Journey Travel Journal with Deb Riddell

Hello and thank you for stopping by, it’s Deb Riddell here with you today to share a travel diary that I made with Southern Ridge Trading Company’s Vintage Car, Gear Clock, Journey Fun Word and Nuts and Bolts chipboard.

I’ve lots of step out photos on how I constructed my Journey Travel Diary so grab a glass of your favourite beverage and read on.

I started with a recycled hanging file folder from my stash (think you can probably get these at an office supply store).  It is made of nice heavy duty paper and I kind of like the green colour!

Next I die cut Eileen Hull’s new Stamp and Photo Storage box from some old Tim Holtz Traveler scrapbook paper I had in my stash and roughly put it together to get an idea of what size to make my folio.  The size of the Vintage Car chipboard piece was also a deciding factor on the size of my folio as I wanted it on the front cover.

With measurements in hand I cut the file folder to size, adding a strip of scrapbook paper to the already scored mid line to reinforce it and folding up a section at the bottom of the left hand cover to act as a pocket.

I then die cut a finger pull from the front of the Stamp and Photo Storage box with a circular die before adhering the box together with Supertape.

I needed some patterned papers to cover the folio and came across a 7Gypsies ‘Global’ 8x8 paper pad I had forgotten I had.  The map motif was perfect for the travel diary so I cut the folio down to 8 ¼” in height so I could use the 8x8 paper.

The front of the folio was covered with the Global paper as was the inside and the Stamp and Photo Storage box die cut was adhered inside the back cover.

I wanted the Gear Clock to be slightly offset on the front cover so I cut a small section off of the one side before giving it a ‘rusty’ appearance with some Americana acrylic paints (Heritage Brick, Dark Chocolate and Hauser Medium Green).  A few of the Nuts and Bolts chipboard hardware findings were also coloured in the same manner.

That wonderful Vintage Car was coloured with Black Soot Distress Stain and then the grill, bumper and a few other ‘chrome’ areas were highlighted with Brushed Pewter acrylic paint.  The car was given a coat of gloss varnish to finish it off.

The Journey Fun Word was then painted with the same Brushed Pewter acrylic paint.

A few embellishments were added to the inside of the folio: the words ‘Destination Adventure’ were die cut from black cardstock with Tim Holtz’s Adventure Words: Block dies; the Old Jalopy die cut from Deco Foil Toner Sheet covered with Patina Mixed Media Transfer Foil as was the ‘explore’ word with Tim’s Handwritten Journey dies; and some eyelets were added to the spine of the folio and strung with some elastic cording for a Midori-style insert.  One of Tim’s Elastic Loops was added to the flap on the front cover to keep the folio closed.

To make the Midori-style insert for the center of the folio, some vintage map images courtesy of Far Far Hill were printed out on copy paper.  The map images were made semi-transparent with a photo editing program.

The map pages were cut down to size, sewn together with a pamphlet stitch and inserted into the elastic cording in the center of the folio.

I wanted some journaling tags for the front pocket so several were die cut with Tim Holtz’s Tag Collection die from a selection of his scrapbook papers.

I then broke out my Shadow Press station and debossing folders that I hadn’t used in years and made some journaling cards (I used the Expedition and Documented Shadow Press sets).

A couple of Hinge Clips were embellished with a scrap of tea dyed lace and a tag made with Tim Holtz’s Tag Press.  The Tag Press ring was coloured with Pitch Black and Mushroom alcohol inks.

The Gear Clock, Vintage Car, Journey Fun Word and Nuts and Bolts chipboard pieces were layered onto the front cover.  A line of Pumice Stone Stickles Glitter glue was added along the edge of the spine on both the front and back covers.  An envelope was made for the back cover with We R Memory Keepers Envelope Punch Board and a tie closure added to keep all the bits and bobs we collect in our travels safe inside.

Here are a few close ups of the inside of the folio, I added a stamped envelope and some ephemera to the inside of the front cover for a bit more interest.

I hope that you’ve enjoyed seeing how my Journey travel diary came together, I can’t wait to start filling it with mementos and memories from our travels this year!

Southern Ridge Trading Company Supplies Used:

Vintage Car

Gear Clock

Journey Fun Word

Nuts and Bolts

Other Supplies Used:

- Sizzix: Stamp and Photo Storage Box, Adventure Words: Block, Handwritten Journey, Old Jalopy, Tag Press, Shadow Press Station, Expedition and Documented Shadow Press folders and  ¾” Round Punch

- Tim Holtz/Advantus: Emporium Ephemera, Hinge Clips, Elastic Loops, Paper Stash Scrapbook Papers, Clippings Stickers, Tag Press and Rings

- Ranger Ink: Distress Ink, Distress Stain, Stickles Glitter Glue and Alcohol Ink

- Therm O Web: Deco Foil Toner Sheets, Rebekah Meier Designs Mixed Media Transfer Foil and iCraft Supertape

- We R Memory Keepers: Envelope Punch Board

- Stampers Anonymous: The Journey Clear Stamps

- Deco Art: Americana Acrylic Paint

Thanks as always for stopping by today and happy creating!

Deb Riddell ~ Paxton Valley Folk Art