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ScrapHappy Day: Once a Diary

My friend Alicia sent me the following note, along with this Cats in Art diary from 1988.

“I came across this unused diary, and though I have no use for it, was reluctant to discard it. I thought of you, wondering if you might find some purpose for it in your crafts.”

It’s nice when your friends get you, eh?

I’ve had so much fun taking apart the pages and turning them into cards, both big and small. My favorite images included cats in the garden or perched near windows and the art that beautifully conveys the natural world. While I appreciate all art, I’m not enamored with dark oils or dreary scenes.

I made two small blue note cards, a pair of craft paper cards, two oversized cards, and even a couple of postcards. I wanted to preserve as much of the original art image as possible.

The one exception is this z-fold card. I used part of the image on the front and another part of it on the inside. Both are viewable when the card is open.

I made ten cards in all, plus the thank you card using the beautiful art. I cut circles out of some of the calendar pages and made stickers to go with the cards.

It then occurred to me that I could re-purpose the calendar cover to make a folio for the set of cards. I carefully cut the remaining pages, made a flap over the rough center, and then covered it with Washi tape from my stash.

I adhered three craft envelopes in two different sizes to hold the cards and stickers in place. Everything fit beautifully. The final detail: adding a piece of vintage seam binding, also from my stash, to pull it all together.

I hope she likes it. I sent it off last week.

Thanks for hosting, Kate.

Kate, our host, Gun, Eva, Sue, Lynn, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy,  Tracy, Jill,
Claire, Jan, Moira, Sandra, Chris,
Kerry, Claire, Jean, Jon, Hayley, Dawn,
Gwen, Bekki, Sue L, Sunny, Kjerstin,
Vera, Nanette, Ann, Dawn 2, Noreen,
Bear, Carol, Preeti, Edith, Debbierose, and Jule

36 thoughts on “ScrapHappy Day: Once a Diary”

  1. What a fun project! The illustrations are really sweet. I love how you even repurposed the cover too. Alicia will be delighted by your gift. I like the simple line ink drawings best. It would be awesome to be able to draw. I remember playing Pictionary at parties at the lake and laughing so hard. The timer would start and I’d be scribbling some awful stick man scene, leaving my partner scratching their head, lol ! 💛💛xoK

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  4. LIKE IT??!! Ohmygoodness, Alys, I absolutely LOVE it!! What a wonderful and totally unexpected surprise to receive the repurposed, and now completely transformed, diary I’d sent you. When I mailed it off, I never imagined that you might actually use it to create something for ME! How grateful I am to be the beneficiary of your thoughtful generosity and superlative talents. The stationery folio is without question one of the most fabulous and meaningful gifts I’ve ever received. And its arrival happened to land on what had been a particularly difficult day which had left me feeling depleted and downtrodden.

    When I opened your package, I was so overwhelmed with amazement and gratitude, I couldn’t help but cry. Despite the late hour, and with a full slate of duties still ahead, I stopped in my tracks to savor every detail of your magnificent creation, smiling. Your gracious gift touched me deeply, and was the one event that salvaged the day. I was eager to select one of the lovely cards to send to you with my heartfelt thanks right away. Alas, that difficult day was just a precursor to increasingly difficult challenges to come….. everything went awry, and I’m grappling to manage the tumult (more on that another time, in a different space).

    And now, to see that you’ve created this post detailing your artistic process, I’m honored yet again. I’m compelled to pause my daily frenzy to compose this comment. Thank you for sharing the evolution of your ideas that went into making each piece of the collection. It’s a finely crafted masterpiece, obviously finessed with love. I appreciate every nuanced detail! And above all, I appreciate YOU, my dear friend!

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  7. Brilliant on both counts. Your friend for sending it on to you for crafting and you for figuring out what to do with it and making such great use of it. The cards are adorable. Great scrap project. You do know how to make someone’s day, Alys.

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  10. Alys, I’m so pleased I’m not the only one who deconstructs books to use the pictures in new ways – and remaking a gift for the giver so wonderful. And it arrived on Alica’s doorstep when she needed a “hug”

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  14. I love your cards Alys – especially the Z-fold one. Ingenious. I often wonder what to do with old wall calendars – some of the images are so beautiful – but most are rather too large to make into cards.
    What a huge difference you made to Alicia’s day – so rewarding if we can cheer others up with a handmade gift, especially one as beautiful and thoughtful as yours.

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