Eileen Hull’s Comfort & Joy On-Line Event ~ Day 6

I’m so thrilled you’re here. If you’ve stumbled upon this post and want to know more about this warm and wonderful on-line event that is designed to bring some Comfort & Joy during this season, you can check out more HERE.

Sweet Traditions

For years now, I’ve put together a gathering and tour where friends and family come together to enjoy the holiday season at Logan’s Candies. This is a private tour and a wonderful mix of some of the same participants each year, but also new ones. We enjoy the amazing one-of-a-kind handcrafted (right in front of you), fluffy candy canes from Logan’s. There’s nothing like it. We also enjoy time with the sweet family behind the operation who I have gotten to know and love over the years. They are great people and the business has been serving the ‘sweet tooth’ since 1933. They offer truly sweet craftmanship. It’s a tradition that rings in the holiday season and brings warmth, wonder, celebration, bright eyes, love, joy, and sweetness to children of all ages. Here are some photos of past experiences . . . HERE and HERE.

Prompt

My prompt for you on this 6th Day of Comfort & Joy is to reflect on a favorite holiday tradition of present or years past that brings you great joy. Write it down. Is it a practice or something you do each year? Maybe it’s an event you attend and that might look a little different this year? Is it driving to a specific neighborhood to see Christmas lights? Maybe it’s a special punch, candy, or dish you make each year? My mom makes this ‘green punch’ that is an absolute family favorite. What about a new tradition this year that you expect will bring sweetness?

Describe that special tradition and why it brings such sweetness to your soul. Will it look the same this year? Grieve it if it looks different this year, but also cherish the times from the past. Maybe you’re in a different chapter in your life at this moment. That’s okay too. Realize that out of different, something new and exciting can be born. Maybe a new tradition is on the horizon if your old one doesn’t look the same. Either way, let yourself be a kid. Allow yourself to be okay with simple wonder and joy. Create a page or journal about your tradition. You’ll see my page below as well as some details on how to create the page, cover and other suggested elements of your Comfort & Joy journal.

Sweet Traditions Pages

For my Sweet Traditions pages, I adhered with a glue stick, a favorite gel press print on top of the cardstock page. To make this gel print I used my 8 x 10 gel press plate, StencilGirl Products (Stencil is titled Hamilton and is a new favorite), Martha Stewart paint by FolkArt (Gold and Pink Carnation), and deli paper. This gel press print reminds me of vintage ‘Pink Christmas’ wrapping paper. The gold and pink kind of contract each other. The gold provides a beautiful sheen.

I love adding elements like pockets to hold journaling or photos. I used tape to add a library pocket and card to the center of the page.

Using scraps you’ve already created, bits and pieces, and other favorite finds, you can interest to your page. Note the little scraps in the photo below which I adhered to the back of the library pocket.

Making Your Own Vintage Looking Candy Canes

You’ll notice I made some pink pipe cleaner candy canes for my journal spread. I’ve included a link below to a past tutorial on these canes. They are super easy.

For these pink and white candy canes, a tip is to remember is that you can take white pipe cleaners and make any color you desire. For my pink canes I used Tim Holtz (Spun Sugar), and a bit of Dina’s gloss spray (Carnation). I also sprayed a little distress ink on top of that (Gathered Twigs). A brown colored ink provides a vintage shabby look. Make sure to let the pipe cleaners dry before winding them together. Embellish with a little ribbon, rick rack, pins and charms if you’d like.

Remember that you can add these candy canes not just to your journal, but they make a great gift topper. Feel free to check out the tutorial HERE.

Journal Cover

Each of us have our unique styles. I happen to be a shabby chic type of girl who loves to distress, and include snippets, recycled, vintage images, and often discarded pieces in my book. This style may not be for you and that’s okay. Embrace and work within your style. I do hope though, that you can take away a little inspiration or even try something new.

• I used Sizzix Eileen Hull Travel Journal Die to create the cover. I absolutely love the versatility of Eileen’s dies. I also love using recycled products to give things a shabby distressed look. Cardboard is my favorite go to for many years. I also used a cardboard scrap piece as a landing for the title.
• To create the lettering, you can purchase foam alphas made by companies like American Crafts, or you can make your own. For my cover title, I used a Tim Holtz Alphabet die like seen here, and then distressed the letters with some paint and embossing powder.
• I stamped the words ‘Comfort & Joy’ on plain cloth ribbon to match my title.
• Add jewelry pieces or trinkets to your spine to make it fancy. I created the metal snowflake by adding embossing ink and distressed blue embossing powder to it.
• Ode to the Gel Press plate. I love how it provides a lot of distressed lovely texture while easily covering a whole surface, in a jiffy. The Gel Press plate is one of my favorite tools, and I wouldn’t just say that because I’m a part of the Creative Team. I’ve been a Gel Press plate lover for many years. For the cover I simply added some blue and a bit of cream acrylic paint on to my Gel Plate. Then I rolled it out with a brayer and pressed the cardboard journal down on the plate. I continued to do so until the cover was completely covered. It’s important not to coat the Gel Press plate too thick with paint. A thinner layer is good. You can always add more and layer on top.

Inside Pages of My Journal

I’ve got some of my pages ready for prompts from Eileen’s Creative and Education fellow team members. The first page, I created a pocket using some free downloaded vintage images. I’ve asked my mom to write out some favorite recipes to stash in the pocket for Day 2 of Comfort & Joy which was Christmas Baking. Are you all following along and enjoying the different prompts. I sure am.

Some tips for inside pages and elements inside your journal include;

• Using your die cutting machine is always a win. Dies are also great for alpha letters, elements, and more. Use those tools to fancy up your page.
• Using tape (masking, scotch, washi) is an inexpensive way to adhere and add fun interest to a page.

• I filled and used holiday themed images and ephemera. Here and here are some places you too can download some vintage ephemera thanks to the Graphic Fairy and others.

• Making copies of your favorite gel prints also allow you to add a little more paint atop the copies, you can then use them for smaller elements on a page. Again, great for covering a large surface or even adding interest to a smaller area.

• Make your own pockets or use things like little brown paper bags or blank library card pockets. If you use the library card pockets, you can use the card for journaling.

For some additional ideas on ways I’ve loved using my Eileen Hull dies and Gel Press products, feel free to check out the Artsy Findings blog, Artsy Findings e-magazines, and subscribe if you like to stay connected with new content.

If you feel like sharing, I’d love to know some of your traditions. Feel free to share this post and pass it forward, in hopes it will bring some crafty joy to another. Don’t forget to share in Eileen Hull’s Facebook Fan Club (I believe just a few questions if you aren’t already a member). I can’t wait to see your page and hear of your sweet traditions.

I’m wishing you an amazing holiday season full of comfort, joy and sweetness. Thanks for joining us and stay tuned in the next couple weeks for more inspiration!

“Because no matter how tough the world becomes, you must never run out of sweetness.” ~ Unknown