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We might just as well admit it - we're all hoarders...! ;)
No piece of ephemera or paper is useless.
Are you one of us? :)
Today we present a gorgeous piece by France in which she put some leftovers to beautiful use...

I love to make journals. Out of good watercolor paper and some 2 mm. cardboard for the covers, using Coptic binding to finish it off.

But, let’s face it: the watercolor paper never has the exact size needed, so I always end up with those leftover strips of high quality watercolor paper. I just can’t get it over my heart to throw those away. And that’s a good thing, because they make wonderful little mini books!

This one measures 4,2 x 9,2 cm as I simply folded the leftover strips in two without altering their size. I covered the cardboard with fiber paste and painted it with Green Moss, Mallard Green and Golden Monarch Silks. I added touches of black gesso and Vintage Photo Distress ink on the edges. The inside of the covers are finished off with Kraft cardstock.

 

To make the wooden frame work with the colorized cambric fabric and plaster strip, I lightly burned it with a torch. The nail is a real vintage rusted one, I adhered it with red metallic wire to the frame, then glued everything down with gel medium.

Coptic binding might seem very complicated, but once you have the hang of it, it’s pretty simple. Search the internet to find a tutorial that works for you, there are so many!

Now you know what to do with those left over paper strips. One more reason to hoard stuff… ;)))

Materials from Mixed Media Place: