Chipboard Book

Helloooooo!  So here I am and I thought I would share this really cool little book that I made out of chipboard and craft paper.  I have wanted to make one of these for a while.  I actually started one about a year ago with homemade page holders and pockets but I became discouraged because the projects I watched on www.youtube.com  were so awesome!  Lol – so I stepped back and tried my own thing. 

I laid out the outside of the book in 5 pieces.  I made the spine large enough to hold a black binding comb that I recycled from work.  One end was broken, so I cut it down and voila!   I had something to hold my pages in place.

I then covered the chipboard with black cardstock, leaving about a quarter-inch between the individual pieces of board so they would bend.  Just watch the videos here:   https://www.youtube.com/user/mysistersscrapper

 – They are amazing.  Ginger is so talented! 

I used DCWV Travel paper stack.  I used the solid colors as my pages and the printed for the front, back, inside and spine.  I also used some of the paper as embellishments, fussy cutting them, and then gluing it onto chipboard. 

The flowers on the front I made from the DCWV flower stack.  I like the way they look.  I even put a little center pearl in one. 

I made this little album for the postcards that I’ve received from www.postcrossing.com .  I love receiving postcards from different countries, hearing about other peoples’ lives, and seeing the (mostly) beautiful stamps.

I hope you enjoy, and comments are always appreciated!

Postcards!

Recently I was turned on to a site that promotes international communication.  It’s called Postcrossing, and it encourages people to send postcards to strangers.  They give you names and addresses after you set up a profile.  Once a postcard you send is received, then you become eligible to receive one from someone.  I love this idea!  I love receiving mail through the post office, I love pictures, and I love the idea of connecting with others from different cultures. 

I signed up in January, went out and purchased a couple of postcards and started sending.  You can send as many, or as few, as you would like.  I’ve sent out six so far with one getting ready to go today. 

The one I’m sending out today is going to a girl in Germany who wouldn’t mind getting a homemade card.  Some people specify that they want specific cards – art, places, history, dogs, cats, etc.  This girl likes food and recipes.  It gave me an idea.

I went to the local craft store to see if I could get a postcard stamp.  Alas, no luck.  I ended up ordering a set of Tim Holtz postcard stamps.  

They seemed the most versatile.  The others I saw didn’t appeal to me, but I always try to keep an open mind.  The stamps were delivered to me yesterday, so last night I set out to work.  The only food photo I found was of the birthday cake I made a few years ago for Gaige.  

I trimmed the edges a little and set it on a 4”x6” piece of cardstock that I had salvaged from an old report.  I glued it on with Aileen's Tacky Glue.  I really want this photo to stay on during shipping.  I stamped the back and let it dry and now it’s ready for an address and note!

I really am excited about sending it out.  I hope she likes it.  What I truly want is to have a pen pal.  I had one when I was a kid.  She was from Japan and we sent letters all the time until we were in our late teens.  I don’t know why we stopped.  Perhaps it was boys and dating.  I know in my case that was probably it.  I wish I knew what happened to her.  I miss learning about someone else’s culture through private letters.  It’s one thing to read Wikipedia.  It’s another to read it in someone else’s handwriting about their very own experience.

I hope you like the postcard and the idea of it.  It’s a pretty simple project, but one that can give you a lot of satisfaction and could definitely brighten another’s day.