EP Get Altered Challenge - Books

Welcome to eclectic Paperie’s Get Altered Challenge. The Get Altered Challenge is held on the first Thursday of each month and each challenge is an opportunity for you to be inspired by one of our eTeam’s creations, to share your work, and to be entered into our challenge prize drawing!

This week it’s Tracy Easson and the challenge is Altered Books. You've got to see what Tracy's created from old books. A mixed media delight! Check it out here.

Originally, I had wanted to go to my local thrift store and find an old book to work with. But time got away from me and I never got the chance. Sitting here on my desk, however, was a blank composition book that I've been using to store my eclectic Paperie design team information. Things like the names and blogs of the team members, the monthly calendar, team guidelines, and photos of my designs I've posted. I've just been throwing these things in the book loosely. So now seemed like a good time to create a functional book with a pretty cover.

It started with this. I like the graph pages rather than ruled, so I can sketch ideas. I got this at my local Office Depot.

Here is my finished cover. Because it's going to be a functioning book I'll use on a daily basis, I made sure not to layer it up too much. I've already mashed the three little flowers quite a bit. No paint, no sprays on this one. Just good old paper, ink and glue.

Here's how it came together...

I grabbed some paper in my stash. In this case, Graphic 45's Olde Curiosity Shoppe (the letters are from An ABC Primer) and a little of Tim Holtz Kraft Resist. Using Tim's Cabinet Card die, I cut away the shape from my pattern paper. (See all the bees in that print? Love it!)

I inked the edges with Black Soot Distress ink, stamped the dragonfly with Archival Black ink onto the Kraft Resist, then swirled a bit of color around him before layering the papers together. Good old glue stick does the job nicely. I really like Scotch Mega Glue Stick.

From Tim's Hardware Findings die, I cut these from grungepaper that was covered first with Ranger Foil Tape.

Then grabbed some alcohol inks (Ginger, Sunset Orange and Pitch Black) and made them look a bit rusty.

I adhered the E and P in place, then glued the hardware strap to the front of the book using Beacon's 3-in-1 glue. Good strong stuff. 

As you can see, I inserted some copper big brads to the hardware and gave them a whack with my craft hammer to dent them a little. Then touched them with some alcohol ink to match. After this glue dried well, I wrapped the strap around and glued the back side.

From Tim's Tiny Tabs & Tags die, I cut a small tag and stamped it then inked distressed the edges. Added some colored ribbon then layered some flowers under and over the tag.

This philosophy tag was perfect for my Altered book. Those flowers you see here are special to me because I got them on Tim Holtz's Caribbean Cruise back in 2011. 

Scattered Straw and Rusty Hinge distress inks are blended around the stamped dragonfly, and a mini gear sits nicely in the center of that circle of text.

I added a pocket to the inside to tuck my eP Team guidelines, and covered the inside cover with more paper from Olde Curiosity Shoppe.

Nothing fancy about the inside pages. Just keeping myself organized.

Quick reference of my projects posted for eP and the dates. This makes it much easier than scrolling through my blog to reference what I've done and products I've used.

Now I have my pretty book laying on my desk and I can add to it each week.

The Get Altered Challenge is about exploring your creative journey, about stepping outside of your comfort zone, experimenting with new products, and creating altered and mixed media art. Share a unique card, a scrapbook or journal page, a canvas, or any other project where you’ve used paint, ink, paper, and embellishments. We want to see your work and hear about your inspiration! All of those who play along with our challenge will be entered into a prize drawing for a $15.00 gift certificate to the eclectic Paperie store.

Grab your supplies and play along! Here are a few things to keep in mind for this challenge…

• You do not have to use products sold in the eP store…but we do love it when you do!

• Share a direct link to your creation, not just your blog, using the Linky Tools feature at the end of the eP post.

• When uploading to any online galleries, please use any of the following keywords; eP, eclectic Paperie or Get Altered Challenge. Link your creations to the eP blog.

• If you’d like to be considered as one of our featured projects and be entered into our prize drawing, please be sure to add your link no later than 6:00 pm EST on Thursday, Feb. 23rd.