At this very moment, I'm sitting in the North-East outer most corner of an outside deck off the back of a local Caribou Coffee, one of Minnesota's popular, iconic coffee shops. It's a gorgeous seventy degrees. The sun is facing me, there's a multi-tiered water fountain and pond to my left, and a guilt-ridden dark chocolate mocha to my right. It's pure heaven, if you ignore the traffic out front. Laugh. Can't be entirely perfect, right? Still, I marked it down as a "Happy" moment. I could live here, if just for a little while...though I might end up needing more coffee at some point. Laugh.
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The Summer Tutorial is officially in session! The first task at hand is to construct a vintage-inspired bulletin board. This will serve as your drop-off place for all them happy moments you'll soon be writing about and creating cards from. The frame should be of a substantial size, but not so large that it's impossible to fill-up in three months. Be realistic. How much of the project are you really going to get done this Summer? I set my goal at one to two happiness cards a week, but I know that there will be a few weeks in there where I won't get much done. That's just life. My frame sizes in at 3' x 2', possibly a little smaller. I purchased it "open", meaning it didn't come with glass, or a backing. You can go with either, one with glass, or, one without. It's entirely up to you. Though, I recommend reading my full set of instructions before deciding on a frame.
Preparing the materials to back your frame isn't difficult. Gather the patterned paper, mat board and spray adhesive, and head outside. Also, an old sheet/newspaper might be of use to you as well. Set your board and paper next to each other on the ground and on top a protective surface. The paper's backside should be facing up. Apply an even coat of spray adhesive to the backside of the paper. Transfer the paper to your mat board. When positioning the paper, start from the bottom and then work your way up. This helps to avoid trapped air bubbles beneath your paper. Gently spread your hands across the paper to make sure the it is well adhered in all places, and is flat.
This is the tricky part, so pay attention. Place the frame on top the paper/mat. Note the area within the opening of the frame because it'll soon be the background of your project. Using a pencil, trace around the outside of the frame, and along the inside opening. Remove the frame from the paper.
More than likely, the patterned paper/mat is larger than the frame. In order to fit it appropriately behind the frame, you'll want to downsize it. Referencing the traced "outside" marking, trim a 1/2" or more from inside that line and all the way around. Compare the trimmed paper/mat to the back of the frame. The paper/mat should be slightly smaller and have enough room for the addition of staples. If it's too big, keep trimming until it's of the right size.
As you can see with mine, the edges aren't "perfect", but I'm ok with that. You won't see them, anyway.
Once the paper/mat is well suited for the frame, the next step is to attach and hang five or six lengths of medium weight ribbon {Paper Source}. Four yards of ribbon is more than enough to get the job done. Select and purchase a matching ribbon from a favorite retail craft source. If opting for a vintage feel, distress the ribbon with a Ranger Distress Ink Pad {walnut} by rubbing it directly over the length of the ribbon. Apply another layer of ink via sponge. Press the sponge onto the pad and drag it along the ribbon.
Trim five sections of ribbon to fit across the opening of the frame. Before attaching them, 'cause more than likely, you're excited to see it all come together, lay the ribbon pieces down in their exact location. Make sure they're spaced evenly and are of the right distance from the top and bottom edge of the background. Go ahead and staple them as I've done above.
*Allow the ribbon to drape slightly...unless you'd rather the cards line-up perfectly. I prefer the draped look.
Personally, this was the toughest step of the entire frame construction process, so give yourself some slack and don't expect perfection. Very, very carefully, using the interior traced markings as a guide, lay the frame on top the paper/mat. With a gentle hand, and while holding the paper/mat in position, turn the two items over. Hopefully, you're paper/mat didn't move too much, but if it did, start over.
The back of the frame & paper should face you. Take a large staple gun, and insert staples into the edges of the paper/mat. Unfortunately, my chosen frame was as hard as a rock! It wouldn't allow me to go the way of small nails, either. So, I did the best I could and went with staples. I had to hammer some of them in.
*You've the option to use the frame in the traditional sense. Trim your paper/mat to size so that it sits within the opening of the back of the frame. Skip the glass and use the backing as a means of holding the paper/map in position.
This is the final product! All that's left is to find a location to hang it up! :)
I recommend that you hang the finished frame as soon as possible. It'll give you that extra incentive to start working on your cards. Plus, visual motivation is powerful. If something is right in front of us, we're more likely to notice it. I think that's one of the pitfalls of traditional scrapbooking. Think of how easy it is to ignore photos when they're put away in a box some where, or hiding in an album. If your frame is sitting on a table, or on the floor, you won't see it, therefore, you won't use it. Hang it up!! Don't postpone the benefits of this experience by ignoring the project's central platform. Put it on your priority list of things to do, and then, move on.
Clips are essential. Choose either a variety, or just one kind of clip for hanging up your cards and other "happiness" reminders. I plan to stick with just one type of hanging device, though there's a high probability this won't last! Laugh. I purchased a cheap bag of wooden clips from the local craft store a couple weeks ago. I'm going to "age" them in a cup of concentrated black tea so that they look slightly aged.
One more item I'd like to discuss before leaving you today are the endless options available for the creation of your happiness cards. We already know that there are infinite embellishments to work with, but what about card-base materials ? For the sake of convenience, take out a bowl and gather together "base" varieties for building off of when sitting down to craft your happiness experiences. I've put together a couple of samples you might enjoy using...
If you're lucky enough to have an antique store in the area, or are a frequenter of flea markets, then vintage paper items like these might be fun. They're not mandatory by any means, especially if "vintage" isn't your thing. As you'll soon find out, there are still ample choices available.
I'm a big fan of Paper Source. They provide an endless pre-cut paper assortment to choose from, and the costs are usually, pretty reasonable. There's the office supply store, as well. Manila tags are all the rage these days. Specialty labels/gift tags are a regular in the gift wrap section at Target, Hallmark, Boutiques, etc. If you find one you like, buy it!
Every manufacture has their own unique set of journaling cards. Some of my favorites include October Afternoon, Elle's Studio, Crate Paper {of course!}, Studio Calico, and Jenni Bowlin. Also, with the popularity of daily scrapbook methods growing by leaps and bounds, you certainly won't have a problem running into cool digital journaling graphics, too! Pinterest is a great resource for locating them, as are digital scrapbook stores.
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Wow, that was a lot of material to cover! Phew! All that's left is to run out and find a really cute journal for documenting your weekly "Happy Moments". I'll continue the tutorial next week, after completing my first card! Yeah! Regular blog posts will continue, in-between. Please help spread the word about the tutorial to those that might enjoy it, or anyone who's in the market for new technique ideas! Should be tons of fun!!
