Pearls of Wisdom...a Journal through Time.

Pearls of Wisdom…a Journal Through Time

Inspired by a recent trip to Maui, I’ve created a travel journal to document my thoughts and recollections of time spent in the South Pacific. A tropical place where the water is deep blue against the white sand beaches; the cool breeze, having travelled miles across the open ocean, is the freshest to ever fill my lungs; and each lingering day ends with a sunset that is beyond breathtaking.

“Standing at a northern precipice of the island, surrounded by craggy fields of black lava rock, I spot a length of huge rope floating in the churning surf far below. I spend almost an hour mesmerized watching as it’s tossed to and fro, floating on the surface, without ever coming close to the shoreline below. I let my mind wander, as my eyes gaze over the horizon, and I imagine a 3-masted tall ship crashing through the waves so many years ago.  What a majestic sight that must have been. The full white sails aflutter. I envision the beautiful, craftsmanship of the wooden hull and the intricately engineered rigging. Then I’m struck with the thought of the risks those early seafaring men took to get to shore and discover these islands for the first time. As I continue to watch the rope in action, I am in awe.”

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While I was in Maui, I bought this simple Kraft journal at Barnes and Noble. (Yeah, Maui now has a Barnes and Noble!) I liked that it was plain with the magnetic fold-over flap.

To create what you see here, I used the Spellbinders Grand Calibur machine and Shapeabilities - Fleur De Lis Accents die set to cut a border of nautical wall paper. (Yes, that's a perk of being on the ICE Resin/Spellbinders creative team! Getting to experiment with their products....Yay!)

Using the same die set, I punched four vertical cut-outs in a strip of brown paper lunch bag. With ICE Resin and a chip brush, (I prefer using them over foam brushes or sponges), I resin coated the bag. The bag turned a beautiful transparent caramel color. One of my new favorites! This allows the tall ship image to just "peek" through.

A slight aging was added to the journal by using a brown Cat's Eye ink pad. Simply use the ink pad direct. An older, drier pad works best. I find a newer pad is too wet and will give too drastic of a result, but if that's all you have on hand, dab a Q-tip or sponge on the pad and then apply that onto the journal surface.

With a light coat of Mod Podge, (I prefer to use Matte Finish), I adhered the wall paper to the front and flap of the journal. Once the paper bag section was fully cured, I then layered the lace, chain, rusty binder clip, metal gear and the tiny glass bottle filled with miniature shells with a soldered top.

Lastly, to add a bit more dimension and movement, I punched holes equally down the edge of the flap using my Crop-A-Dile (love that tool - ever since first demo'ing at the now-closed scrapbook store I used to work/teach at) and then added a few jump rings with fresh water pearls. I love how they give it just that extra little something.

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Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit ICE Resin and Spellbinders for additional product information.

Cheers and Happy Journalling....