Happy Birthday to Topflight Stamps Blog Hop

It is Topflight Stamps 2nd birthday!  To celebrate, we’ve teamed up with up some of our favorite crafters to bring you a blog hop showcasing some of the fabulous products available from Topflight Stamps. Please hop along with us all and show all of the crafters some love!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a birthday celebration without prizes!  Topflight Stamps is giving one lucky winner a $50 Gift Certificate, and each stop on the hop has an additional $15 Gift Certificate up for grabs.  To be in with a chance to win, make sure to visit every stop on the hop and leave a comment by April 8th. 

Winners will be announced on the Topflight Stamps blog on April 9th.  Good Luck!

Here is my project I created for the hop. It's a mermaid traveler's journal! (Made with Eileen Hull's Journal Die from Sizzix.) Scroll way down past the supply list for the tutorial if you want to see how it all came together and what's inside. ;-)

front of journal

back of journal

Here's the hop list! Be sure to visit everyone in the line up for a chance to win the prizes.

Topflight Stamps Blog 

Sandy Allnock 

Jenny Colacicco 

Justine Hovey 

Toni M Maddox  

Kelly Martin 

Annette Allen

Kymona Tracey 

Ashlea Cornell

Josefine Fouarge

You are here --> Lisa Hoel 

Laurel Beard 

Ericka Strange 

Ingrid Blackburn

Dana Joy

Amy Tsuruta  

Lindsay Weirich

The discount will be 20% off all orders over $20 through the end of the month Sunday 31 March. Use the code SAVE20 when checking out.

Topflight Stamps Products:
Carabelle stamps - Mermaid With Bubbles, Sketch A Mermaid, Zinouk of the Ocean, Coral and Shells
Paper Artsy Stamp Set - ETS24 by Tracy Scott
Lavinia Stamps - Alana Mermaid, Sea Creatures, Seaweed 2
Paper Artsy Fresco Chalk Paint - Snowflake

Other:

Eileen Hull Sizzix Travel Journal Die ( Sizzix / SB )
Ranger Archival Ink - Jet Black, Library Green, Forget-me-not, Plum Hydrangea, Bright Tangelo
gesso
Sizzix Matboard
watercolors
elastic
eyelets
pre-made traveler's notebook insert

Scrapbook.com and Sizzix links in this post are affiliate links which do not affect the price you pay but allow me to earn a small percentage of a sale. Thanks! (My husband also thanks you!)

Want to see more of my work? Follow me on Instagram @creativejuicefreshsqueezed.

TUTORIAL!!!!

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Step 1 - I cut the journal covers out of matboard and gave them a coat of gesso to add some texture. When dry, I stamped the main mermaid image and then added watercolors around it.

Step 2 - I unevenly applied white acrylic paint (Fresco Chalk Paint) over the water colored areas. I used a brush and my fingers. It knocks back the color and gives it an interesting smeared appearance.

I did the same thing on the inside of the covers using yellow and orange watercolors with the white paint over it.

The left side is just watercolored & the right side has the white paint applied.

Step 3 – I stamped the covers using archival inks. Once I was done stamping outside and inside, I cut off the center edges of the spine (to make a single signature journal) and then glued them together.

The front:

I used more watercolors to color the mermaid. I also covered a ready made insert with some patterned paper I had in my stash.

Step 4 - The binding is really easy. It's just a piece of elastic threaded through the holes in the spine and tied tight. The insert slips right underneath.

Step 5 – I added an elastic strap to help keep it closed. I just punched two holes in the corners of the back corner and added eyelets. The elastic then just wraps around the front cover and holds it nicely shut.

Thanks for stopping by!! Have fun hopping!!!