Feeling Blue Recycled Board Book

For today's post I am showing you something I created during a weekend crafting retreat back in November.  The idea was to alter Children's board books which had been purchased from Charity shops prior to the weekend and this was the first project I made using a small size book.  As you will notice I haven't completed the project yet and still need to add photos and journaling.  Of course, I've forgotten to take a before photo.  Anyway I am going to submit this to the following January challenges:
Happy Daze 'Recycled'.
Tando-Creative 'Feeling Blue'.

I started by removing the glossy top coat on each page and the outside to leave the rough paper surface.  Next for the inside of my book I cut some printed text paper to size and coloured using Tim Holtz faded jeans distress ink and then spritzed with Dylusions London blue spray ink.  Once dry I stamped a few of my favourite background stamps in black ink, these are PaperArtsy mini 56 (cup rings), mini 57 (ink splats), mini 60 (cogs) plus Prima brick wall, Kaisercraft bubble wrap and a key which I was given as a gift. I added touches of Sakura white pen to highlight the images and added hand drawn lines in white and black pen around the edge of the pages. I adhered the paper to the book using Claudine Hellmuth multi-medium and once dry I covered the pages with the same to seal and give a matte look. For the outside of the book I covered it using denim. Now I had a little help from the tutor, Moira for this as I am not an accomplished seamstress although I wish I was.  We cut the piece of denim to size and backed it to a piece of bondaweb then using the sewing machine I went round the edge with black thread to stop the edges from fraying.  I added two strips of blue material down the piece using the same zig-zag stitch.  For my main embellishment I coloured some pelmet vilene with the Dylusions ink spray, stamped a script in black ink and then spritzed with Tattered Angels marshmallow glimmer mist.  Once dry I ran the piece through my Big Shot using the Tim Holtz tattered florals die and attached it to my book cover using a silver brad.  Once ready I adhered it to my board book using the Claudine Hellmuth multi-medium again but adding a book mark and ties from the same material as the strip on the front before sticking it down.  Finally I attached a silver crown charm to the book mark material strip to finish.

Thanks for looking!
Tracey x