Sunday, December 15, 2013

The 12 Days Of Christmas - Part 1

I finally finished my largest project for Christmas 2013... my first altered book!

A few months back when I spotted this paper with matching cardstock and chipboard elements at "The Scrapbook Cottage" near home, the wheels starting turning.


I know that technically "The Twelve Days Of Christmas" STARTS on Christmas Day, but I wanted to create something that served as both an advent calendar and reminder list book. I need lists... without them I am sure I would forget something. I plan on displaying my book on the dining room table alongside my vintage Noma Santa on Reindeer - that way I can turn a page each day (and then panic when I realize I haven't done all the items on my To Do lists...)

I began by digging out this old children's book I had in my stash... bought a long time ago, I thought the Victorian-styled pictures would look cool on some kind of artwork.


I don't like to destroy old books, but this one was in such poor condition, it felt good to re-purpose it.


I tore out about half the pages and kept them for future projects. I left just enough to create pockets and base pages for each of the 12 days. The front cover got a few coats of white acrylic paint, then aged with Tim Holtz Distress Inks.


Some, but not all, pages got the white paint / ink treatment too... especially if the print or pictures extended close to the edge of the page.


Needless to say, I made quite the mess of my Studio during the process... which took weeks; I had to stop to ensure I got my Christmas cards finished. Most of the work was done in the evenings and weekends... but I had to complete it by the 14th - my first countdown day - and I did! (Barely)


The majority of the time was spent fussy-cutting more than 150 images - some as small as single flowers measuring less than an inch across. This incredible Graphic 45 set has beautiful illustrations, but I found I needed a few extra loose sheets to get all the ones I wanted (both focal and background images) and to ensure I had enough of the patterns printed on the reverse too.

Here's the cover. I cut out the main poem from the 12 X 12 paper and arranged as many of my favorite "gifts" as I could fit around the front of the 9 X 7 book.


I wanted to make it aged looking, so I added some Ranger Crackle Paint to the cover after I took this shot... but for that and more photos (and a video!) of the entire finished project, I hope you'll come back to check out my next post.

I'll detail each page; from a Partridge in a Pear Tree to Twelve Drummers Drumming!




10 comments:

  1. Oh Maureen, I can hardly wait to see the rest of the book and the VIDEO!!

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  2. This is such a fantastic project... can't wait to see the video...may make on myself! It would make a great heirloom

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    1. Thanks Mickie! I would LOVE to see it if you do make one!!!

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  3. Looking forward to seeing each page!

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  4. Your book will be a true treasure. Memories in the making...

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    1. Thank you... it was a lot of fun to make! I am just glad I got it done in time!

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  5. Just simply amazing Maureen, both part 1 and 2 are a visual treat..so many beautifully hand crafted touches..happy winter time my sweet friend♥️

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    1. Thank you Dagmar! Happy Holidays to you and yours as well.

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Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know you were by. I appreciate and read with delight each and every comment!

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