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I would love to make one using alcohol ink on 8 1/2 x 11 glossy paper. I've never made an altered comp. book but I just bought 4 of them in Office Max for 50 cents each. I thought they would be nice to make to give away, say as an extra Christmas gift. I also thought about using watercolor paper and using my Inktense pencils to make a funky cover. Has anyone done this?
And, can you see any reason why it wouldn't work? I have so many ideas running through my head for this, like the shaving cream technique or embossing coordinates cardstock and sandpapering part of the embossing off. What do you think ladies?
Lorraine, I've made lots of altered comp books, but have only covered them with sturdy cardstock using my ATG gun and embellished them with die cuts, ribbons and buttons after I adhered the covering.
I haven't used the techniques you describe with different inks, etc. If the techniques warp or buckle the paper, you might not be able to adhere it firmly enough to the cover.
Here is the basic tutorial I've used for altered comp books.
Thank you for posting your video -- I plan to make them for the office staff I work with--fun and useful and the perfect time of year to pick up notebooks!! Jeanne
I also have not made any but do have several in my stash. I think if the adhesive is strong enough (I'm considering using Xyron but would have to improvise as it will only fit stuff up to 5" wide. What I like about the Xyron (besides it giving full, even, strong coverage) is you can slowly peel away the backing paper as you affix the paper to the book. This helps me keep it aligned better than dealing with "sticky" stuff that may have a mind of its own about where it wants to go.
I've seen tutorials but think I'll follow the video Bugga posted.
Thanks Bugga, I happened to watch that same video last night. I was afraid of the glossy cardstock not being sturdy enough. I have the Xyron too. Another idea which would work using the Xyron is to cover the composition book as shown in the video and then maybe use a colored stamped image and run it through the Xyron and then put that on the DP as a focal point. Or, use a photograph with the Xyron, or do the image transfer technique using the Xryon. Boy, I'm a real thinking machine today - lol!! Guess my thyroid meds are kicking in - THANK GOD!! I was getting like a real space cadet for a while........what was I doing? Where was I going? Who knew a tiny little organ like the thyroid could screw so many things up?
The books are fairly inexpensive so you can play around with some of your ideas and make a test book(cover). I'm sure you'll have fun playing and your creations will be beautiful!
I just bought 8 of them at a whopping 50 cents each in Office Max. Only 4 at 50 each at a time so I just bought 4 more today. So, if I mess one up, it's no big deal.
Thank you for posting your video -- I plan to make them for the office staff I work with--fun and useful and the perfect time of year to pick up notebooks!! Jeanne
Jeanne, the tutorial I posted is a great basic one. I have changed it a little bit when I make mine. I decided covering the spine with cardstock was a lot of trouble, and also I give mine to some pre-teen granddaughters who aren't always careful with their things.
So I make the cardstock on the cover just butt up to the black binding on the book, and cover the seam with a contrasting ribbon, leaving the binding as is. They hold up better this way I think.
And, instead of cutting the cardstock to the size of the cover and sanding the edges, I make mine about 1/2" larger all around, and fold and adhere it to the inside. Then I cut a piece of cardstock for the inside cover which covers the part I have folded inside. Clear as mud?
Putting the other piece of cardstock inside the cover also allows me to wrap the ribbon to the inside, and it is covered by the cardstock. When you just apply ribbon along the seam and stop at the edge, the ribbon ravels, so I like to wrap mine around to the inside. Like I said, most of mine go to younger recipients who aren't so careful with the books, even though they love them, lol.
Mt granddaughters carry their "journals" everywhere with them, and when they've filled them up, they always ask for another one.
PS I used Mod Podge for some of the first books I made, because someone recommended it. What a mess! I guess some people like it, but I had no luck with it at all. It was terribly hard to use, messy, and the paper wrinkled. And then you had to wait for it to dry. Of all the adhesives I've tried, I like the ATG the best for these.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Last edited by buggainok; 08-05-2011 at 09:10 AM..
Great info Bugga. Thanks. Sounds like alot less trouble too. My kind of project - lol.
Thanks, Lorraine. They are a fun project and pretty easy to do. Sometimes I take an RSVP pen and put a little roll of matching pattern paper inside it, then tie a couple of ribbons on the cap. It makes a cute set.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
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Thanks for all the great ideas. This is an idea I've always wanted to try.
__________________ Renee - SU! Demonstrator [url]http://reneefick.stampinup.net[/url www.marykay.com/rfick
I love spending as much time as possible in my Color Studio
Lorraine - if you want to use the alcohol ink on glossy cardstock, I'd spray the finished piece with a clear acrylic spray before adhering it to the book. That would help the alcohol ink stand up better to the abuse the book might take.
I've only done one of these, I sanded down the glossy finish on the cover of the comp book to make my patterned paper adhere better and used Yes! paste to stick it down - but my PP was a digi paper that I downloaded and printed with a laser printer on cardstock; so I wasn't worried at all about it wrinkling or warping.
__________________ Jeni in PA, proud SCS Fan Club member My BlogMy Gallery wife, mom, nurse case manager, crafter, SU! demo and Sr. Supervisor - Cross Country Crafty Chicks
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Here are some pics of one I made. I used to sell these on Etsy. I used Mod-Podge to attach
the paper. Once I smoothed all the air bubbles out with a brayer or my hands, I placed them under heavy books overnight to flatten them out. The came out perfect everytime. I cut the paper bigger than the cover,folded the edges over the side and covered the inside covers with matching cardstock. Hope this helps!
Good morning, ladies. I got busy and made a bunch of comp books for little Christmas gifts. Here is a pic of one of them. I'm making them for all the gals in my family, and several girlfriends. I'm including a matching RSVP pen and bookmark. Each one is personalized, because everyone likes to see their name in print, right?
I'm keeping them pretty simple, because I'm making so many of them. Also, I've found that the heavily embellished ones I've made look pretty, but don't hold up as well, and people tend to just look at them and not really use them.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Hey guys, when last we spoke - I was busy making comp books, matching bookmarks and pens for Christmas gifts.
I am now done with my project, Whew!! and completed 19 of the sets. I used up a lot of paper from my stash, and several rolls of ATG tape. I almost got a blister from using the tape gun, lol.
Every female person on my Christmas list will get a set.
Here is a sample:
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I finally made one...I have been sitting on these compbooks forever. I also put the ribbon on the side to hold the pencil. I am very happy with how it turned out...the paper lays flat and the ribbon is not detectable.
I finally made one...I have been sitting on these compbooks forever. I also put the ribbon on the side to hold the pencil. I am very happy with how it turned out...the paper lays flat and the ribbon is not detectable.
Love your book! It turned out so cute. And glad to know how the ribbon loop turned out. Don't you just love the Michelle Wooderson stamp set for notebooks? I have used mine so much.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
Altered Composition Books
