Category Archives: Books & Journals

Art Journals, Altered books, Junk Journals, Glue Books, Tunnel books, Never-Ending Books and more!

Expanding Christmas Journal Part 2

Expanding Christmas Journal Part 2
Expanding Christmas Journal Part 2

This Expanding Christmas Journal is brimming with tags, magnetic enclosures and deep pockets so that you can store almost unlimited Christmas memories, photos, ideas or recipes.

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Because the tutorial for the Expanding Christmas Journal is so detailed, I decided to break it up into two parts. In case you have not seen Part 1 of the tutorial at Gypsy Soul to learn how to create the album base and the surprise fold-outs,I thought I would first provide a recap of the book. If you have already seen Part 1, then continue below for the rest of the tutorial. Read the rest of this entry

A secret one story home for you

A secret one story home for you
A secret one story home for you

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When I was a child I would get lost in book series like the Borrowers and the Littles. They both featured tiny human-like creatures who lived undetected in our homes using discarded or lost items as their furniture–bottlecaps for table tops, thimbles for stools, etc.

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When I saw Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Hidden Drawer Book Box, I knew this faux book would create a perfect home for fictional tiny characters. Read the rest of this entry

Small but mighty holiday album

Small but mighty holiday album

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It’s true what they say, good things do come in small packages. At only 6 x 6 inches, this holiday album might be small, but it is packed full of goodness.

You can see how to make it by checking out my tutorial at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts.

Christmas-Album-by-Betsy-Skagen-0004 Read the rest of this entry

Memorializing a Mid-Century Updo

Memorializing a Mid-Century Updo

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A talented friend of mine has taken on the challenge of giving her entire house a Mid-Century Modern updo with only inexpensive secondhand goods.

Her ingenuity impressed me so much that I though she should memorialize her project with a mini album. As as surprise for her, I made a little album so she could paste in before and after pictures, make notes of her awesome estate sale finds and even add in inspiration and ideas from magazines. Read the rest of this entry

Turn an Altoid tin into a spooky mini album for Halloween

Turn an Altoid tin into a spooky mini album for Halloween

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Spooky things come in small packages. Take for example this Altoid tin that I altered into a Halloween mini album. Read the rest of this entry

Part 2 Tutorial on making the Never Ending Book plus secret forgotten pages

Part 2 Tutorial on making the Never Ending Book plus secret forgotten pages
Part 2 Tutorial on making the Never Ending Book plus secret forgotten pages

Have you ever felt something similar to a panic attack? Writing Part 2 of the Tutorial for the Never Ending Book certainly brought it on for me. First, I misplaced my notes. This book is ginormous, so if I did not have my notes, there would be no way I could recall how to make the pages.

After searching through my my messy office and then my even messier studio, I finally remembered I had written Part 1 of the Tutorial while sitting in a hospital waiting room. I looked in my book bag and  found my notes. Phew!

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It’s here! Part 1 of the tutorial for the Never Ending Book

It’s here! Part 1 of the tutorial for the Never Ending Book

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In my last post I introduced you the Never Ending Book. Filled with flaps and fold-outs, the book is absolutely ginormous. Because of its magnitude, we are breaking it down into a few blog posts. You can explore a fun overview of the book here.

This is Part 1 of the Tutorial, in which I show you how to make the cover, book foundation and some of the pages. Read the rest of this entry

This is the altered art album that never ends

This is the altered art album that never ends

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This is the book that never ends. It goes on and on my friends. Betsy started it, not knowing what it was…

Sorry, not sorry for that little earworm. But it perfectly describes this extensive album I made. Designed to hold photos or other scrapbook mementos, this album featured on the Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts Blog offers page after page of surprise pockets, flaps, folds and hidden pages.

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Because this book is so big, I am just going to give you an overview of it in today’s post. Then, in later posts at Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts, I will provide tutorials on how to make the book. Read the rest of this entry

Come visit the North Pole in this altered album

Come visit the North Pole in this altered album

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At this time of year there’s no place on earth busier than the North Pole. Santa’s elves are frenetic–making toys, grooming reindeer and loading the sleigh. However, those elves are so thoughtful that they still left room in this altered album for your photographs and journal entries.

I am thrilled to be invited back for a second year as Gyspy Soul Laser Cuts guest designer. My projects will be featured at Gyspy Soul Laser Cuts each Wednesday in November. I hope you visit there and see my projects. I will be especially grateful if you leave some love.

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Go through the tunnel book to get to the Hanging Tree

Go through the tunnel book to get to the Hanging Tree
Go through the tunnel book to get to the Hanging Tree

The Hanging Tree song by James Newton Howard is a haunting tune that stays in your head long after you hear it. With the Halloween season upon us, I wanted to create my own homage to this song.

While I may sometimes feel murderous intentions–especially when one of my kids doesn’t replace the toilet paper on the roll–my desire to erect a hanging tree took on a more benign approach via this altered art tunnel book.

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Hanging Tree Altered Art Tunnel Book Cover

Once you enter through the spooky gates of this book, the song lyrics guide you though a series of hauntingly sad spaces. Read the rest of this entry