I Made Something!

This li'l project started life as a submission for my BIA DT entry (which I eventually decided against applying for ... maybe next year - but I'm not good enough yet!) Unfortunately, it was one of those that got more complex as I went on ... until it was too fat to fit the binding wires!!!
A few more tweaks & it's now more or less completed - with big old binding rings instead!!
Anyway, this is how it all works: The covers are BIA Canvas Covers (10x10), sprayed with raspberry & metallic gold inks. Chipboard scrolls were laid in place while I positioned & stamped the birds n butterflies with dark brown fluid chalk ink (Clearsnap). The scrolls were inked dark brown & then painted with Antique Linen Crackle Paint (Ranger). The title was stamped onto a Journaling Card ... would you believe that the papers used throughout were Cosmo Cricket??? LOL - & in case you wanted details ... it's one of the older ranges 'Gretel' ... just the right amount of distressed & outdoorsy but pretty colours all at the same time - perfect I thought!
Moving on: The first page is for planning my planting etc. It is a plain piece of cardstock, covered with graph paper with a plain piece of acetate stitched to the top (it's actually a piece of OHP paper, left over from my teaching days!!) I'll use a wipe board marker to write on it, make a permanent copy when I'm happy with it & then wipe clean ready for next time - Am I a genius or what?? LOL
The reverse is decorated with Gretel papers & a gentle reminder spelled out with Just Your Type Vintage Cardstock Stickers (Cosmo Cricket) The divider pages are all ready to scrapbook with photos that I'll take throughout the year. The li'l tabs are offcuts from the 'planting cards' in the next photo. The abbreviated month names are stamped & I've handwritten the month on the edge of each tab so I can find stuff at a glance too. Obviously, I'll be using more Gretel papers for the scrapping elements - so maybe I'll use these pages to try out some design ideas too!
The 'to plant' pages started life as large index file cards. I laid Chipboard scrolls over the edge of each card before spraying with the raspberry ink (this works better with the less ornate 'chunky' ones. The title panels are computer generated, inked & stapled into place & a stamped image (inkadoo, I think) added to the corner.
The 'to do' list, showing from behind, was computer generated, inked & adhered to a C5 envelope (which is open at the top). I have reinforced the envelopes where the binding holes are as I'll be storing seeds in these - they could get quite full ... & maybe a li'l too heavy! It's easy to reinforce them: just cut a thin strip of scrap card (I used a ceral box), put double sided tape on both sides & stick into position inside the envelope before punching the binding holes.
In the last photograph, you can just see the A5 file pocket that sits behind the seed envelope - this will hold all my additional notes n stuff. The back cover has a simple pocket at the bottom (made from torn Gretel papers & a Strip Tease quote that reads: If Nothing Ever Changed, There Would Be No Butterflies) to hold this li'l notebook:
The back cover is made from the file card packaging & then covered with more Gretel papers ... the pages are cut from the offcuts of all the computer generated bits! Each one is hand stamped - what can I say? I like pretty stuff!
So much of this project is recycled or scrap. The cream papers are from my dissertation (published in 2000) - I found half a ream lurking at the back of a cupboard; the file cardswere 'inherited' from my dad when he moved abroad (about 3 years ago); the OHP sheet for the wipe clean planner I found in a pack of printer supplies kicking around for about 4 years; & the kraft envelopes are old office supplies from when I had the B&M store (closed almost a year ago) ... so go me for using up stash! LOL
The last couple pics are close ups ... just to show some of the detail that you might not see in the finished project.