a reading journal

Well today i decided to share the journal that I made for my son Alessandro. He had this project where he need to create this journal with a cover suitable for something reminiscent of the second World War.

So I decided to use the leather technique as described by Sheena Douglas as I thought that books were more likely to be leather bound at the time. So I started by preparing 3 A4 sheets of kraft card with water and glycerine. 2 of them i embossed and then inked with various brown distress inks and edged with gold gilding wax.

The 3rd one which was going to be the front cover i did not emboss but crumpled up very well. I went on to ink as previously. I then die cut 4 corner motifs on my slice and attached them to 4 corners. I also die cut the letters on slice in 2 sizes and attached them to front. I inked the motifs lightly before i attached them and inked further in situ. Then i also went over them with gilding wax and outlined them in black to make them pop up.

Then using letter box kit from Clarity stamp, i stamped his name in versamark and embossed in tarnished gold. 

Then it was time to find something to create a solid folder with. The lovely Emma Williams had just blogged a book and so I picked her brains. This made me think that I could use a box which would give me the folds ready. So I went to rummage and found one of those 'pizza'-style boxes that  you receive 12x12 papers in and cut it to size to fit A4 papers in.

Luckily it was white but I still gessoed it both sides. I then used various distress stains and paints, all browns, to colour it and went around all edges with gold gilding wax.

Then it was time to assemble it and this I did as shown. I also decided to finish inside nicely. So I covered it in cream coloured card and aged it by spritzing distress inks with the spritzer to give it that look of old books.

Sorry some of the pics are upside down. They turned in process and i couldn't change them.

This was a labour of love as it took me a few days to finish it off, but then it was for my boy. I hope you like it as much as he does and we both would appreciate your comments.

I would like to enter this in the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Mondy Challenge - Anything goes

Sunday stamper -  Brown