Tuesday, July 31, 2012

DIY With the BIA



Jennifer Priest here to share with you a custom scrapbooking sketch book I created. It's one of those things you just can't buy because no one sells them.

I’ve been clipping sketches from magazines, printing them from the internet, and sketching my own over the years and I have amassed a large collection of bits and pieces of papers with sketches on them. I’ve seen sketch books made from Composition books but I wanted something totally customized to me. Enter the Bind-It-All!

I started my project by designing blank sketch pages on the computer. I set the margins to ½” on all sides but left about an inch on the bottom so that I had room to punch my binding holes. The pages are printed on 8.5x11 paper and then cut in half to create 8.5 x 5.5 pages. This is a nice size for taking in a crop bag, I think! I printed all the pages on both sides, creating single 12x12 sketch blanks on one side and double layout sketch blanks on the other side of each page.

After I printed and cut all the inner pages, I cut some blank pages to put in the back so I have a spot to glue sketches I’ve printed or cut from mags. You can put divider pages in if you want – I put one to separate sketches I make from the ones I printed or cut out.

To assemble the book, cut one Zutter Chipboard Cover down to 8.5"x11". Then cut it in half to make two 8.5"x5.5" covers. Cover with paper, then punch binding holes on the 5.5” side. Put the book in order with a cover, inner pages, and then a cover. Lay the back cover on the front cover so the outsides of the covers are facing each other. Insert binding wires and bind with the Bind It All. The rule of thumb for choosing wires for your project is to choose a wire with a diameter ¼” larger than your project is thick. Since I plan to glue things to the inside of my book, which will make it thicker over time, I am using an O-wire with ½” bigger diameter than my book is thick right now. Use the Binding Buddy to close all 9 loops of O-Wire at one time. After the book is bound, add a title and decorate! You can also use the Round It All to round the corners so they don’t get bent up while the book is stowed in your tote bag.




Supplies:
  • O-Wires, Chipboard Cover, Round It All, Binding Buddy – Zutter
  • Paper – The Paper Company, October Afternoon
  • Stickers – American Crafts, Making Memories, 7 Gypsies
  • Stamp – Scenic Route
  • Diecuts – October Afternoon, K&Company
  • Ink – Close to My Heart, Colorbox
  • Ribbon & Seam Binding -- Offray, May Arts, Making Memories

What book would you make that you can't find on the market to buy?

Visit my blog at: hydrangeahippo.com

Monday, July 30, 2012

Happy together

Hello! I hope all is well with you! Today I am just going to share a quick and easy mini album that I created for my sister. A few months ago, I came across some post about her relationship with her boyfriend and thought it was so touching so I wanted to create something that she will always have to remember these precious times. I hope she found her soulmate because it's not easy to find that special person you want to be with for the rest of your life and she is SO happy with Scott and I am truly happy for her.
Supplies:
  • Zutter: Bind-it-All
  • Zutter: Owires in Antique Brass
  • Other:
  • Creative Memories: Cardstock
  • Webster's Pages: Papers
  • Webster's Pages: Trims
  • Webster's Pages: Jewels
  • Webster's Pages: Acrylic heart
  • Wesbter's Pages: Flower
  • Creative Memories: Heart Punch

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Little Angels On A Clip Board!

Good morning Zutter friendz,

Pinky here with a fun little clip board mini book today. 
You know it's been such a fun summer this year with my friends and
family, and I have been doing so much crafting with my friend's
little girls lately, I thought I would make them little mini albums
to take around and share with their friends. 
I filled them with mini photos of our BBQ's, crafting days, and more!
I wanted something really sturdy, the Clip Board 3X4 mini album from
Zutter is perfect for this!!

Step 1. Using Bind-It-All 2.0 set to Cover Pages and
 3X4" Clip-Board Wood Covers carefully place wood in middle of
Bind-It-All and punch each cover separately. 
Step 2. Trim out 6-8 pages (using patterned paper) at 3X4".
Step 3. Using Bind-It-All 2.0 set to Inner Pages and paper from
step 2, punch pages. 
Step 4. Place pages into covers, roll back cover to the front. 
Step 5. Insert Antique Brass 1/2" Owire.
Placing Owire seam to the back of Bind-It-All
place in correct position. Press handle to close wires. 
Step 6. Embellish and create as desired. 

I cannot wait to pass these along to my little friends. 
I hope you had fun with today's mini album, until next time!



