Tour de Freaks is Saturday!!!!  Tour de Freaks is Saturday!!!!  TOUR DE FREAKS IS SATURDAY!!!!  Oh…did you know that Tour de Freaks is Saturday?  Okay…on to my project.  I really LIKED the cover of this notebook…OH…SO COLORFUL!!!  and I just {LOVE} colorful!!!!  When I was trying to figure out what to do with the notebook, I knew I wanted to keep it simple so that it would feature what was already there.

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Just like the notebook last week, I wanted to dress up the images on the cover just a little bit and the Crystal Effects is perfect for this!  Again I did the Crystal Effects first and let that sit for about an hour to get it nice and dry before finishing it.  I knew because of the design already printed on the cover that anything I did would need to go more down towards the bottom as it was a little bare there.  I meant to take a ‘before picture’ before I got started but then got busy doing other things and just forgot.  On this just know that under those decoration are just the stems from the flowers.  If you wanted a glittery look to your flowers, you could mix some dazzling diamonds with the crystal effects and then paint it on.  I don’t think though you would just want to use the glitter with glue because it would get EVERYWHERE!!!

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I started decorating the bottom by adding a strip of Lavendar Lace cardstock.  I used my spiral punch so it would fit perfectly over the spirals on the side.  Next I added my Chocolate Chip 5/8” Satin Ribbon by threading it through the spiral (around the inside) and then tying on the front.  That worked just fine!  I had cut a medallion from the Lots of Tags Sizzlit when I was doing my cards so that is Old Olive and sponged with Old Olive just like the others.  I wasn’t real sure what I wanted on the front and then saw the GRATITUDE stamp from Define Your Life and thought that would work just fine.  I stamped that in Dusty Durango on Barely Banana and then sponged with Chocolate Chip.  The medallion is attached to the notebook front using dimensionals.

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I thought since this would be a journal it would be nice to have a ‘bookmark’ in there and once again decided to do simple.  I took a piece of the Dusty Durango Polka Dotted Ribbon and tied it to the top spiral of the notebook.  I then took the largest filigree brad and threaded the end of the ribbon through it.  I didn’t tie a know as it seemed to be on there pretty good, but you always could do that if you wanted too.  I loved how the inside of the book was decorated so just let that be.

So there you have another altered notebook.  This one was so simple because of the pretty flowers already on the cover.  Remember…work with what is already on the item if you can.  That way you are just enhancing the basic image and not really needing to do alot with it.  Yes, you can ALWAYS do more…I just tend to be one who doesn’t do so much!

Until next time…Happy Stampin’!