One for the Books

I have a 1947  dictionary that I have used for several crafty purposes -  today  a couple of the pages became the basis for this card.

Let’s get started:-

Card Base:  5.5 x 8.5, scored and folded at 4.25

Border #1  dictionary page:  5.5 x 4.25

Border #2: black -  5.25 x 4

Card Face:  5 ⅛ x 3 7/8

Card Face:

• I tore a page out of the dictionary -  it happened to be the one that contained “read”, “readable” and “reading”  (ok -   I selected that page on purpose because of the stamp 😉).  I cut it down to a more manageable size but left it a bit larger than I needed so that I could trim it down in the end if I wanted to.

• I stamped the image on the right-hand side with Memento ink and coloured it with alcohol markers.

• I used a fine liner to go over the outlines of the books and create more definition.

• I added some shadow under the gal to ground her on the page.

• Just for fun, I used a highlighter to draw attention to the three keywords in the left-hand column.

Other:

• I experimented with a couple of different looks for the sentiment -  I tried stamping on a leftover piece of the dictionary page,  also on white cardstock.  Neither worked.  

• Next, I tried stamping on black cardstock and embossing with White Pearl powder.  I hadn’t used this on black cardstock in the past;it took on a pewter finish that seemed to work for this project.   I decided to go with this one, and I used a rectangular die to cut it out.

Assembly:

The paper typically used in old dictionaries is quite fine, and I knew that I had to treat this paper with care.

• Rather than risk liquid glue  I pressed the paper into a sheet of adhesive microdots and then centered it on the black border layer, pressing down to affix.

• I put a layer of self-adhesive dimensional foam on the back of this.

• I used a second page from the dictionary to cover the card base, cutting it down to size and using the same method to secure it.

• I decided to mimic the look of the black border I had created around the card face, so I took a ruler and black marker and drew on a very fine black border.

• I added liquid glue to the back of the foam on the card face layer and centered it on the border layer.

• I glued the sentiment in place.

• I added three small black gems to complete the card.

Final Thoughts

I wasn’t certain that I would be able to colour on this paper; it is so thin and delicate that I was afraid that the alcohol markers would simply bleed into the paper beyond the stamped image.   I tried allowing the ink to dry more often, and not using as much as I have for other images …. And in the end it seemed to work!

I’ve admired this technique online for a long time,  and finally ticked it off of my card-making bucket list!  

I’m pretty happy with the result  (maybe you can tell?  LOL)

Supplies: (and links where possible)

   I have listed which products I have used, and where they may be purchased. It's a huge marketplace and in most instances, there are multiple sources and many alternatives to choose from.

Stamps: Not the End of Your Story,  Unity Stamps

Waffle Flower Grip Mat, 8.5 x 6.5, Scrapbook.com

Versamark Embossing Ink: Simon Says Stamp

Embossing Powder: White Pearl, Wow, Simon Says Stamp

 Memento Ink: Stampin’ Up!

Alcohol Markers:

     Stampin’ Blends: Stampin’ Up!

     Copics:  Wallacks

Fine Liners: Amazon

Self-Adhesive Foam Layer: Amazon

Embellishments: Ebony Opal, Crafty Meraki

Stamp Positioner: Misti, Spellbinders

Microdot Adhesive: Thermoweb, Amazon

Adhesive: Tombow Aqua, Michaels

Card Base & Card Face: Accent 100 lb., Amazon