These days as our little boys get older FAR quicker that I would have ever thought (they are now 2.5 and 9months), we find ourselves doing more and more day trips and having fun as a family. Not all the photos we take are easy to put on a large layout, but they are still really important to us so I decided to create a book that would document all the fun we have as a family.
I love that I have created this book from scratch and it wouldn’t have been possible without my trusty Helmar products! There were some particular things I did with my Helmar stash to ensure the longevity of the book.
I started out by cutting to size the pieces of patterned paper I wanted to use. I decided on BoBunny’s ‘Welcome Home’ range. I just love the colours and thought it would be perfect for this project. Once cut, I scored each sheet in half where the fold would be. Once this was done, I machine sewed them to another wide strip of paper to create the thickness of the book. Knowing Helmar Acid free was originally made for book binding having it was a must from this point on in creating the book. I first used it to glue the pieces of thread to the back of the strip so that the sewing can’t come un-done later.
I then took some Chipboard cut to size including a large enough spine to take the width of the pages and covered it with my Helmar Acid Free glue. I used my trusty glue spreader to make this process a whole lot quicker and achieve a more even coverage. I then adhered the patterned paper to the outside first.
I repeated this step for the inside cutting a slit to slide the strip through so that it made a stronger bond for the pages prior to sticking it down to the chipboard. I did put a little extra Helmar Acid free glue on the inside spine to help those pages stay strong.
Once my book was all together and left overnight to completely dry I began adding some extra touches to it. I first applied Helmar Step 1and 2 crackle to the outside cover. As this book is going to get handled a great deal, I like the strength this coat gives while looking extra beautiful with all the cracks. I then decorated it sticking down all the trims and embellishments with my Helmar 450 Quick Dry (hey I had to speed up the process somehow :D) I did use a little Helmar liquid scrap dots also on the ‘family’ word as a couple of the letters needed to sit a little higher because of where they are placed. I must say the little locket that will have a photo of my hubby and I on one side and the boys on the other is just the perfect embellishment for this book.
I then set out to have a little fun with the inside pages painting some Gesso on the edges of the pages before adding photos and some journaling. I will be keeping the embellishing to a minimum as I really want this to be about the memories and to squeeze as much of them in there as possible.
Here are some of the pages I have created so far.
I really love that I now have this book to continue with, and with the stack of photos I still have to put in there, I am sure I’ll be creating another real soon!
I hope today’s little share inspires you to take the time to create something personal as I have. Would love to see what you come up with, so you can either e-mail them in, or post them on the Helmar's Facebook wall. We'd love to see them so please don't be shy!
Happy Creating,
Helmar USA Inc. Design Team Member
Beck this is soo cute !
Thanks for sharing your creative ideas
Posted by: Mandy C | October 14, 2011 at 08:48 PM
So awesome!!! Art journaling meets scrapbooking in the most gorgeous way! Love it!
Posted by: Doris Widder | October 12, 2011 at 06:54 PM
Great project Beck.....I love making my own albums.....I am never as good as you to finish them straight away though!!!!!
Posted by: Lydell Quin | October 10, 2011 at 05:56 PM
Beautiful book! I love how you put it together! Don't you just love the Acid Free?
Posted by: Grace | October 09, 2011 at 11:04 PM