Congratulations Debbie and Jade!!!

So, I missed the opportunity to go to Italy with my friends and watch them get married.  Originally I was supposed to run in the Army 10 Miler during the planned time of the trip, but then during surgery and recovery I was too drugged up to remember to register for the race...Long story short, I missed the wedding and the race, but not the chance to create a one of kind gift for the happy couple!  I originally lifted the idea of hollow books from Renea of Renea Bouquets, coincidentally to create a hollow book for one of mine and Debbie's vacations.  Although  I lifted the idea from Renea, I am slowly creating my own look for the books, especially with the "pages".  (And might I add that I never even came close to capturing "pages" like the original artist!)  You'll also notice that I didn't post any pictures of the sides of the book today where the "pages" would be.  That is because something went awry during this project and the pages are not even close to where I want them to be.  However, I feel fairly strong that Deb and Jade will still be appreciative!  ;)  Either way, I made three more hollow books this weekend in preparation for the Christmas Shopping Expo, so you will get to see my "pages" variations soon.

I started with a Tim Holtz configuration book and covered it some papers from my stash and used the Scraps of Elegance kit Pretty Things.  I knew I wouldn't be able to complete the project using just the kit, so I chose carefully from my stash to ensure that what I used to cover the configuration components would match.

 

 

For the cover I layered on pieces of paper, some stickers from a travel pack, a little chipboard, some clocks, a few doilies and other whimsical things that fit the the vintage-y travel theme I was looking for.  The resin frame actually came from Michael's.  I like their "store brand" resin items for things like these because they feel heavier. (Maybe it's just me)

 

Here is a close up of the flowers and the frame.  I fussy cut the little bird from the Pretty Things Kit and used a little bit of goldish paint to spice it up some.  A little stamping, some misting, a hint of bling, and adding a few border pieces completed the look I was I was going for.

 

Here is a closer look at the details up near the top of the book.  I inked and misted the chipboard piece pink and used a little bit of gesso to distress it a little.

For the inside of the book where the boxes go, I added a few items from the kit to the "bottoms" of the boxes as well as a few things from my stash.  For the most part I left the boxes as empty as possible just in case the happy couple wants to store some precious memories in here.  :)

 

On the inside of the cover I used a piece of stash paper that I was saving for my trip to Italy...since it looks like it might be a few more years before I get there I thought there was no better time than the present to use it as a backdrop for a photo of the happy couple.

 

So there it is!  I had a blast making this book despite the issues with the "pages".  As I mentioned I'll get some pictures of the other hollow books up here before too much longer!!!  Thanks for looking in!

 

Love,

 

Mel