Handmade Letterboxing Journals

Are you looking for the perfect holiday, birthday, or surprise gift for the letterboxer in your life? How about a special "thank you" gift for the host or hostess at the next gathering you will be attending? Or even a great raffle prize for a letterboxing event? Consider giving a handmade Letterboxing journal. You can even use these journals to keep your exchanges seperate from your finds or have a seperate journal for each gathering that you attend.

These journals measure 4" x 6" and are filled with 35 pages of heavy, bright white cardstock pages that are thick enough to stamp on boths sides of the page without the ink bleeding through. Even with the juiciest ink pad! The pages lay flat for easy stamping and can be folded all the way back with the spiral binding.




The front and back covers are laminated with plastic to stay clean and dry while out on the trail and the inside of the back cover features a special pocket to hold your clue sheets, first finder certificates, or the answers to personal travelers so they will be handy for your next letterboxing gathering.








I have many standard letterboxing journals to choose from or if you would like to personalize your journal.......

You can have your trailname (up to 12 letters) and signature stamp displayed on the cover of your journal!

I have many designer papers and colors to choose from so creating exactly what you want should not a problem. I will work with you until we get it just right!

The pricing for these handmade journals are as follows:

$12.00 each for a standard letterboxing journal (Exchanges, Letterboxing, Gatherings, Got Clues, name of your event, etc. up to 12 letters)

$15.00 each for a personalized journal with your trailname and signature stamp image

$3.00 for shipping and handling

I accept cash, checks, or money orders and will try to ship within 7 days of placing your order. Larger orders may take a bit longer.

Email me at tinarie@msn.com and we can create a special handmade journal just for you or to give as a gift. When you purchase a handmade journal, I will also include a special LTC for buying from me! Don't delay. These journals are going fast!

If you are attending LB CON 2009 in July and would like a special journal to keep all of your exchanges and finds from the event all in one place, I will be taking orders for this special journal up to two weeks before the event so get your orders in now!

Stamping on Vellum

I did a little experiment with stamping on vellum. I used a water-based dye ink pad in gray. Here you can see how wet the ink is. After 10 minutes the ink was still wet and the image smeared a bit when I touched it so I waited a bit longer. After 30 minutes the ink was dry. So if you are in a hurry for your ink to dry on your vellum, why not try this approach.....

Use your embossing heat gun or a blow dryer and dry the ink. It will dry instantly so there is no waiting. Ta Da!

A good tip is to turn your image over so the stamped side is against your background paper. That way there is no way the image can get smeared or distorted by touching the inked side.

I DO believe in Leprechauns, I DO, I DO, I DO!

Some of the best times in my life are spending them crafting with my daughter. We could sit for hours on end talking and gluing and talking and coloring and talking and decorating and with St. Patricks Day next week, I thought I would share with you a really cool project that we did together that you could certainly do with your own kids. It is loads of fun and it will give your kids a sense of ownership in a project that can be dragged out every year and used over and over again.

Another good thing for doing crafts with your kids is that you can figure out who the crafty ones are and when you get old and gray, you know who you can dump all of your crafting supplies on before you die. But that is another story that I will share with you later.

I got this idea from the Family Fun Magazine and I will add the link to my blog so you can look for other really cool things you can do with your kids.

Magic Treasure Box
Leprechaun treasure from FamilyFun

This St. Patrick's Day, let your child in on a well-guarded secret and start a new family tradition in the process. The fun begins with the legend of the leprechauns and leads to a treasure box filled with goodies and gifts. Here's what to do. On the day before the holiday, read aloud the following tale:

LEGEND OF THE LEPRECHAUNS

Full of magic and trickery, the leprechauns remain in their hidden world until the night before St. Patrick's Day. On that one night of the year they appear throughout the world to dance and sing and frolic. Disguising themselves as leaves and grass, and sounding like the wind and the crickets, they come and go unnoticed. However, it is said that if a decorated treasure box is left empty under the moon, the leprechauns must fill the box with gold or jewels or gifts. But then they will hide the filled box in the most unlikely of places. If the box is found on St. Patrick's Day, the treasure remains in our world. If not, the leprechauns may retrieve what is rightfully theirs. And though the leprechauns are very clever, it is not impossible to find the treasure because, unknowingly, leprechauns often leave a trail of greenery behind them.

MAKING THE TREASURE BOX

Now, have your child decorate an empty shoe box or tissue box with paints, glitter glue or stickers. If she tries to bargain for a bigger box, explain that leprechauns are tiny and if they can't reach the top of the box, it will remain empty. Just before bed, she should place the finished box on a windowsill where the moon will shine on it. Once she's sound asleep, the resident leprechauns can fill the box with small treasures, such as foil-covered chocolate coins, costume jewelry or a bag of marbles, and then hide it in a special place. All that's left to do is lay a trail of green leaves or paper shamrocks from the windowsill to the box. An older child may even enjoy the challenge of several trails to follow, some with dead ends (you know, trickery of the leprechauns!).

