'WOYWW - 06/13/2012 - TUTORIAL: Steampunk Art Journal / Smash Book / Scrapbook!'

by Mary Lou 'LuLu' Haynes


Howdy and Welcome,

For WOYWW this week, thought I'd show you the book I'm presenting to Daddy on Sunday Father's Day. This week is also his 80th birthday! Daddy goes scrapbooking with me once a month at Aunt Alma's house. She's 95 years old!

This is sold as a BRAG BOOK (by Fancy Pants) that I found at Archivers during their long weekend crop last week. It's designed like a combo Smash book and scrapbook - with clear plastic page protectors for photos, lined pages for journaling and 15 sections divded by thick cardstock pockets. It looked very sturdy - now I want to buy more! Update: It is sturday. I made the book SO FAST! I bought another BRAG BOOK for more vintage heritge ephemera I recently was given. I hope to have the 2nd book completed in time for our annual August 2012 family reunion. Ha! Ha!

I decided to use it as a scrapbook / art journal including photos of Daddy through the years with captions for the photos as my journaling. This book makes it super, duper fast to do scrapbooking - and I'm always on the lookout to scrapbook faster! Aren't we all?

Here are the steps I used. You're welcome to use my steps as a pseudo -  tutorial.

SUPPLIES

·        Acrylic  paint - gold

      ·        Brag book or Smash book
      ·        Bubble wrap
      ·        chain
      ·        dimensional items – your choice
      ·        fishing lure holders
      ·        Gold paints to ‘gild’ cover edges (test and experiment first)
      ·        Heat tool
      ·        Heavy gel medium
      ·        jump rings
      ·        Old hotel keycard or putty/spackle knife – 2”
      ·        Paint brush -  ¼” round
      ·        Pattern scrapbook paper/cardstock
      ·        pliers - chain nose, round nose
      ·        ribbons (7"-8")
      ·        Spray ink
      ·        Table cloth or craft mat
      ·        Tape runner (permanent)
      ·        Tim Holtz distress charms
      ·        Tim Holtz Tonic Scissors
      ·        Vinyl gloves (opt)
      ·        Water container



PSEUDO TUTORIAL

First, I removed some of the lined pages (as usual), because it was already FAT when I bought it. So I knew that adding more would make it gi-normous!

Next, while still at the weekend crop, I started adhering pattern scrapbook paper to each lined page, the inside covers, and the pocket pages. Easy peasy! Then I added ribbons to the wire binding. Also added, tabs I made to the edges of each section divider pocket.

When I returned home, I started playing with the covers. Adhered torn pattern scrapbook cardstock, gilded the edges with various gold paints, spray painted the covers with blue and green spray ink found at Archivers. Very messy, but good thing I used my 'spray box'. Great investment.

Then, for the front cover, I adhered foam letters and spray painted them with spray ink. I randomly stamped both covers with gold acrylic paint using bubble wrap  that I'd wrapped around my hand. Then I gathered a bunch of dimensional items and glued them on using generous amounts of 'heavy gel medium' (Golden). I did a layout on freezer paper to test the composition first.

Some items I adhered were washers, springs, foreign and domestic coins, dice, watch parts, vintage CTA tokens, Monopoly game tokens, bingo tokens, flattened bottle caps, keys and calculator parts.

Compostion test

After I was satisfied with the test, I started gluing down the various items. I glued items over a few days - letting the cover dry overnight. I've been adding some photos in the page protectors.

Added chains, fishing lure holders, keyring, skeleton key and Tim Holtz distress charms to the wire binding.

Also, I found Daddy's 1932 christening dress and slip with Granny's handwritten notes, which I added in an archival ziplock bag. I punched holes in the bag first using my Bind It All (BIA).Then cut a slit in each hole with Tim Holtz Tonic scissors. Luckily, the placement of the BIA holes matched the wire binding!

Front Cover

 Back Cover

The book got fat again, and I'm not even half finsihed!

 Front fan

Top fan

What do you think of the front cover? Have you ever used dimensional objects in your art work? If so, what is your favorite glue for heavy objects?

Thanks for stopping by -  and don't forget to comment. Please come back soon.

More artist studios for WOYWW are here.

Peace,
LuLu