Map it all out....

 Hi folks... this project was not what I had planned for this day's post. . . but sometimes on the road, you take a wrong turn that leads you to the right place!

This week has been a bit crazy with lots to do, so this is the project that my friend Karen and I will be teaching this Friday at our Art Journaling class. And, as is typical with me... I cannot even finish this. As I was working on the sample, a lady called and wanted to sign she and her her daughter up. Well, we were all full and all the kits were made...of course, after we started talking and I listened to her pour her heart out to me... I made room. By giving up my kit! So, the finished piece will probably not look anything list this one. Hahaha. We shall see!

 So, the project began by selecting some cover paper and a few maps. Originally, I was going to cover the entire cover with the map and then, as is Lindsay style... i eneded up covering with the solid cardstock and added the map to the inside cover and back cover.

So, depending on what size you make your inside pages ( mine was 8x5 because that was the side of the scraps that I used ) you will make your chipboard cover and back cover just an inch bigger - that gives you a half inch on each side. That lets your pages flop around nicely when you secure it with the "O" rings.

Next thing you need to do is to get a tape runner and glue down the outside cover paper to the chipboard. Make sure you center it as best as you can.

Here's the tricky part. If you have made a book before, you know about mitering the corners. So get a scissors and eyeball it to cut the corners off. All four. And don't cut super close to the edge of the chipboard. You will end up with a gap - which you can fix with the little corner that you snipped off... but you will do fine, i know you will.

 Next step is to fold all your edges in and using a strong double sided tape or liquid adhesive ( like zip dry )... fold those edges in and glue them down.

Before you can finish your front and back cover, you need to add a piece to the inside cover to cover up all the sides that you folded in. Here's where i decided to use my map... surprise.

Next punch your holes. If you don't own a crop-o-dile, you are gonna want one. I can punch through about 10 sheets at a time - like butter!  Don't forget to punch your holes in the cover and the back cover as well.

I wanted a fancy look so in between each page, i cut a smaller page from sheets of deli paper. You know what this is right? It's what your sandwiches are wrapped in at a sandwich store. I get mine at a resturaunt supply store - 1000 sheets for like $10. Anyway, i cut those about a half inch all the way around smaller. Punch it all and add them to the book.

When you have punched all your holes, you can now add in the rings. I start loading my books from the back to the front. It just seems easier to me. So, put the rings in the back cover and leaving them open... start adding in pages. You can always add in other goodies with the rings... that's why I like them ,i think!

Here is where your fun luggage labels come into play. So, i printed them out and then reduced the original on a copy machine at 75% so they were much smaller for this project. And I ended up using all of them once I cut them out. Some on the front, some on the back.

So, like I said... this project will not have a finished photo for now. It won't get done because I have to take the whole think apart and re kit it all up for a student to have. But you get the idea.  And I promise that I will post mine when I finish it... hahaha. You add the labels and a place for a title to the front of the book. I also like to add in some ribbons and fibers to the rings. You can finish it and make it your own. Personalize it and keep it with you all summer to have a sweet little travel book - weather you travel or not. It will be fun to journal in... make up a trip. Maybe use it for your bucket list. I have no idea yet what I will use mine for.

So.... I hope you take a moment to create one of these sweet little books!

Don't forget to leave me a comment, follow me on instagram ( lindsayannostrom )and have a great day. TOMORROW is my big Documented Life day... so please don't miss this post! It will be a good one.