Okay, so I know they suggest using an empty shoe box and that is what we did because you know how I must follow directions to the tee, but I will let you in on a little secret...... shoe boxes are way to big! After we decorated the box and my daughter was all excited about using it, we found that a shoe box just doesn't quite fit on a narrow windowsill ledge and don't forget that you will need to fill it. I would suggest finding something a bit smaller to work with.

These unfinished wooden boxes are perfect for your treasure chest. This one is even shaped like a treasure chest. These can be found at your local craft supply store and I have also found these at the dollar store. They can be painted or colored with crayons. However your child would like to decorate it.

Make sure that you get ahold of some plastic gems like the ones pictured here or sequins, etc. You will need something to decorate the box with that will reflect the moonlight to attract the Leprechauns. Ribbon and rick rack and stickers are also some things that you can use to decorate with. Take your kids to the craft store or dollar store with you and let them choose what they want to use to decorate their very own treasure chest with.

Pssst, Mom/Dad, er, I mean, Leprechauns, while you are at the dollar store, don't forget to pick up some jewels and trinkets to fill up the treasure chest.

I also picked up some four-leaf clover confetti and used that to make a trail from the window sill to the hiding place somewhere in the house so my daughter would have a trail to follow to find her treasures. Don't forget to lay some added trails that end at a dead end for some extra fun!

Any letterboxer will have a great time with this project. It incorporates all the fun and some of the aspects of letterboxing in a holiday themed project with your kids.

Now that you have completed your Leprechaun Treasure Chest, have your kids sit in front of the computer staring at this website: http://www.irelandseye.com/leprechaun/webcam.htm and make sure that you refresh it regularly. A friend of mine turned me onto this webcam for Leprechaun sightings and I was there for hours waiting to see if I could be the first to spot one! Good luck and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Crafting Must Have- Non Stick Craft Mat

Some of you have asked, "Camp Fire Lady? What is that funny colored mat that you use when you do your crafting?" "Well", I say, "It is a non stick craft mat that I saw this lady using at a cratfting expo in Puyallup, WA and I just had to have one."





The one that I use I found at JoAnn's Fabrics but I am sure you can find one at any craft supply store. This one is called a Non-Stick Craft Sheet and it is made by stampit Australia: http://www.stampit.com/. The are a bit pricey, I think mine cost about $18.00 but it is something that is very useful if you make a mess while crafting. You can always cut it in half and share it with a friend.

Let me demonstrate:

Good Heavens!

I dropped my ink pad and it landed upside down! That is gonna make a mess!

Not with my handy dandy non-stick craft mat. The ink wipes right off!

Are you kidding me?!

I spilt my reinker! That is gonna make a mess!

Not with my handy dandy non-stick craft mat! The ink wipes right off!

Oh my gosh!

I've spilt my alcohol ink! That is gonna make a mess!

Not on my handy dandy non-stick craft mat! The alcohol ink wipes right off!

Holy crap!

I spilt my super tacky glue! That is gonna make a mess!

Not on my handy dandy non-stick craft mat! The dried on glue peels right off!

I don't believe this!

I have cut my handy dandy non-stick craft mat with my exacto knife!

Okay, so this will not wipe off. That is about the only thing this really cool craft mat can't do is repair itself but it can be good for a lot of other things. This mat will also work great when you use your heat gun to emboss and your hot glue gun to glue. This is a heat resistant mat as well.

Hmmm...... maybe they should market this mat for........ nevermind.

Adhesive for Vellum

I have tried two techniques for adhering vellum to cardstock; spray adhesive and vellum tape. Both products have their good points and their bad points and we will explore both in this tutorial.

The vellum tape is very easy to use and requires less effort and preparation but it tends to show through the vellum unless you cover the tape with some kind of embellishment, ribbon, etc. over the top of the vellum.

This LTC features a stained glass window that has been stamped on vellum, embossed and colored, and adhered to the card with the vellum tape. The stamp is so busy that the tape does not show through.

This LTC has a ribbon of vellum tape running down the left side of the card. As you can see, the tape shows through the vellum. I was not very happy with this outcome but I was new to the whole LTC thing and was excited about trading them so I sent them off anyway.

I was very happy with the outcome of this LTC. I used the spray adhesive for this one and as you can see, there is no residue showing through the vellum. The vellum will also stick very well and will not easily be pulled off. There is no adhesive to distract you from the carving.

So, the bottom line is that I prefer the spray adhesive over the vellum tape. Spray adhesive can be used on paper, wood, plastic, and vellum. It does need to be applied in a very well ventilated area and should be sprayed inside a box with high sides since it will spread to other surfaces as you apply it. Below is an example of how I applied the spray to my cards.

