Altered Journal by Jane in San Diego
Design Team Leader

This mini journal was made with my high school English teacher, who is retiring this year, in mind. The body of the journal is a miniature composition book and is the perfect size to keep in a purse or pocket to jot down thoughts while on the go. You can find these journals at many discount and office supply stores.
Special thanks to Beverly Terry of Terryfic Times
( http://www.terryfictimes.com/) for supplying the Fashion Buckle die and Frances Naeve of Hearts in Touch ( http://www.heartsintouch.com/ ) for supplying the Distressables papers.

Supplies:
Miniature composition book (or any notebook of your choice)
White ribbon (Offray 1/8" inch)
Ranger Distress ink (vintage photo)
Tim Holtz Distressables cardstock (Lock & Key, Rulers,
Journaling) and paper (Big Time) from Design Originals Spellbinder's Wizard and Ladies Fashion Buckles dies.
Double stick tape
Glue
Scissors
Damp paper towel

Directions:

1) Cut a length of ribbon twice as long as the height of your book and add two inches to this length. Color the ribbon by passing it over the Dirstress ink and rinsing in water to age it. Let dry. When dry, mount to the outside spine of the notebook about an inch from the edge and secure with strong tape. The ribbon ends will become ribbon markers for your journal.

2) Cut a section of scrapbook paper wider and taller than your notebook by at least 1/2 inch all around.
Cut a "v" notch where the spine will be and cut the corners off to cut down on bulk. Use double stick tape to secure the cover to the book. Fold over the extended flaps and secure them with double stick tape to the inside covers of the book.

3) Cut out desired collage elements for your cover.
Age torn elements with Distress ink. Adhere with glue or your favorite adhesive. For fun, use diecut elements to add interest to your collage. Here, I used a buckle on a ruler. When all your images are securely mounted to the cover, take a damp paper towel and dab it on your Distress pad. Apply the wet color to your cover to add a unifying tint to all your elements and to add even more age.

4) Cut scraps from your leftover scrapbook paper and cover the inside cover of your book, using double stick tape to secure. This will hide any raw edges and give a finished look to your project.