Supplies:
- Paper: Graphic 45 Communique patterned papers & Tags, Memory Box Licorice cardstock
- Ink: Ranger Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink
- Accessories: Craft-a-Board, Ranger Ink Blending Tool, Royal Coat Decoupage, Basic Grey Magnetic Snaps, black twill ribbon, Neutral Card Buttons, Neutral Art Flowers, Brads
They say "necessity is the mother of invention" and that's exactly how this postage keeper came about! The glassine envelope I received with postage from the post office ages ago was finally totally worn out, so I thought it would be nice to have a pretty keeper for it! Here's what I came up with ... a 7"x4" "notebook".
I started with a 7" tall x8" wide piece of Craft-a-Board and created a spine by scoring it at 3-3/4" and 4-1/4" (along the 8" side, so the scores are 7" tall) -- hopefully you can see that in the photo above. Then I cut and also scored my patterned papers for the outside and inside of my notebook and adhered them to the Craft-a-Board using decoupage glue.
TIP: Cut your patterned papers a little bit wider than 8", to allow for the "shrinkage" the papers will have, fitting snugly around the scored spine.
Once the decoupage glue was dry, I inked the edges of the papers and Craft-a-Board with Brushed Corduroy Distress Ink, to age the papers and cover the white of the Craft-a-Board:
Then I gave the outside of the papers a final coat of decoupage glue, to make the papers more resilient and water resistant.
For the inside pockets to hold my postage stamps, I cut two pieces of Craft-a-Board 3-3/4" wide x 3-1/4" tall and also decoupaged them with patterned paper. Foam mounting tape was used along three edges of each pocket, to adhere the pockets to the inside of the notebook.
I finished the cover of my postage keeper with a tag from the Graphic 45 Communique tag sheet, that I matted with black cardstock and customized with the word "postage" created with my label maker. Black flowers and red brads also accent the tag. I created a closure for my notebook using black twill ribbon and magnetic snaps, tied up with a button.
I think one of these postage keepers would make a wonderful gift, to go along with a set of handmade cards -- how about you? Thanks for visiting the CLASSroom today!
