A Walk in the Clouds: ビーチアルバム

Canvas Beach Album

I love making things for my mom. I know she will appreciate them and cherish them. I also know I will put 150% into it and be totally satisfied with the finished product. So for this year's mother's day gift, I knew I could make her something she couldn't wait to get her hands on.

お母さんのため、特別ビーチアルバムを作ってあげました。

Both of my parents are big scuba divers. They travel all over the globe having amazing experiences on the water and in the deep. So what better idea than a beach/sea-themed album. I knew she'd have a zillion pics from each of her trips, so I'd better include enough space for them.
お母さんとお父さんがスキューバダイバーです。世界のいろんな所に行ったり海の生き物をたくさん見たり楽しんでます。それでこのアルバムを作っていっぱい写真を入れるようにしました。

I went to Enoshima island to get some shells and the starfish which I used on the front. It made the book and actually was my mom's fav part.
江の島に行った時、海の貝殻とヒトデを買って来ました。これはお母さんが大好きだった。

The binding was completed after I finished it all. I wasn't sure what I would do until the very end. and then decided on rope. I found a good selection at Yuzawaya, a craft store, in Terrace Mall. I sprayed it to make it look worn.
テッラスモールにあるユザワヤ店にロープを見つけて買いました。Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Sprayをかけて古くみせました。

I used a glass pendant along with a few wooden beads as a charm.

Each page relates to the theme. There is hand-stitching and machine stitching done throughout. The pockets and backing are made with burlap, canvas and transparencies.

全ページの内容がテーマに関連してます。手縫いとミシン縫いもしました。このアルバムのベースはキャンバスです。その中は多くキャンバス、バーラップとトランスペアレンシーを使いました。

Below the Sea　－　海の下:

I used trims and fibers on the tags and attached tiny beads with baker's twine and floss to the holes.

I added stamping that looked reminded me of waves.

I found these clear plastic seahorses at the hundred yen store and randomly stitched him to the page with floss.

Beach Fun　-　楽しいビーチ:

I created a Beach banner using Maya Road canvas flags and tied some jellewry pieces in between.

There are gold and silver ocean and nautical charms throughout the album.

Some of the tags are stamped with mermaids. I used Adirondack Color Wash in Stream and Lettuce to stain them.

There are real shells in the book. This big one was a shell I saved from a restaurant (I washed it well when I got home). There are little baby shells in this sticky sand too.

Here's a better view of this page.

Another mermaid tag with a seashell charm.

Our Cabin　－私たちのキャビン:

You can see the stitching up close.

These buttons were stitched in place as a border between the photo mats.

Good Times　－　グッド・タイムス　:

The corner of the pocket was jazzed up with a clear button, spacer charm, and shell.

Another mermaid tag.

I used different coloured inks on one stamp to get the graduated colour.

I experimented with different stitching techniques. I used a memo pin to hold this seahorse.

Scenic Route　－観光ルート:

I added a skull and crossbones charm for fun. I found this memo pin with the word treasure on it too. I thought it would be fun to make this the adventure/pirate side.

My friend sent me some homemade paper and made smaller bits from it for journalling spots.

(Underwater) Beauty　―　（海の）ビューティ:

This is a pull-out booklet. You unwrap the mermaid from the button by pulling to the right. I stamped and arrow so there was no confusion.

Here is an up-close of the charm.

Life Cycle　－　ライフサイクル:

I crumpled up this tag and distressed it and then used it as a pocket. You can see the stitching in the corner.

This was just a sticker, but I attached to some canvas and stitched around the edges and frayed them to look like an old worn patch.

These was a silver phone strap that my mom gave to my boyfriend. It lost its shine and broke. We were going to throw it out, but I saved it for something like this. It looks perfect now that the silver has worn off.

Remember this Moment / You&Me　ー　ユー・アンド・ミー:

I love how these flat pieces look as a decoration. My mom used to have a white windchime full of these pieces when I was younger. She picked these up on a vacation and sent these home with me to use in an album for her.

You can see art glitter up close and the sticky sand behind. The flower looks stained or dirty by dripping Lindy's Stamp Gang stain directly onto it.

Paradise　－　パラダイス:

In a few places throughout the album, I've used transparencies as pockets. They are very versatile and using it as a pocket allows you see to see what you put inside, while mainting space to stamp or journal on the outside. On this page, the 'you and me' was stamped directly on the transparency with Staz-On ink. Attaching the shape clips to the transparency allows you to see the full detail that you wouldn't normally see if it were attached to paper.

I stitched these tickets to the page along with the charm. You can see the cute hermit crab stamp my friend, Cheri, sent me.

These charms and buttons were hand stitched randomly in a cluster.

I added an extra pocket on the back for additional photos, etc.

This was an iron-on, but it didn't adhere properly so I used a copic multi-liner to fill in some of the words. I think it adds to the worn, grungy look.