Journals of Love by Chris

As many of you know I donate journals to the local cancer center a la Shirley N’s Journals of Love in CA. These three are my latest and use some of my all time favorite tools—Scor Pal, Scor Tape, SCAL, Distress Ink, Alcohol Ink, and Tim Holtz’s Alterations Hardware Fastenings. (While this item isn’t currently in the store, I’m sure Kim would be willing to track it down for you.)


All the composition books use 1 1/2" Scor Tape to adhere the cardstock. I’ve found it works so much better than the aerosol adhesive I was using. After gluing on the papers (both inside and out), I’ve sanded the edges and then inked with Distress Inks. The green and pick floral is edged with Tattered Rose, the black and silver with Black Soot, and the blue ‘Health” one with Faded Jeans. Then using my Scor Pal, I created a pocket for the back page by cutting an 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper in half and scoring it around three sides at .5, .75 and 1 inch. I folded those creases in and again used Scor Tape—this time the 1/8-inch size to attach. Taking a circle punch I clipped out a partial circle to make it easier to grab papers or notes stored inside. The smaller pocket inside the front cover was cut using my SCAL and was then scored and taped in place. I usually add a small note card explaining how the journals came about and that it is a gift from me to the recipient.


Going back to my cover I used the Alterations die and grunge paper to cut out the fastener, which I colored with Tim’s Alcohol Ink Agate on Grunge. I applied Stream, Cloudy Blue, Shell Pink, and Pearl Mixative as well as the Blender with the Ink Applicator and felt pads. These colors closely matched the ribbon scrap I adhered—with Scor Tape—along the edge. Then I turned to my SCAL and traced a Kanji character that means health. I cut it four layers of a cereal box, glued them together and then embossed using the Clear Distress Ink Pad and Silver Super Fine Embossing Powder. Using some old plastic letters I had in my stash, I embossed them and glued both the letters and the symbol down with Glossy Accents.