Make Beautiful Memories – A Little Book of Positivity

Here’s the little chipboard album I will be using for my book.

I taped each pair of half hearts together to make full hearts using masking tape.

Then I taped each pair of hearts to each other using the same method.

Here’s how it looks now.

Before we go any further, take the covers and mark out a piece of watercolour paper to fit the covers since I’ll be using it as the outside cover.

Give all the sides that are going to be decorated/seen a coat of gesso.

Next step is to look through my stash and find some papers to use for collaging the pages. I keep mine in a big basket so I can see them and remember to use them. I end up using them more than when I kept them in a box or a drawer. Out of sight out of mind, right?

I thought I would try and make each page a different colour, almost a rainbow, starting with yellow.

Then this orange page using more gift wrap and some gelli prints this time.

In all my excitement I forgot to take a photo of the red page but I did take one of the red papers !

Oh look, there’s a little peek of the red page.

The green page has gift wrap, washi tape and book page. I decided to add that book paper to all pages.

The blue page is more wrapping paper including this little blue cat that I had to add.

Time to work on the back covers using purple papers.

The reverse side of the blue page and the yellow page (back and front of book) are also decorated with purple.

Now all the pages are done, time to make the outside cover. I did think about making a combination of all the colours of all the pages.

To make it easier for paper placement, measure up the heart covers again and cut the watercolour paper to a heart shape that allows for a spine in the middle for the page stack to go.

Collage the papers on the watercolour paper in the same way as the pages.

Add a little gesso to blend them all together in the same way as the pages.

Same process for the inside back cover.

Tape the last page to the inside back cover using washi tape.

Attach the first page to the inside front cover in the same way as the back cover.

Before attaching the book to the watercolour cover, make sure the centre is marked and also the width of the page block.

Some final checks before gluing everything together. Put the page block inside the outside cover and ensure there is a gap like this to allow the book to open flat.

Match up the back cover with the page block and glue in place, using something heavy to hold it in place. Then repeat with the front cover, making sure to line it up with the lines drawn earlier.

Using some fluid acrylic rub some paint around the edges.

Do the same on the outside of the book too.

Final touches – adding stamping and words to each page.

Adding something inspirational and positive.

Something to inspire you daily.

Find joy in the ordinary.

Shine like the whole universe is yours.

Great things take time.

When nothing is sure, everything is possible.

Here’s the outside cover when the book is opened flat.

The book when it’s closed.