For this project I used acrylic paint (blue, lavender, periwinkle and lime green), an old novel, Ranger alcohol inks and distress stains, stencils, modeling paste, and Cricut's Ornamental Iron cartridge. Start by covering both pages of the journal with a thin coat of Gesso and let it dry. Paint the pages with lime green acrylic paint and let it dry. Dab blue paint over the green base coat with a craft sponge and let it dry. Lay a butterfly stencil on the page on the right side of the journal and apply modeling paste with a palette knife. Scrape off the excess modeling paste with the palette knife. There should only be paste in the open areas of the stencil. Repeat this process for a second butterfly. On the page on the left side of the journal, lay a honey comb stencil and apply modeling paste. Once both pages are completely dry dab periwinkle, lavender and blue paint over the stenciled areas and blend with the background. Apply Tarnished Brass distress ink to the butterflies and let them dry. Paint the butterflies with a light coat of water color (I used pink and green) and let it dry. Apply pink glitter glue to the top butterfly and blue glitter glue to the bottom butterfly. While the glitter glue is drying cut a gate at 5 inches out black card stock (using the Ornamental Iron cartridge). Draw an owl on white paper and cut it out. Don't worry about details because you will be painting over the owl. Paint the owl with brown water color and let it dry. Apply gold glitter glue on the owl's body leaving his chest and face brown. Apply blue glitter glue to the owl's chest. Cut two small circles out of vanilla card stock for the owl's eyes and glue to the owl's face. Attach a small blue crystal to the center of the circle for the eyes. Cut a small beak out of orange card stock and glue to the owl's face. Add purple feathers to the owl's tail and add pearls. Cut a small perch out of green burlap, add pearl trim and a small bow and then glue the owl on top of the perch.
Glue the iron gate to the center of the left page and then glue the owl in the center of the gate. Roll a 1/4 inch piece of pink paper around a quilling tool to make small roses (make 11 roses). Cut 22 small leaves, free hand. Glue the roses around the iron gate and then glue two leaves under each rose. Shape a small piece of green floral craft wire around an awl to make a spiral form and glue under the base of the rose.
Randomly tear pages from an old novel. As a book lover I had hard time tearing up a book, even though this book was destined for the trash. Distress the torn pages with tea dye distress stain and then pounce alcohol ink randomly over the torn pages. Glue the distressed pages around the edges of the journal and along the center spine. Type "The world of reality has its limits; the world of imagination is boundless." -Jean Jacques Rousseau in Microsoft and print on white paper. Tear the quote out and glue over the iron gate. Add buttons along the edges of the journal pages. Glue small silk violets along the bottom of both journal pages. Using a leaf paper punch, punch 8 leaves out of green print card stock and glue under the edges of the violets.
