Fun Journal Cover

Hello everyone, thanks for stopping by today and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas

For my DT inspiration this month I'd like to share a journal cover. I first did this in a workshop with Tracy and I've made a few since, they're such fun and a great way to use up scraps

You can use any journal or notebook, even make your own with sheets of paper. You need a piece of fabric which is about 2 inches wider than your book when it's opened flat and about 1 inch longer - this isn't exact so you don't need to worry about careful measuring. I buy plain calico which is very cheap and widely available. Dye the fabric with ink, there are a few ways to do it, I used spray bottles which are quick and easy - most of the front will be covered anyway. Then you need to open out your book and fold the edges of the fabric in on the front and back covers securing with a stitch top and bottom. This holds the cover in place but also enables you to easily remove the book

Now to decorate it. I stamped Little Me from the Little Me and Raggedy's stamp set onto a piece of fabric and painted her with acrylic paint. I frayed around the edges for a bit of interest

 These are the scraps I had to hand, bits of hessian, lace, tulle, tissue. I stamped a piece of paper with the Magic in Your Soul text stamp  and some sentiments/tiny images on fabric offcuts which I also dyed

You simply layer them all together with the image piece on the top. Glue as you go and add stitches to secure (removing the book from the cover makes this stage easier). I changed my mind about the ribbon and used some buttons instead

This is the original book that I made in Tracy's workshop 

I hope you'll give it a go, this really is a fun project!

All the stamps I used can be found in Tracy's Etsy store and don't forget to check out our friendly Facebook Group for lots of ideas and inspiration