ePlay Challenge - Alter a Book!

Welcome to eclectic Paperie’s ePlay Challenge – Push Your Boundaries!  We’re altering our challenges in 2014, creating one, month-long challenge, increasing the prize drawing, holding a design team blog hop, and including a product discount with each new challenge!  Check out the details below:

 

·         We’ve combined our two challenges into one, announced on the first Thursday of each month.  This gives the design team more flexibility with challenge topics and projects and allows you more time to enter! 

·         We’ll also feature a product each month, and during the first day of the challenge, you’ll receive a discount on the featured product….be sure to check for the special code! 

·         Our prize drawing is increasing from $15.00 to a $25.00 gift certificate and the winner of each challenge will be announced on the last Thursday of each month and will be featured on the eP blog. 

·         Each month we’ll hold a blog hop featuring the beautiful artwork from our design team…just scroll down to the bottom of the post for all of the links!  Talk about inspiration!!

 

Our challenges are about encouraging you to explore your creative journey and inspiring you to step outside of your comfort zone.  When you submit your artwork, share a unique card, scrapbook or journal page, a canvas, home décor project, or anything that you’re excited to share!  We’re looking forward to crafting with you!

 

Today’s special is on Liquitex Gesso and for one day only, you can save 10% on a bottle of gesso…perfect for all of your altered projects!  Simply use code GESSO03 when checking out.

 

This month’s challenge is Altering a Book!!  Hello EPeeps!! I am so excited to be hosting the first official ePlay Challenge here on the Eclectic Paperie blog!

 I just love altering books and for this project I used an old children's book.  (I think my husband would love it if I never bought another old book ... I could probably go at least a year without having to buy a new one to alter!!)

I started out with Gesso and just brushed it on as a surface primer!

 Then I wanted texture so I put a stencil into the wet gesso and added more gesso into the stencil.  The gesso is thick enough to stand out and create texture in the shape of the stencil!

After the gesso layer was dry, I started with some paint and tissue paper.  I actually glued it all down with clear gesso ... loved using the gesso this way! I also used the gesso to glue down the Authentique Abroad paper (love it!) and also stamped a little!

 

And I was having so much fun and my fingers were so covered in gesso that I didn't take any pictures, sorry! But here is the finished cover, I just love the way it turned out!

The colors of the back were too bright .  So I mixed water and regular gesso to make a white-wash to cover the color!  Best trick ever to dull down any overly colorful paper or paint!

 

Voila, the outside is done!  I tried to create a little video for you all to see how I use gesso to get the pages ready! Enjoy the video (it is the first one I have ever made, but I have watched hundreds, so go easy on me!)

 I hope you all play along and alter a book with me this month! I can't wait to see how you alter your book!

Just add your link to the second linky thingy below.
(under the blog hop linky)