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Boys of Summer Art Book
by Cindy RolandStamping Deck Cruise Director
Greetings to all you readers out there in Cyberland! Another month has come and gone and we are definitely into the autumn season. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am. The colors of the trees and the crisp clear nights are just what the doctor ordered after the long, hot summer we had. Autumn is and always will be my favorite month.
We are in Kenya this month. I have always wanted to go on a photo safari; the animals of the African continent are the most beautiful and exotic in the world. Kenya has some of the finest conservation programs to save these magnificent animals from total extinction as so many of them are extremely endangered.
I also would love to see the native tribes' beautiful art. Africans use the boldest and most exciting colors and patterns. When I see these bright colors and strong patterns, it stirs my senses and makes me want to grab my art supplies and try to re-create that magic. African-influenced art is on the list of my most favorite things, so I will be sure to keep my eye out for some to bring back with me.
Before we go out on our sightseeing excursion, I would like to share with you what I have been up to this month. I will fix us a cup of java, or tea if you prefer, and we can sit for a spell. Oh, by the way, some of the best coffee in the world is grown right here in Kenya. If you want to treat yourself, try some Kenya A coffee beans, fresh ground. It will be the best cup of coffee you'll ever taste.
Instead of doing five different projects this month, I decided to do something a little different. I enjoy doing all sorts of art. Altered art is right up there on top, although I don't share too much with you. This happens to be the month the World Series is on many of our TVs and radios. When I was a kid, I loved to play baseball and go to baseball games to watch other people play. My dad was a big baseball fan and I remember many a lazy summer weekend of hanging out on the front porch with my dad and listening to the ball game on the radio while he read his newspaper and worked the crossword and I would draw and color. Those are memories that I hold near and dear to me and always will.
Alas, I grew up and found other interests and activities to occupy my time. Football became my game of choice; with it's fast action and high energy announcers shouting the gridiron action, it had replaced the kinder, gentler sport where the announcer gave a rundown of the score and all the events on the diamond in a calm and casual tone of voice. Still, if the opportunity arose that I could spend some time on the porch with my dad and the baseball game, I would sure try to make it happen. He passed away last summer and one of the last things we did together was watch a ball game together on the TV in the hospital.
I have found that the older I get the more I appreciate the steady and constant passion of this All-American game. This book is dedicated to my father and to all you baseball enthusiasts out there that truly know the meaning of the sound of someone calling to you, "Play Ball!" I just hope you enjoy looking at this half as much as I enjoyed making it. It was truly a labor of love.
The "Boys of Summer" altered book board is not really anything for which I can give you a set of instructions to copy. This is a piece of me that I have put into a board book. Altered books are personal, you either "get it" or you don't. If you have considered making one and just don't know how to start out, I will try to give you the basics and point out some tips as to how to organize your materials and how to age and distress items that you want to appear vintage. The one thing that I cannot provide, you must provide that yourself, is the passion. The number one ingredient in turning out one of these books is not talent but the pure out and out passion to want to do it. Pick a subject that is near and dear to your heart. Start looking around for pictures, papers and embellishments that would work to turn your passion into an art form.
My project started out with a child's board book that I purchased at the local dollar store. This one happened to be a seven inch square book with rounded corners and ten inner pages, the perfect size for my project. For your first book you may want to find a book that is not as large in size and with fewer pages. These pages are usually a glossy coated paper so the next step is to sand the pages, to give the paper some tooth for paints, inks and glues to adhere. A medium fine sandpaper was used on the pages, just enough to take the gloss off the paper. The next step is to reinforce the bindings, as these pages will need to withstand having the pages turned many times. A plain brown book binder's tape was used to reinforce every page by adding a strip of the tape between the pages. The spine was also reinforced with the tape.
Now that you have your book prepared, that is just the beginning. I had started many months ago collecting things for this particular book. These books take awhile to create, so be prepared to make the commitment. The more time you put into the book, the more appreciative you are of the work altered book artists put into these pieces. I had requested some excellent collage sheets of vintage baseball photos from Altered Pages; these were my inspiration for the initial idea. You can look for other sources also. There are clip art books out there of vintage photos and many websites dedicated to finding and cataloging these images.