Saturday, July 28, 2012

A Mixed Up Summer Journal

It's Amy here today, to share a recent book I made for myself. I have recently become very dependent on Google calendar on my iPhone to organize myself and my family, but I often need a place to quickly write a note, stick a business card or brochure, sketch out an inspirational idea, or tuck tickets from a movie or event. I was sort of needing a Smash book, but something more along the lines of a smash book meets journal, meets spiral notebook. I decided the only way to have this strange book, to my own to suit my needs and style, was to craft one myself. 
 
To embellish the inside covers, I simply took two pieces of super cheap stationery, ($1.25 for 150 sheets), cut them to fit the inside of the book covers,  and distressed them with the distrezz-it-all. Then I decoupaged them to the book, and gave the white area of the paper a coat of gesso, before misting them with black mist, and some drips from the cap.


I started with an old library book discard for my book's cover. The covers of this book were sturdy, but very vintage, and it was easy to tear the binding apart, and use just the outside covers. I decided I would have pages of differing sizes and textures inside, so I punched the holes with my bind-it-all on the top and bottom only. In retrospect, I would have punched all along the side, to simplify the process....but I do like the look of the separate sets of o wires.


I used my bind-it-all to punch and bind all kinds of interesting and quirky objects, like this 45 record I cut in half (the other half is on the book cover). The bind-it-all is amazing, and can just bite into nearly anything! I covered the cut ends in washi tape, and it kept the edges from potentially chipping and splintering during the punching process.
 

 I wrapped stamp packaging with washi tape (if anything needed edges, it was washi taped!) , and threw those in the mix of pages that also include library card pockets, a restaurant beer coaster, and legal sized envelopes. It always inspires me to have a mix of ideas, even in something somewhat utilitarian. Since this book will accompany me pretty much everywhere, I definitely wanted it to be inspiring! (Even if it's a little quirky and strange at the same time).

Another soft cover to a book was a fun addition, but it felt a little thin, so I added washi (again) to the edges. 


I had an old spiral notebook with some blank pages left, so I tore them out, and bound them, as well. Zutter chipboard helped me out with some stability, so I put gesso on one side of four pieces, and put October Afternoon travel themed papers on the other side. The other blank papers are more of the stationery, and it is simply folded in half and bound. There are plenty for me to use to journal/make notes on.

  

My summer has been quite mixed-up, and definitely hasn't been what I planned. But now, I have a fun and inspiring journal to tote with me during the last "dog days" before school starts. 
I hope maybe you will give creating a "mixed up" book a try.....it's so easy! Just grab your great Zutter tools, some random things you love, and in just a little bit of time, you'll have something special to use for ideas and inspiration, too! Thank you so much for joining me today! 



Friday, July 27, 2012

Great Expectations

My husband's Sister and Cousin are expecting babies in the near future and he asked me to make them a baby brag book for their photos.  I ordered the Handmade collection from Lily Bee and some Studio Calico wood veneer frames and shapes because I thought they would be perfect for some baby albums.  I knew that one of them was having a girl so I made one of the albums pink and girly and the other one more neutral.




For the cover I used the wood frames from Studio Calico.  I layered them with stickers and added wood shapes and buttons to them. 



I used the banner stickers to create a banner and added some twine.




I thought pinwheels would be a fun embellishment for a baby album.  I added it to the front flap page along with a "Welcome" sentiment.




I also added some Zutter Removable page protectors for them to slip some 4 x 6 photos into.  On the outside of the page protectors I added a journaling card and some wood houses.


This is the more neutral version done in yellows and greens.




I really love the butterfly wood veneer shapes especially when you add a button.




This is another flap page to add more journaling and photos.




I also added a few keepsake pockets, for one of them I just used a brown paper bag and decorated the outside with a confetti pocket.




I had so much fun making these mini albums and can't wait until they use them.
















Thursday, July 26, 2012

An Artsy Busy Book

       As a mom of two very busy (and talkative) kids I am always trying to find fun things for them to do during the summer, especially when we are in the car for any length of time. My 10 year old daughter loves drawing and being crafty and as she is getting a bit older she isn't quite as easily entertained with my singing or playing license plate bingo, so I came up with this mini artists book to help keep her content while in the car.

