Friday, August 12, 2016

081216 CKC August Challenge #2


Our second CKC August challenge!



"Did you notice the gorgeously thick felt and the thick handmade paper in our inspiration kit? 
These are not usually items that we find in our everyday paper scrapbooking stash. 

So follow its lead and find something 
from outside your own scrapbooking stash to include on your project."

Of course, the Design Team get a bit of a preview of the challenges,
so I included some rather unorthodox items in my kit with this in mind:


I have been wanting to do a handmade mini-book about our retreat.
The inspiration kit had the makings of one using that felt & the binder hardware.
I toyed with the idea of using a quilted cover but wasn't particularly inspired.

I thought that the discarded leather purchased from a scrap bin would make 
a FAB cover foundation - I only wish I could have incorporated that
 lovely butterfly (which may yet make an appearance!)
It wasn't quite large enough so I sewed on a piece of wood veneer to finish the length.
The birch bark was a natural (pun intended) & the mossy ribbon is perfect for the binding.
And tiny mushrooms - I couldn't resist tucking them in!


The 4x4" page inserts made me anticipate a square book, but when you factor in
the hardware and the piece of the page that has the holes in it, it came out quite rectangular.
I decided to leave the inside of the cover as-is but tucked a feather into a knot.
The hardware fastener was flimsy so I stitched it on with hemp twine.

Our place is north of us in Gladwin which we've nicknamed "Glad".
I gave the wooden letters a camo treatment with walnut inks & mounted them on vellum.


 I added some kraft punched circles on the backside of the letters with Tim Holtz sentiments
& the date we closed on the property. Greg is standing in the driveway, which hasn't been
used in eleven years! Quite an ambitious undertaking...


When we viewed the property a small herd of deer appeared at the end of the road.
That was a real encouragement to us that we would be seeing lots of wildlife!
We bought sweet corn from an Amish family & fell in love with the birch forest.
I will add some journaling in those blank squares.


A visit by a beautiful butterfly (which we identified but can I find the info? no) was another
encouragement, but the real excitement was a pile of bear poop on a log over the trail!
A little too exciting, you say? Have never seen another sign of it since...
That log has been named "Bear Poop Log" & will appear on our hand drawn map.

A beautiful feather we found fits perfectly in the 4x4" pocket & looks good from either side.



The start of the next four-square starts with a piece of paper wasp nest.
I'm looking forward to continue to fill the pockets with tiny photos of our progress
in building our cabin & improving the trail. This has been a really fun project!

I hope that you included the option of a mini-book in your kit this month.

Pick up your kit & take on Challenge#2!
Make sure you post to the Linky.

Thanks for stopping by!

9 comments:

  1. Such a gorgeous mini book and those mushrooms are just too cute!

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  2. This is just so inventive and creative! I love all the "found" items and the rustic touches you've added to the story of your retreat. What a fun ongoing project and keepsake. (I hope the bear doesn't make a reappearance; my parents had one wander into their garage last week - my dad no longer forgets to close the garage door...)

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  3. This is a fabulous project! All these details are so meaningfull... Love the structure!

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  4. Beautiful! I love all of the touches from nature that you included. Such a great idea for a mini book!

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  5. This is totally amazing! I just love the texture and it's a gorgeous color! The mini album is really special and unique.

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  6. This is SO lovely!!! The texture of the front cover is to die for!!

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  7. So happy for you! A getaway in the woods! Many new stories in the near future, no doubt. The incorporation of natural items in your album is a delight for the senses. Smell of the leather, touch of the feathers. visual texture of the wasp nest. LOVE how you extended the cover. Ever so clever, you. It causes me to ponder how these special items are so everyday to me that I take them for granted. However in my neck of the woods you are more likely to see fox droppings. Bears are here but not many.

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  8. Such a cool project, you are so creative.

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  9. wow. just wow. I love the time, effort and thought you put into this tiny, adorable mini! I used bark to punch my own maple leaves once but using it on a mini book is even more ingenious! This is perfect in every way!

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