The binder I'll keep my July AJJ pages in

I have my friend Kathy to thank for this three ring binder.  She brought it to me recently filled with magazine images, techniques, and tutorials she had torn from various altered art magazines, including Somerset, Art Doll Quarterly, Belle Armoire Jewelry, and Altered Art.  Many of the techniques I had already tried, although some I had no supplies for, or no interest in trying.  So, I passed them on to my neighbor who lives across the street.

I was thrilled to be able to alter this binder cover, though.  You'll note one side is sort of my style and one side is what I would call "cutesy."  Regardless, it is definitely appropriate for Art Journal Journey, where I'll be keeping the Summertime Love pages Bleubeard and I created this month.

I created this side specifically with Try it on Tuesday's Let it Shine theme in mind.

Nothing shines better than a lighthouse when the sky is dark and the sea is dangerous.

And sunshine definitely shines.

Here I've captured both.

Then there's my incredibly handsome co-host at Art Journal Journey. 

He is the light of MY life, and my love for him shines brighter than the glittery paper I used for the background.

Even the two gold hearts shine.  Of course, since I live in "Tornado Alley," when I found a photo showing a tornado, I had to cut it out and add it to this shiny tag.

Next, it was time to alter the spine.   I forgot to take a photo of this before I inserted it into the specified slot, so it's really shiny, but only because of the plastic covering.

I used the same papers on the "2017" tags that I did backing the lighthouse (can be partially seen on the right).  I wanted a way to be able to tie this in to Bleubeard's and my month of hosting Art Journal Journey, so I created a smaller heart than the one I used for the front page at AJJ.  It was only after I had it in place, I realized it clashed horribly with the red and blue I used for the date.  I'm hoping no one else will be as critical of the color faux pas.

Next, I inserted the front into the binder cover.  The plastic covering plays havoc with the lighting.

The spine was already inside the protective cover.  You really can't tell the blue is corrugated cardboard, which made it difficult to write on.

That heart still looks garish to me!

I didn't have enough of the glittery paper to add it to the spine, so I chose another color.

The back page I created for the binder is not me at all.  One nice thing is if I find a better back cover, I can punch holes in this one, since it's the same size as most of the other pages (8.5 X 11 inches).  However, two years ago, I bought a ton of 3-D stickers for a single sticker.   Then I had all these left over with nothing to use them on.

In my stash of gifted images, I found the three colored die cuts I used on this spread.  In fact, there were two of each of these (as some of you saw in the ARTifacts post from two days ago), and I have many more, too, including another "Summer Fun" sun I used on the front.

I wasn't sure how well the dimensional images would slip into the binder, but I was going to find out soon enough.

Here are a few detail shots of the images, both flat and dimensional.

From this angle, you can definitely tell which are dimensional and which three are not.

Luckily, the  dimensional images went into the protective portion of the binder with no trouble.

Here is the completed binder.

But now it was time to fill it.

When I created the Summer of Love page, my good friend Cindy worried that it wouldn't fit in the journal.  I didn't mention anything to her because I already knew I was going to use this A 3-ring binder to hold my Summertime Love entries.

Unfortunately, I haven't been especially careful storing them until I could add them to the altered binder.  Several of them have curled or bent due to my inattention to protecting them.

This view is from the top, and you might be able to see I've placed Summer of Love first, and my favorite spread of all, the Bleubeard County Fair, second.  It may not have been my best spread by any means, but it was my favorite!

Today I'm sharing this entry with both Try it on Tuesday's Let it Shine,







and Bleubeard's and my Summertime Love at Art Journal Journey.  Thank you beyond belief for your continued support of my art.  It means the world to me.  Bleubeard is just happy you dropped by.