Mermaid Wrapped Journal with Eileen Hull

Hello there! I'm finally getting my June project for Eileen Hull posted! =) Eileen has new branded products through Therm-o-web as well as Clearsnap inks and the Design Team is highlighting them this month. Therm-o-web was so generous and sent each of us a big box of goodies to use in our projects! It was like Christmas opening that box.

woo-hoo!!! Thanks Therm-o-web!

I tried to use as many of the products they sent as I could as well as Eileen's Blends 2 inks. I think you'll like the result. ;-) Read on for photos and tons of techniques!

I created a mermaid themed Wrapped Journal! (You know me and mermaids lol.)

I love the flap that closes the journal.

Back side.

The inside is lined with mermaid fabric.

I packed soooo many techniques into this little journal! Check them out:

1) I tried the Blends 2 inks on a Gel Press plate and I got some interesting results. The inks bead up a bit but it left an interesting mottled effect on the prints.

I dotted ink directly onto the plate and then blended with a brayer. I also lightly misted it with a bit of water after blending.

I printed one side of a piece of matboard. For the part of the board that doesn't fit on the Gel plate, I just pressed it against the still 'inked' open side of the plate. I also made more of these prints onto copy paper which I used in the covering of the signature notebooks (more on that later).

2) I covered the other side of the matboard with fabric. It is really easy to do using Eileen's new Easy Cut Adhesive. It's a double sided adhesive sheet. I applied it to the blank side, peeled off the backing paper from the second side and then smoothed on the rough cut piece of fabric.

This will be on the inside of the journal.

Because more bling is good bling, I misted the inside fabric with Glitter Dust for some added sparkle. Why not lol? Next, I cut out the journal cover with the Wrapped Journal Die and it cut easily through all the layers.

3) Decorating the cover came next! I dug into my box of Therm-o-web goodies and went to town. First I used a stencil (Mighty Wave) to apply foil Transfer Gel all over the cover. It dries but remains tacky. Then you just press the foil sheets over the top and burnish it to transfer the foil. It looks so beautiful!

Therm-o-web also sent an Adhesive Pen to use with the foil sheets. After applying the Aqua foil, I wanted to add some Lilac foil accents. I used the pen to draw in some wavy lines among the stenciled shapes. Once the fluid had dried to tacky, I pressed the Lilac foil sheet over and burnished to get it to transfer.

4) Adding the fun decorative bits:

Therm-o-web sent Flock Transfer Sheets in the box. I ended up die cutting shapes (foliage/coral) directly out of the sheets. I also covered a small piece of matboard with the blue sheet and used the Journal Die to cut the little label piece behind the mermaid. I also used a stencil and the Deco Foil Metallic Gel to the flap first. I really blinged this journal up!

5) 101 and 1 ways to use Blends 2:
Well here are three more ways at least. ;-) I used a blending sponge to apply a bit of the ink to the mermaids' tails…

…and you can use the ink like watercolors (that are permanent when dry).

I tried a technique I use with Distress Ink with the Blends and it worked perfectly:

I squeezed a few drops of ink onto my craft mat and spritzed with water. Then I smooshed the cardstock into the puddles of ink. I used these pieces to diecut 'coral' elements out of.

6) And another way to use Blends! I took the extra gel prints I had made and added streaks of color.

I added some very small dots of ink and scraped the edge of the Stencil Pal tool across the paper to streak the color. (A little ink goes a long way!)

Mini composition books from the Dollar Store fit perfectly!

I cut the papers to fit the mini composition books and added some stamping, then glued them onto the books.

Whew! You made it through this huge, long post! I hope you are inspired by the techniques and apply them to your own projects.

Check out Eileen's blog and if you are not already a member, join the Facebook Eileen Hull Fan Club group. It is a warm, supportive group with lots of inspiration and sharing going on. You'll just have to answer a few simple questions when asking to join (to keep out spammers) and then you'll be added. ;-)

Dies:
Eileen Hull Sizzix
Wrapped Journal ( Sizzix / SB )
Journal ( Sizzix / SB )

Other:

Eileen Hull Easy Cut Adhesive
Eileen Hull Clearsnap Blends 2 inks - Coconut, Beach , Bay, Leaf, Frog, Pansy, Melon, Wildberry, Nutmeg, Sunshine, Rose Gold
Sizzix matboard
stencil - Diana Wakely, Mighty Wave
stencil - Tim Holtz, Burst
Gel Press Plate
elastic
$1 Store mini composition books
mermaid fabric
Lavinia stamps - Sebastian, Seaweed 2, Sea Creatures, Forest Spruce, Guinevere Mermaid, Alana Mermaid

Therm O web products:
Deco Foil - Aqua, Lilac
Deco Foil Transfer Gel
Deco Foil Adhesive Pen
Glitter Dust
Deco Foil Metallic Gel - Champagne Mist
Stencil Pal
Ultra Bond Adhesive
Flock Transfer Sheets - Orange Glow, Blue Diamond

Store links in this post may be 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!)