Stampendous July Citrus Challenge!

What wonderful colors for SUMMER!

Lime Green, Lemon Yellow, and Orange!

The challenge for the month of July here at
"Stampendous Impressions"
 is to use the refreshing colors of

CITRUS!

That's what I have done in this Garden Journal

made for my friend who lives in Iowa!

I am originally from the St. Louis area, and 15 years ago I relocated to Arizona.  A friend I went to high school with, also moved. But she went north to Des Moines. She still enjoys the Spring and Summer flowers in her backyard garden, while I sit indoors and watch the cactus out my window!  (LOL!) I DO get to have a chuckle in the winter, however, when she texts to say she's shoveling two feet of snow from her driveway! :)

It is my hope that she fills this journal with tons of photos and memories! 

I started with a blank 6 x 6 canvas mini album cover and back.

I began by covering the back canvas piece with pattern paper, being careful to fold it over the edges and glue securely.  I cut a piece of "solid" paper to cover the inside and the cut edges of the pattern paper. Next, I punched the holes for the 1" bookrings.

I decided that I wanted to make dividers for the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons.

So I cut 3 acrylic pieces from recycled packaging and again punched the holes for the bookrings. It wasn't until I had all of the insert sheets cut to size that I rounded all of the corners.

Please excuse the reflection in the sheets.

The day was overcast and cloudy

and I HAD to get my photos taken before continuing!

I then stamped a Jumbo Cling Rubber flower

onto the front of each of the clear dividers!

(Jumbo Rose, Jumbo Orchid, and Jumbo Iris)

Next, I carefully considered what information my friend would want to include.

I printed these on my computer, then cut to size, rounded the corners, and punched the holes.  This should enable her to keep a nice record of what needs to be purchased or done at the beginning of each season.  I included two each of the

"Growing in my garden:" sheets for each section,

knowing that she has soooo very many gorgeous plants and flowers in her yard!

(I also printed lots of extras for her to use in the coming years!

I made three of these pocketed inserts to be used behind the acrylic pages as background for the stamped see-through flower images.  Any additional infomation can be kept here, such as receipts for plants or idea photos.

   

CD pocket for a "Virtual Tour" of the garden!

NOW TO MAKE THE COVER!

I stamped the Jumbo Tiger Lily onto the canvas front in brown Momento and heat embossed with "Clear Bark" Stampendous embossing powder. 
The look was amazing! It really popped right off the canvas!
 (Of course, I forgot in my excitement to color it, to first take a photo!)

This is what the finished Copics colored image looks like! Can you completely blend on the textured canvas? No, not really, but I drew my markers across the image carefully, pulling the color to the inside from the outer edge, and it turned out surprisingly well!

To add some soft color around the image, I air brushed in green and yellow.

NOW, to put it all together!

Topping off the prettiness (is that a word?), I sprinkled Color Fragments
and Glass Glitter in several hues.
A tiny, sheer butterfly has found a wonderful place to land, and the soft ribbons and lace make for the finishing touch!

I can't wait to see this album in a year and see what
gorgeous memories she has stored there!
And I can relive the gardens I miss, too!

Thanks for joining me for this fun project!