Altered Photo Brag Book

Hello. I was in my local Big Lots store one day to buy some bargains that I needed and I found some photo brag books that I thought I could alter because the front and back covers were removable. I thought that I could give them as gifts to family with my daughter's photos in them, or to take to Stampin Up workshops with card samples in them; etc..... The other great thing about them too was that the covers that I removed had very vibrant colors on them, that could be used later on for the Faux Cloisonne` technique. I used the stamp set "Great Friend" from the current Stampin Up Mini catalog. Here is a photo of the altered front cover:

The base is So Saffron, and I made my own background paper out of it, by stamping the stem and leaf stamp from "Great Friend" in bleach, then on the card stock. Click on the photo to enlarge if you can't see it very well. Then, I cut a Top Note out of Night of Navy card stock. I also had cut one out of Whisper White, and all along the edge, there is a perforation approx 1/8" thick, so I cut all along that perforation, then mounted it onto the Navy Top Note. Next I stamped the stem and leaf along the bottom, stamping it two times each time I inked it up, which is how I got the lighter images. The two butterflies were stamped on Whisper White and cut out. I added some teeny tiny faux pearls for their bodies, and adhered them with some foam dimensionals. Then I stamped the friend sentiment by coloring only the word "friend" on the sentiment stamp (with SU marker) that comes with that stamp set.

Now, the back cover is kind of the opposite, I used Whisper White as the base, and stamped the leaf and butterflies randomly in So Saffron and Night of Navy ink. Here is a photo of that:

Here is a close-up photo of one of the butterflies from the front cover:

Last, but not least, I have to show you a photo of the gorgeous covers in all of the albums. I will be creating something with them in the near future with the Faux Cloisonne` technique.

Before I go, Please keep reading.......this is very important!!!!!!! I am sure you have heard me mention a friend of mine (who also has a blog - Understand Blue); Lydia Fiedler. Well, she is a huge animal lover like myself. She had the awesome opportunity to design a cat stamp for a charity. She has a link on her blog to where you can go to order one, and tell you about the charity. The link is on her side bar with the words "Buy a Stamp, Help a Cat". So, first click on her blog link above in the parenthesis, then click on her side bar link, then buy her too cute black kitty stamp. DO IT! NOW! Yes, I am being pushy, go with it!

I can't wait until I get mine in the mail, and I will be sure to post at least one creation with it! Lydia, has said that she will be posting creations made with it as well, as soon as her stamp arrives too. Ok, I am done. I am off to browse my favorite blogs and then go to bed. Have a great Wednesday!

Blessings, Lisa