I found some wonderful quote stickers and ephemera that would work with my project, as so many of the scrapbook companies are selling some wonderful reproductions of just about any subject you can think of. I also had papers and fibers that I had put aside. As I gathered what I thought might work I put it all together in a flat box and set it aside until I felt I was ready to start. Appropriate stamps and ink colors that I preferred to work with were selected and finally I was ready to start.
Use a glue stick and/or paper glue that is made especially for paper bonding. The board books will absorb moisture very easily so you do not want to add any extra moisture as it will make the boards warp. If you are in doubt, ask an AB artist which glues they prefer, they will be glad to tell you their favorites.
I started out by gluing all the papers I had selected onto the pages. Make a template of the board book page and trace this onto the backs of the decorative papers and cut them out. Use a craft knife to carefully trim any extra paper sticking out over the edges of the board. I used a brown ink and stained all of the edges of my book as well as using the ink on the paper itself. This is easier to do before you start gluing in items. On every page start by placing a picture or item as your focal point and then build around it adding tickets and embellishments until you are satisfied with what you have done. Then start to glue your collage to the page.
I inked and/or sanded everything on my pages as well as the pages themselves, to give them that vintage, well-worn look. It is not necessary to do, as this is a matter of preference. Do what makes you happy, it is your book and you make it look however it pleases your taste and style. Once you have completed your masterpiece, you may find other items in the future to add to it. If you made pockets or places to tuck things in, you may want to continue to add to it. Most of all have fun with it. Give it as a special gift to a loved one or keep in on a shelf or table for friends and family to pick up and look over. Most of all take your time and enjoy the process of creating it. This is something you can keep for a lifetime and pass down for future generations to enjoy.
Following is a list of basic supplies used for all of the pages:
- 7.5" square children's board book (Dollar General)
- All vintage baseball photo images, Boys of Summer and Vintage Sports collage sheets (Altered Pages)
- Stamps: (Tim Holtz), (Stampabilities), (Club Scrap), (Hampton Art Stamps) (Inkadinkado), (Stampers Anonymous), (EK Success), (Stampin' Up), (Hero Arts), (Making Memories), (Anita's Art Stamps)
- Papers: (Seven Gypsies), (Paper Loft), Tim Holtz line (Design Originals), (Karen Foster), (7 Gypsies), (Yellow Rose), (Club Scrap), (Pixie Press), (Daisy D's)
- Stickers: Nostolgiques (EK Success), (Karen Foster), Life's Journey (K & Company), Kelly Panacci (Sandy Lion), (Real Life), (Cloud Nine), (Making Memories), (Club Scrap), (Die Cuts With a View), (Creative Imaginations)
- Ribbons and fibers: (Fibers By The Yard)
- Ephemera: Tim Holtz Do Dads (Design Originals), Life's Journey (K & Company), (A La Carte Art Stamps), (Basic Gray), (Hearts In Touch), (Seven Gypsies), (Judi Foster), (Paperbilities)
- Antique Linen, Vintage Photo, Tea Dye, Peeled Paint Tim Holtz Distress inks (Ranger Crafts), Creamy Brown, Sienna Red, Chestnut Roan, Fluid chalk inks (Clear Snap), Black India Ink (Stewart Superior)
- Glues: Color stick glue (UHU), Nori paste (Yasutomo), double stick dry adhesive (3M)
- Paper cutters: Guillotine paper cutter (EK Success), paper cutter (Fiskars), scissors (Fiskars)
I hope that I have convinced you to try your hand altering your own book. Robin and Wendy have the most wonderful and instructive articles on how and what to do in their Altered Stateroom. They give great advice on choosing topics and selecting items to use on your pages, so do not forget to check out this month's article for some more altered artwork. Remember to look in the Archives for their past articles on altered books and art. You will be pleased, I promise you.
Well, another month has come and gone and I sure enjoyed our visit. I hope you have a great time visiting Kenya. Next month we head back across the ocean to the lovely country of Argentina. I hope you join us there. If you would like to ask any questions about my article or if you would just like to drop me a line, please feel free to do so. I love hearing from you!
Have a wonderful autumn!
Cindy Roland
cindyrolands@ssreflections.com
Stamping Deck Cruise Director
Reflections Publishing Group
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