Hello there gorgeous people!  I am sooooooo excited at the moment as we are going on our very first BIG holiday in almost 10 years - we are off to Canada!  To keep all those special memories I'm making a very special Travel Journal that I will be sharing with you all - some pages will have step by step process clips on YouTube, while others will be a look at the finished page on my Instagram account (@planningwithsparkletart) and I will do a flip through of the entire thing when we get home and the journal is complete!  For today I'm going to start by decorating one of the Travelers Notebook inserts and add a little extra strength to the cover so it holds up over time.  This is what I'll be showing you how to make - a Travelers Notebook cover with a galaxy feather design.

Now I know not everyone likes to watch video's on how to step-by-step pages so I have both a vid and written instructions on how to make this yourself!

Step 1

Add fabric bookbinding tape to the spine to add strength, then tear vintage papers into pieces and glue onto the journal cover using Matt Medium - be generous, as this will add strength to the fragile vintage papers.

Step 2

Once dry, add words to the spine with Archival inks and a Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Traveler.  Using the foam mini ink applicator gently add ink to the edges to enhance the vintage look.

Step 3

Using the same Archival inks add some random stamping to the background to add a little pattern.

Step 4

Use the Vintage Pastel Watercolour set from Prima to add some sheer and soft colour to the background and you can even disguise some of the text as there are 2 colours in the set almost the exact shades of vintage paper - swoon!

Step 5

Add Prima's Art Alchemy paints in Blackberry, Rich Turquoise, Pink Blush, Wild Fuschia, Pure Sunshine, Crocus Fields and Frozen Berries through the feather stencil - blend the colours a little and add in a semi 'banded' pattern - I created my colour bands horizontally going up the design with my palest or brightest colours in the middle and the darkest colours at the top and bottom.

Step 6

Partially cover the painted design using Paynes Grey so that there are flecks of colour peeking through the darker paint.

Step 7

Finish your Journal cover with a hint of lightness by adding splashes of white Sharpie marker to mimic stars in the night sky and adding a hint of metallic shimmer by outlining your design in gold acrylic paint.

Add a word of your choice either in coordinating colours (use the same paints to colour it) or a contrasting colour for pop.

SUPPLIES

From Lulu Art of course!

• Vintage Book Paper Sheets
• Prima Watercolor - Vintage Pastels
• Prima Travelers Journal or another travel journal with mixed media paper
• Jane Davenport Travel Watercolour Brush
• Tim Holtz Layering Stencil - Traveler
• Archival ink pads: Pale Ochre and Tree Branch
• Finnabair Metallique Art Alchemy Paints: Blackberry, Rich Turquoise, Pink Blush, Wild Fuschia, Pure Sunshine, Crocus Fields and Frozen Berries
• Fineline Applicator
• Golden Fluid Acrylic Paint - Paynes Grey and Iridescent Bright Gold
• Liquitex Matt Gel (or Golden Regular matt Gel)
• Royal Taklon Flat Brushes
• American Crafts Thickers: Wander
• Stamperia Stencil: Feather could also use TCW: Four Feathers
• Fabric Book Binding Tape
• 49 & Market Stamps: Captured Adventures

I hope you've enjoyed this simple idea for some stunning results!