ut now...everything comes instantly over SM. Not that it's a bad thing, but there was certainly something to be said about getting a note or letter in the mail! I was among the last of the holdouts to be doing actual Christmas Cards by mail, I'm sure. I finally gave in and went full-tilt SM just a couple years ago. And it feels strange- almost as strange as when those first digital cameras made their way into our home and I ended up putting all my film cameras up on the shelf...joining my collection that includes a genuine Kodak from 1904.
eing a huge History buff with an equally enthusiastic family of such interest, we had the opportunity to travel to Washington DC and see all the sights- including most of the Smithsonian Institution and the then-brand new Newseum (and ran into many famous folks there also). But one of our stops happened to be the US Postal Museum. While we didn't have time to take the full tour there, it was an awesome place to see, and I highly recommend making a trip there on your BucketList !
've got page-by-page photos for you, and several closeups. I'll keep the 'chatter' to a minimum so you can look through all of them. You will notice that some of the pages are NOT so "Postal" and that is to help break up the monotony of just the same colors and allow the entire thing to look more 'vintage' and worn. I really hope you enjoy this project- it's been a full year since I began it, and I became addicted to making more pages as I went. It was just TOO fun to put down! I did take some pics along the way, but only added what I made during this past two week period- after I got my hands on Tim's newest Thinlits Die -ordered through The Funkie Junkie Boutique, of course!
So, with all that said....let's get on with it & go "BY AIRMAIL"!
Front of TH Worn Cover embellished w Alpha Chips lettering, LetterPress numbers & Quote Chips.
Another one of those tiny sample Grunge Paper tags- embossed using TH "Bingo" number 14, then inked with Distress Inks- Vintage Photo & Black Soot.
Little wood cameras embellished by using TH Distress Paint in Antique Linen, Picket Fence, & Black Soot, then a finger-coat of Glossy Accents overlay on a piece of TH IdeaOlogy Filmstrip Ribbon.
These IdeaOlogy LetterPress numbers were dabbed w Picket Fence Distress Paint, allowed to dry, scraped/sanded to wear down the paint, then coated w Clear Rock Candy Crackle Paint.
Page 1A
Closeup of Page 1A
I used a stencil that I purchased in a set at "Typo" a store inside the Mall of America-Minneapolis, MN-during one of our many trips to Red Wing to see the younger kids set.
Using the technique Tim showed on Distress Multi Medium Matte, I heat-dried it plain as is, then used a bit of Distress Ink in Vintage Photo in uneven strokes across the dried lettering.
Pages 1B & 2A
Tag insert for the pocket on Page 1B
Pages 2B and 3A
Insert (TH ideaOlogy Pocket Card-double sided) for pocket on Page 2B
Closeup of Embossed image (all TH products) on Page 3A
Pages 3B and 4A
Tag ((TH French Industrial) & M&S Postage Stamp (TH Destinations) inserts.
Pages 4B and 5A
Closeup of 5A
Embossed w using TH stamps & Distress Ink Paint in Black Soot and Paper Studio powder in gold.
Here's a sample of "How To" on the pages themselves, and on using the new Thinlits duo...
Paperie used for this project (unless otherwise noted) came from Tim Holtz's line:
Dapper, Destinations, & Correspondence, & a bit of French Industrial.
Correspondence Stash is at the top of my fave papers/cardstocks.
Not only for it's Americana colors, but for it's cool images;
including vintage airplanes, stamps, maps, postage notations, and several cool patterns:
PERFECT for this "By Airmail!" Challenge.
I chose one full page which made 2 book pages.
Cut top from bottom into two halves of 6"X12" rectangles.
Then cut each half paper into 2 more sections each (length will depend on how deep U want your pocket to be). You end up with 4 pieces that will make 2 pages with one pocket each.
My pages measure 7 & 1/2" tall x 6" wide
with pockets of 6" tall x 4" wide with a fold-over edge of 6" tall x 1/2" wide.
The 12x12 Stash Papers by Tim Holtz cut along the designs almost perfectly to fit
his Worn Covers...in this cut size- fit my 6 &1/2" x 9" choice very nicely.
I then inked all sides for some depth/wear.
Remember to HEAT DRY the INK so the runner tape will adhere correctly
when you put the 2 pieces of each page together.
Then used the TH 2hole Punch intended to perfectly fit his 2 ring binders-
all the pages match up exactly!
Because the pockets are on the outside (keeping inserts from falling out), I used reinforcers
on both sides of each page's holes. I made my own from plain vanilla cardstock scraps
& TH Alterations Tag & Bookplates Die.
This is the die which gets heavily used by me all the time.
Here's that new Thinlits set -Stitched Slots- in use... making a different kind of pocket on the opposite side of each "Trains" page. I just HAD to get this die
(along with TH Bigz Die Seashells- YAY!), and I think it's going to be one of my faves.
Ok; so I have a LIST of FAVES. I'll just add this to the list. lol
And I added some regular & mini Tickets using the same computer trick w stamps- allowing me to change the number on the top area of the tickets to read 02018...for this year!
Making inserts was relatively easy: die cut a shape, add a stamp or two, ink around for depth,
heat dry, & add ribbon, sticker, etc... or just leave plain.
