Skip to main content

Altered Board Book

One of the earliest projects in our Color of Woman teacher training was the invitation to create simple art journals, setting our intention, using simple supplies and an inexpensive composition book as the container. These journals, called Cosmic Smash Books by an earlier graduate, Catt Geller, became companions for many of us on our quest, holding notes, inspiration, and process pages. I made several that year, and many others since.

We began and covered books in our last Red Thread Creatives circle, and this week, created a grounding, resting or process page. We were led by Linda Allen, a CoW graduate and Smashbook Guide. Linda is a big fan of using junk mail and other throw away for booklets and pages.

In our last session, I painted a cover for the journal I was already working in, using a sturdy paper bag from my daughter's stash. My youngest granddaughter came outside to paint with me, making hers for a spiral bound notebook.

This week, I worked in an altered children's board book, ~ 7×7" which has 5 double spread pages. Here are some tips on altering a board book:

  • Sand the boards, removing all the gloss 
  • Write your intention for the book using Sharpie or paint
  • I covered the front and back with gesso, then paint and acrylic ink a few days ago, following a little tutorial 
  • On Instagram, Anouk suggested running painted tape along the crease of each spread, both as reinforcement and to prevent cracking (I need to do that in my book)
  • Use a spatula, sponges, or a credit card to apply paint 
  • Use light layers of paint, and embellish with stamps, stencils light collage 
  • You can add tabs, lace, our other embellishments
  • Gild the edges with metallic paint
Here's the centering page spread I worked on in this week's Circle - Balance of the Light and dark. I prepped the center spread with gesso and paint (including gold on both the cover and the page), then used my older granddaughter's craft paint and a light layer of gloss mod podge.

This post has more tips, ideas and resources for your juju journal or Cosmic Smashbook.

Comments

  1. *WOW*Interesting topic how you did it. This page looks so beautiful between light and dark!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really like how it's turning out - thank you!

      Delete
  2. I think altering books is a great way to use ones that are no longer good for reading.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! I'm such a book lover, it's been hard for me to do ... Baby steps, tee hee!

      Delete
  3. This was so interesting. I'm not artsy but I am sharing this with my friends who are. Thank you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, good! Playing in junk journals is an easy way for anyone to access their creativity, so it's fun to share!

      Delete
  4. Really lovely! Have a lovely weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Two months ago, I told my health coach that my life had no purpose/direction. Grief from loss of my husband coupled with covid restrictions, were depressing me. Since teaming up with Intentional Creativity, Vivid 2020 and now Ritual '21 -13 moons, I have to schedule my days in order to create all the fun things this site has to offer! I appreciate you!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so sorry for your loss!
      And grateful to hear the blessing Intentional Creativity has been in your journey toward recovery/ recentering! You're so welcome!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Roots and Wings

 The invitation to one of my early Red Thread Circle read: 'It is often said we need to give our children roots for grounding, and wings to give their visions and dreams flight! Our creativity also thrives with roots and wings!   Come explore what gives you stability, & vision into the dreams you'd like to give wings. We'll play with paint and paper and you'll leave with an altar piece to remind you of your own Roots & Wings.'   Natasha's Tree What gives you Roots? What grounds you into your body, your home, your community?  What do you - and your surroundings need to thrive? Where do you yern to spread your wings?  What bogs you down - old baggage, old stories that 'it's about time' you tossed? What leaves are ready to drop?  We drummed & rattled to connect with our roots, the things that give us stability.  Our images shared commonalities, trees, earth, sky, greenery. We played with acrylics, tempra, a leaf stencil, collage to c...

Word of the Year

  For Several years, my friend Kathleen has offered a Word of the Year Playshop at our church in January.  She generally uses a more linear approach - using Dictionaries and Thesauri, after a quick review and release of any 'baggage' from the year just past ... This year, she invited a friend who facilitates Soul Collage (tm) to join us, and we chose images! Both Kathleen and Deandra brought a bunch of images from magazines, cards and calendars, and laid them out on several tables,  for us to gather from.  Card size is general 5×7" or 5x8" and we could choose from several colours of mat board for our background . Other materials included an index card, glue sticks and scissors.  My workstation We did a quick year review and release, then choose images, and started to fine tune and arrange them. After we'd glued the images, we paired up, and one of the dyad acted as scribe for the other:  I am the one who .. .. My partner, used to a more linear and 'heady' ...