I placed the cards inside a sweater box lined with newspaper and took them outside on the deck to be sprayed. A good tip would be to wear long sleeves because the spray did leave a sticky residue on my arms but was easily washed off.

You need to let the cards dry for about 5-7 minutes and then they are ready for the vellum to be applied. The cards will look a little opague until they dry.

What is also nice about the spray adhesive is when you apply the vellum and it is not centered on the card, you can lift it and reapply it if you do this right away. Once it sticks, it is on there and might tear the paper underneath if you try to pull it apart. Is suggests in the directions to spray both surfaces of the paper that you are sticking together, but I didn't and it worked just fine.

As you can see, there is no residue or tape showing through the vellum to distract you from the image. This is my contribution to the Classic Alice Swap. I did add some extra embellishments to the card but I guess you would need to be in the swap to see it. ;0)

Embossing 101

There have been alot of questions about embossing techniques so I thought I would take some time to explain some of them to you in pictures so it will be easier to understand.

There are many embossing products and colors on the market and it was so hard for me to choose so I bought them all! Well, maybe not all of them but I am pretty close! This is my collection of glittery embossing powders. Aren't they puuuuuurdy? The glittery powders add that special touch to fairy wings to make them sparkly arkly.

These are the non-sparkly embossing powders. They also come in some pretty colors including gold and silver. I should tell you I got all of these at JoAnns but you can find them at most craft stores.

These smaller tubes of embossing powders come in a package of 12 pastel or bold colors. Judging by the amounts in some of the tubes you can tell that I use these alot. I have heard from some that they don't really care for these types but I have not had a problem with them.

And then there are the clear or transparent embossing powders. The clear can be use in any number of ways all with a different effect. After I go through the rest of my embossing arsenal, I will show you a couple of examples.

I recommend the VersaMark or Top Boss embossing pads. They seem to be working the best for me but you may have tried something that works better for you and that is fine. I don't think there is much difference in what the embossing pads can do. There are also these really cool things called embossing pens and an Embossing Buddy that I will go into further down the list.

One very important tool for embossing is some kind of handle to hold your card so you don't burn your fingers with the heat gun. I use a pair of tweezers or a jewelry tool with a flat edge. When you are using your heat gun, turn the heat gun on and let it run for a few seconds so it can heat up before applying it to your embossed image. This will prevent alot of the embossing powder from blowing off before it can be melted. After your heat gun is hot, hold it about 8-10 inches away from the image and slowly bring it closer, moving the heat gun side to side so you don't melt your embossing powder too much where it will absorb into the paper. As soon as you see it turn shiny, move the heat gun away from the area that has melted and wait for it too cool off before touching it. The hot embossing powder will stick to your skin and burn if you touch it too soon.

So here is the first demo. This is a dark colored card that I have stamped with the embossing pad. I am dipping the stamp in the clear embossing powder.

As the heat gun melts the clear embossing powder, the image will appear darker but in the same color as the card that it is stamped on.

I have also done this on an orange card so you can see two different outcomes with the clear powder.

This next demo is using a colored ink pad and the clear embossing powder. The best ink to use for this technique is a pigment ink because it takes longer to dry. I would recommend dipping the ink in the embossing powder as quickly as possible so more of the powder will stick to the image.

As the clear embossing powder melts, it becomes the color of the ink pad.

This little item is great for your embossing powders because it makes it easy to pour the powder back into the bottle. I believe this tray is used for jewelry making so you will probably find it in the jewelry section of the craft store. A thick paint brush helps to get all of the grains of the powder into the bottle.

And then we have the embossing pens. These work great when you have missed a spot and you can fill it in with the fine tip or the thicker tip of the pen. They also work great if you want to write and emboss.

This is a total 'must have' when embossing. It is called the Embossing Buddy. I got mine at Stampin Up! but I have seen them around at craft stores. An alternative to use is a used dryer sheet but I still insist that the Embossing Buddy works best.

It looks like a rosin bag for bowling or baseball and the powder inside keeps the embossing powder from being distributed on the card where you don't want it to be. Just swipe it across the paper and apply your image dipped in the embossing pad.

I apologize for the blurry image but I tried to get close to the card so you can see the difference in the cards. The card on the left I used the Embossing Buddy on and the card on the right I did not. You can see some of the red embossing powder residue left on the card on the right.

If you do get some of the embossing powder on your card where you don't want it, I small paint brush will help to brush it off before you heat it.

Someone had asked me once why my embossing lines come out so smooth and the key is to use embossing for thin lines rather than a large area. Again I apologize for the blurry picture but you can see that at large concentrated area that is embossed will look like it has bubbles or pot marks because the embossing powder doesn't melt evenly.

These are a few of the basic techniques for embossing. I hope they were helpful. I will be demonstrating more in the future but these should be good to get you started. I hope you come back soon and check out more crafting techniques.