Make Your Own Diary

Cut mountboard using the Journal die to create one front cover and one back cover. Align the holes and adhere using a wet glue and allow to dry.

Place the PaperArtsy stencil on the front cover and apply Grunge Paste through it using a palette knife. Apply randomly to create texture to the design and repeat the process all over the front and back covers.

Paint the covers inside and outside with Worn Lipstick paint, whilst still wet apply a light coat of Picked Raspberry, blending the paint. Paint the covers one at time. Add dimension outlining the design with Picked Raspberry using a waterbrush. Spritz with water and blend.

Once dry, sand the Grunge Paste creating white highlights to the design. Wipe away any dust from the sanding process with a piece of kitchen towel. Flick the Picked Raspberry paint onto the front using a wet paintbrush. Dry the paint with a heat tool.

Apply Tim Holtz stencil and apply white acrylic paint directly over the stencil using Cut-N-Dry foam. Place the stencil paint side down onto the covers of the journal and dab the back of the stencil with a piece of kitchen towel, to ensure good contact. Repeat on both covers.

Create the internal pages to measure 8x41/4” when folded in half. Decorate a few pages with stencilled images using Worn Lipstick and Picked Raspberry Distress Paint. Dry with a heat tool. Add a few drops of Tonic Crystal Drops.

Cut a long length of elastic and thread the elastic through the holes created when you die-cut the cover panels.

The journal can be created in two widths by adjusting where you adhere the covers – we show the large example here. Ensure the elastic is not too loose during the threading process.

As you thread the elastic through the holes, remember to pull on the elastic slightly so that it is taut and not too loose and that it holds the pages securely.

Thread the elastic back through the holes back through to the inside of the covers.

Tie the elastic securely on the inside of the Journal. To add a wrap around, simply fold a length of elastic in half, thread the two ends through the centre hole of the Journal and then tie a knot on the inside.

The piece of elastic added in Step 11 will hold the Journal together when wrapped around the covers and keep everything in place when not in use. Add a Small Talk Sticker to the front cover to complete the design.