     I knew I wanted to have lots of sheets where she could draw, but also wanted her to have places where she could write down a memory, play a game and even do a bit of journaling. I also wanted this book to have enough pages and activites to last more than one trip, so this has 20 pages total, so I used the  1" White O-wire to bind this bad boy. I loved using the canvas art board on the cover and just giving it a light mist of purple smooch, it gives the book an artsy and whimzy feel, which I just love.

     I also love the idea of making this book as by the end of summer I have a sweet keepsake  of the things that kept my kiddos entertained during our summer adventures. Hope my step by step pictures inspire you to make your own artsy busy book this summer.

Best,
Heather

I started off with some 5x7 chipboard, a 5x7 Canvas Art Board, and a few
sheets of coordinating patterned paper and white cardstock. 
Attatch the patterned paper and cardstock to the chipboard and
then use your Bind-it-All to punch 8 holes in the top of each of the pages.
Using 1" White O-wire, bind your book


















         http://www.whimzeecreations.blogspot.com/
















Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Introducing Add-it-Alls and the Binding Buddy!

Fresh from CHA, we're so excited to share with you about our two newest additions to the Zutter family:


Add-it-Alls and the Binding Buddy!

Here's a quick little video that shows you how both of these products work with your Bind-it-All V1.0 (blue) and V2.0 (pink):


We're offering a fabulous special offer for a limited time to those of you who already own a Bind-it-All machine!!!  Visit our website for all the details here: Binding Buddy PreSale


Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Are you a Video Super Star?

We're looking for a few good videos to add to our YouTube channel or list here on our blog and website!





Do you make videos of your scrapbooking, papercrafts, and home decor projects while you make them? Then you're the person we're looking for!


Submit links to your videos here using the Inlinkz Linky Tool. We'll review the videos and let you know if your video has been accepted. You'll receive a FREE Display-it-All if your video is accepted. 


We're looking for the following types of tutorial videos:
  • How-to use Zutter Products
  • Unique Projects created with Zutter Tools
  • Any videos in Spanish
  • Videos with personality!
You can submit as many videos as you like AND you can even submit videos you've spotted online, that you did not make*. So if there is a great video you love on YouTube showing great ideas with Zutter product, please share it with us!!
*If the original video creator submits the same video, they will be eligible to collect the Display-it-All gift upon acceptance of the video.

Submit your entry below -  hurry! 
This call for videos ends August 30, 2012!

Sunday, July 22, 2012

BC Crops for Kids

Zutter has generously sponsered my "Jar of Memories" mini album class at the BC Crops for Kids in Abbotsford, BC on October 6, 2012.  Here's a little bit more information about them:

BC Scrapbooking Crop for Kids is an annual charity scrapbooking event benefitting BC Children's Hospital Foundation. Since 2008 it has become BC's most popular educational & inspirational paper crafting weekend. We offer a weekend-long crop with amazing classes designed and taught by talented designers. All of these classes are generously sponsored by local scrapbook retailers and scrapbook manufacturers. Proceeds from the sales of crop seats, class seats and any other products offered will benefit BC Children's Hospital Foundation.







Registration for classes is now underway.  If you can make it for this amazing event I would love to see you.  Here is the link for my class.
http://www.bccropforkids.ca/catalog.php/bccropforkids/dt92853/pd2166069/Jar_of_Memories_Mini_Album_-_Saturday_Oct_6_at_2_30_PM

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Bind a Holiday - and a Technique

Hi everyone!  Nancy here today to share with you a fun mini album I made with a super cute kit I picked up from the Hydrangea Hippo etsy store.  My family is heading off to Hawaii soon and I wanted to make a cute mini album to showcase a few of the photos I have yet to take.  LOL
I love these papers from Trinity Paper Arts and think they are just perfect for this project, especially after a quick trip through my Distrezz-it-All to get the lovely worn edges.
I love making small albums to showcase a few special photos, and my Bind-it-All is makes it quick and easy to get to the fun part (for me anyway), embellishing.



I really love the added opportunities working with o-wires brings to my minis.  For this book, not only did I attach lots of buttons, beads, ribbons and other baubles to the o-wires; but I changed the color of the white o-wires to match the project.

This was a simple process involving a few alcohol markers (Bic Mark-its) that coordinated with my papers...
and my o-wires.  I simply colored the o-wires with the markers and then allowed the wire time to dry before binding.
Here you can see a close up of my fully embellished o-wires.
Thanks for stopping by today.

Hugs.

Nancy Keslin