We're back to the pages- starting up again w the very page on the "How To" above...
Page 5B and Page 6A
Inserts for Page 5B (another TH Pocket Card) and
Page 6A (Reg Ticket & Mini Ticket Strip Dies, plus a photo cut from TH Destinations Stash Paper).
Page 6B and Page 7A
Insert for Page 6B (photo made into a post card from TH Destinations).
Closeup of Page 7A ( TH stamp embossing w Black Soot Distess Ink &
Paper Studio embossing powder in gold.
Page 7B and Page 8A
Page 7B inserts (from TH Destinations; a layered die cut Old Jalopy,
& M&S Postage Stamp Frame).
Closeup of Page 8A- another TYPO brand stencil from the same set as on Page 1A...and the same technique but with Distress Inks: Fired Brick, Frayed Burlap, & Faded Blue Jeans.
Page 8B and Page 9A
Inserts for Page 8B- 2 M&S Big Ticket die cuts from the Destinations stash.
Closeup of Page 9A
Multi Medium Matte technique used here with yet another stencil from that
"TYPO" set- and THIS one just made the page nearly TAKE OFF! lol
Distress fussy-inked in Faded Blue Jeans.
Page 9B and Page 10A
Inserts for Page 9B- another M&S Postage Stamp Frame die cut from Correspondence stash,
and another photo cut from Destinations & made into a postcard.
Notice; 10A begins another set of pages- most of which are copies of the first set of pages,
but not ALL...there's some surprises near the end!
Page 10B and Page 11A
Inserts for Page 10B are a couple of Tag& Bookplates die cuts from the French Industrial stash.
Page 11B and Page 12A
Pocket Card insert for Page 11B
Closeup of Page 12A using the same technique as on Page 3A but with different TH stamps.
Page 12B and Page 13A
insert for Page 12B - tag die cut from French Industrial.
Closeup of Page 13A- I used a Stampin'Up Roller Stamp Musical Notes in Black Soot Distress Ink & Paper Studio embossing powder in Copper w heat dry to make this embossing.
Page 13B and Page 14A
Tag insert for Page 13B from French Industrial stash paper.
Closeup of Page 14A again using same technique as Page 5A.
Page 14B and Page 15A
Tag inserts for Page 14B from French Industrial.
Page 15B and 16A
Frontside of Insert for Page 15B
Note the movable TH Alterations Picture Wheel die cut & also movable TH Gears & Gears2 cuts.
The brown inset color is actually a piece of printer vellum paper (specially for use with printers or printer inks) & I wondered how it would look as a "see through" backing for the Picture Wheel. I inked it up with Distress Vintage Photo, then gently heat-dried it....presto! Later, I could add tiny photos inside the wheel, but for just "fillers", the vellum worked very well. It even took on a "distressed look" when I tried the same process, but swiped it a bit before heat-drying.
Backside of movable insert for Page 15 B
Page 16B and Page 17A
Inserts- Pocket Card & layered Old Jalopy for Page 16B
Closeup of Page 17A - Another "Typo" stencil from the set, and the same Multi Matte technique.
Page 17B and Page 18A
Big Ticket insets from Destinations stash for Page 17B
Closeup of Page 18A using TH Correspondence Paper stash for the page & a just-slightly-smaller matching stencil from the "Typo" brand set and the Multi Matte technique. Fired Brick matched up the colors of red very nicely!
Page 18B and Page 19 A
Page 18B insert is a trifold of a "postal" 1/4 page Correspondence paper, and
Page 19A insert uses the Multi M Matte technique on a TH Pocket Card
with Tim's USA stencil matching up w TH Thinlet States Die Set,
& Distress Inks in fired Brick, Frayed Burlap, and Faded Blue Jeans.
There is a small ziplock baggie shown with "filler" States shapes that fit
into the missing spots on Page 19B- the very last page.
Closeup of 19A
Page 19B was made of a smaller 1/4 stash piece from Correspondence- I actually doubled this up onto another quarter stash piece and you can see the writing of that piece on the right hand side of the photo. The 1/4 page was not wide enough, so I just added a bit of another 1/4 page. The combined look is really neat, I think, and matches all those places where we once sent those letters and postcards back home to Indiana from....as well as REvisits that now are just plastered onto our Social Media accounts. Progress has it's drawbacks and pluses.
I used Tim's Thinlit die set States using Correspondence stash to show the states across the USA that we have been to, and the empty ones are places we still have plans for visiting.
After cutting, inking edges a bit w Distress Ink in Tea Dye, I used Glossy Accents to both adhere the pieces and cover them over. I chose not to heat dry the Distress Ink before the top coat since it smudges the ink and gives it an "older" look.
I left the backside - as well as both inside covers- plain. Just for the heck of it. We don't have to cover every inch of a canvas, and sometimes a bit of "plainess" makes the rest stand out more.
I'm really pleased with how this turned out!
The best part was: even though I began this exactly 1 year ago, it was so easy to make because it went almost page by page just whenever I had the time.
Keeping it simple was the key to this project, but simplicity led to awesomeness!
Thanks so very much for allowing me to Share The Journey with you!
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then be sure to visit
The Frilly and Funkie Challenge Blog
where you will not only find this project, but many others even better!
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