Envelope "Inspiration" Book

Happy Monday!

I still feel like I'm on weekend time today ~ it's so cool and overcast here I'm finding it hard to get it into gear today.

This Wednesday is the last Wednesday of the month and you know what that means...Club Scrap's Blog Hop!!  I always try to make something extra special for these hops because the paper is so special...  This month is no exception and I think the folks at Club Scrap have out done themselves...this kit may be a bit more special than ordinary.  Why?  Because July's kit theme is Wisteria!!! 

I don't have any in my yard but I have wanted to grow some Wisteria for such a long time...we have the wrong kind of soil so I'll have to settle with playing with the amazing stamps from this beautiful kit.

check out these stamps....

I usually just use the stamps that come with the kit

(shown below)

But the "extra" stamps were just so beautiful and right up my alley

I had to order those as well!!!

I can think of so many fun uses for these stamps

PLUS

there are tons of inspiring quote stamps

included with each set of stamps...

they are what "inspired" me to create an

Inspiration Book

for a friend.

Next, what kind of book do I want to make?!?!?  I  was flipping through my "to do" folder and found my instructions on an envelope book and decided I hadn't made one in a long time so that's what I'm going to do!

The following instructions will work for ANY size envelope you want to use.  So, like I always say, use what you have on hand :) To begin I cut a piece of scrap cardstock 1/4" smaller than my envies.  I am using 4.75x 6.5 envies so my cardstock is 4.5x6.25".

I tucked the piece of cardstock into the envie so it was just inside the flap and centered it vertically.  I then traced the outline of the opening onto the cardstock.

Next, pull the cardstock panel out and here's what it looked like...

I cut away the "v" and I now have a perfect fit mat for the pocket side of the envelope!

I then cut enough cardstock panels for the front and back of each envelope ~ in my case 4.5 x 6.25"  I will be using 8 envelopes so I cut 16 panels.  You can make this book with as many envies as you'd like.

After I had all of the panels cut I traced the template onto the back of one of the panels.

Next I carefully cut the "v" from the panel (don't throw the "v" away). 

 I inked both the panel and the "v" with Dusty Concord Distress Ink.

I then glued the panel to the outside of the envelope and then I glued the "v" right inside the envelope.  Since we used an actual envelope to make the template the cut away piece fits perfectly!  It looks like the envelope was lined with exactly the same cardstock as what's on the outside.  Nobody has to know it's just scraps!

I did a bit of stamping to make my own pattern paper on a few of the pages...

And I also water colored one of the existing pattern papers to give it a bit more personalization.

And here are all of my "lined" envies.

To assemble the book you need to lay one of the envelopes out with the flap open.  Apply your favorite adhesive to the flap.  I used a line of double stick tape along the fold and then licked the envelope adhesive...hey, it's there, might as well use it!

I then placed the second envie over the flap and pressed to make sure it was glued down really well. 

You need to keep gluing one envelope to the previous envelopes flap until you have added all the envelopes you want (in my case 8).

Here's what it looks like all glued together. 

 Fold the envelopes accordion style - the back of the first envelope will be the front cover and the last envelope will be the back cover.  You will not that you still have the flap on the last envelope that doesn't have anything attached to it.  This flap will wrap around the side of the book to the front to make a closure...but you'll have to wait to see that until Wednesday!

Finally I made some inserts for each envelope....  These are made from the scrap left over from the 12x12 sheets of cardstock I used to make the panels to cover the envelopes.

Now, that's all I'm going to tell you until Wednesday!

You'll have to come back and check out the finished album then :)