles set.

I attached it onto my cover and laid it over the elastic using a strong liquid glue.

Then I die cut several leaves from assorted scrapd of green papers using Eileen Hull's Leaves, Spring die and curled and shaped them with a stylus tool.

I attached the leaves onto the book cover. Then attached a spread of Stamen. I like to fold them in half. Because these stamens are double ended, it makes it look like I'm using twice the amount I actually am.

Then I added a single Yellow Puffy Rose to the middle of my arrangement. And added Achillea Cottage Flowers in bunches of twos.

Next, I added Yellow Carnations & White Small Curly Flowers to plug into the huge gaps.

Then added even more stamens to fill any remaining gaps between flowers.

This turned out even prettier than I imagined!!

But every pretty notebook and needs pretty notebook charms!!

So I made a matching charm by punching out leftover paper a tiny square punch and attached it to my charm using my Xyron "X" Sticker Maker. Then finished it off with a clear square epoxy sticker.

I mounted my charm onto chain link and attached round acrylic beads, a tassel, and a claw latch closure. Then attached it to the spine of my journal.

For the inside of my notebook, I strung 2mm elastic cording through the spine holes and tied each off. Nothing fancy. And just inserted pre-made notebooks.

And here is my finished Handmade Floral Pocket Notebook...

I hope you enjoyed my project for today and that it inspired you to join in on the fun!!

To learn more about the I Am Roses Blog Challenge, link a project, or to see more inspiration from my amazing design team sisters, head on over to the Challenge Blog HERE!!

Thank you so much for taking some time out of your day to stop by!

Until next time...

HAPPY CRAFTING!!

~Mitsyana

Friday, December 13, 2019

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

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

Etsy store.

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

Eileen Hull Designs Pocket Notebook Die (Sizzix)

Eileen Hull Designs Gift Card Folder & Label (Sizzix)

Big Shot Plus (Sizzix)

Mat Board (Sizzix)

Creative Station (Xyron)

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)

Debbie Bankston

Anita Houston