Mermaid Journal Page Swap 01

So what are expectations as far as paper weight? Also are people expected to decorate one side of their page or both front and back?

I am considering joining but still don't think I can do such a large piece.

I really don'twant to do copies as I don't want to receive copies back. I would prefer to have original artwork. Also, I think we need to do both sides of the paper.

Starrgazer - you can do it! you do such lovely work - and you dont have to cover the page - sometimes the empty spaces show off the filled in spaces more than not!

thinking i may use copies for my base - then embellish from there. that way i can use card stock for the base. As to the front and back = im not going to leave the back blank - but i think i will leave any layers on the front. maybe do a pocket on the back or a drawing?

So if 7 people join the swap, we are going to have 7 partners?

If color copies are sent, i think that there should be some kind of embellisment added. This is an "art" book so for interest sake, I would prefer not to have all color copies. I plan to use card stock, watercolor paper, or some other heavier type paper. Even the see thrue glicerin paper like heavy weight vellum is good. more differen types of paper in my book will bring more interest. I simply cant wait to get started on mine!!!! I am with lilspotteddog regarding color copies. I think color copies are acceptable if the copies were of a collage. collage would be hard to reproduce 10 times with satisfaction. (magazine images and such) starrgazer, you can do this, front and back is not so bad. the back can be nothing more that an beautiful envelope to receive something special or put a special poem in or letter. the quiet spaces are just as important as the loud ones! :D

in fact, I plan to send everyone a little something extra to put inside of any empty space they end up havein in their book.

If 7 people sign up, you would have 6 partners. But if a lot of people sign up for this, we can make it so you only send to, maybe, half or something. I'll remove the color copies idea unless you do a collage, 'cause yeah... if you do a collage, it could very easily fall apart over time as well. -_- And that would suck.

I think the front of the page should be the main focus. You can put something on the back. I like the idea of the poem or something on the other side. I'll leave that up to you guys to figure out what you want to do on the back, but yeah. Don't leave the back blank.

im getting so excited!!!! and i would love to have a bunch of partners - just so we will get a lot of different ideas back!

Yeah that's what I'm most excited about in having a bunch of partners for this. When we do our next parts to this, we will have a bunch of pages fairly quickly! =D

Thanks for the coaching kimmer! :) I am fine with front to back, it is the scale I was concerned with cause most if my stamps and collage sheets are so much smaller. However that us no longer an issue! I am in.

Yeah I was wondering how I was going to be able to fill 8.5x11. That was kinda big. It would be NICE to have a book that big, but not really practical when it comes to how many pages we will be making in the end, and keeping them looking nice. =P

My new stamp set is going to be perfect for this! I am going to have a hard time picking image to use.

Did I hear there was potential for additional swaps? Because I have enough inspiration for several pages at the moment. :)

I have already worked out two pages! thanks for such an inspiring project to work on!!! Question: what is the magic number that you plan to cut back or is too large? I counted about 11 of us in all of these conversations. I think I will prepare for 15 and if i end up with extras...o well! you could set the partners for 15 and lower it later if not everyone signs up. I dont think I want to do 20 sets of pages. I guess I am saying that 15 is my magic number! "D

I was planning to complete ten pages. :)

10 sounds good! LOL, I started 15 and thought WTF! why did I say so many?! :D

With the potential for a lot of partners, I like the new size a lot better. I found some awesome paper at Jo-ann's on sale today and am excited to start making these. :D

@starrgazer I figure we'll have several parts to this. So you will have the chance to make many pages. haha. I figure if we do it in parts, new people can join in, too. =)

@samjowers I was planning on having 10 as the cutoff, but if you guys are willing to make that many pages, we'll make it the full amount of people. =P Sounds like 10 is a good number though. =)

im open for all the fabulously mermy pages i can get my fins on to work with!! but i am starting now!!

So is that 9 plus one for ourselves? or 10 plus one for ourselves?

So I love the idea of the next page we do having an "interactive" feature. A pocket, a pop up, an envie with a letter tucked inside.

I just bought a kids book that has many hidden mermaid secrets, as I mentioned above. I could not resist it! Here it is. I picked it up at a tourist trap called Sea Shell City here in Michigan. I have loved this store ever since I was a kid!

@samjowers I was figuring 10 pages being made total. So you would have 10 partners. But that's IF we get that high. =P If you want to make a page for yourself, by all means. haha. But yeah, 10 partners. =)

@starrgazer You mean the back of the page having an interactive feature or the next series we do?

I was thinking for the next swap @wolviechick121 :)

I do think ten is a good number. Although I wonder how many of these swaps will be held as this will affect the choice of binding techniques....

I am happy to see a few watchers are jumping on board.

I'd suggest either making your binding in a way where it can be redone without affecting the last ones. I was planning on holepunching and binding with a crisscross kind of ribbon kind of like this: http://choosingsimplicity.wordpress.com/2010/06/26/an-easy-quick-handmade-journal/. Otherwise, if you are planning on doing a more permanant binding technique, maybe just wait to see how many you want to wait through before doing it. Or make separate cool books for each in the series or something.

both of my pages already have interactive parts. I couldn't stop at just one page! So everyone is getting two! I cant help it..I found this swap to be very inspirational! :D So I will be making 11 copies so I can have one for myself! and dont worry, we will make the 10 partners!

@samjowers I think everyone was saying that they don't really want copies. They'd rather have everyone do individual pages or something. Unless it's a collage. Just a reminder.

I am not copying on copier, I am painting everything idividually, except for a hand built shell that I have to put together in parts. I ment that I need 11 versions of my pages.

My husband actually asked me if I was going into buisiness! 33 little hand painted dresses for the mermaid closet....

i am in the swap!! I am so excited, I am cutting out my mermaids today and making their bodies!! So much fun, I am not copying on the copier either, but wow samjowers , 33 little hand painted dresses, now that is alot of time, WOW i am impressed, can't wait to get ideas for all the pages. I have stencils to draw my tails and fins!! Now back to work!!

@samjowers ah that sounds cool! =D

@Mimi7 ooh stencils!! I gotta find some cool mermaid stuff. I definitely need some rubber stamps. Stencils sound fun!! =D I'm going to try to make some of my own for this swap. Right now, I'm trying to think of how I can do this in a kind of.... assembly line kind of way. Haha. And then I'm going to get started. No work tomorrow. I'll get started then. =P

I really need some mermaid rubber stamps!! LOL Today i am off to Archivers and Scrapbook Factory to get more paper for this project!! I got all my mermaids cut out yesterday and made a rough draft on plain paper to kind of see how my layout would look. This is so much fun!!

Nice!! =D Yeah I gotta go hit up the craft store to see what I can come up with for paper. I want to do something different than I've done before, so I'll be doing some experimenting before I figure out how I want to make these pages. =P

Dont forget that you can cut the large erasures and they make great stamps! just use a sharpie to draw your design and then use an exacto knife to cut away all of the parts that are not drawn on. you can then glue the rubber stamp onto a piece of word or a craft stick! very easy and origional! Remember that everything you do will be in reverse image!

Sorry for the creative spelling! Things always look different in the morning!

I'm hittin' up the stores with back to school sales today so I can get some big pink erasers for cheap! haha.

errr i want all you guys as my swap partners!!!!

I did a search on logos with mermaids in them. Starbuck's, chicken of the sea tuna, Nauty tackle (dont know how that one can swim with her giant floatilas!!!) even perfume! there is even a mexican singing star who does a kid show as a mermaid and even did a soap opera as a mermaid. lots of good stuff out there to make pages about if the ones who havent signed up are still hesitant! I really dont want four extra pages to keep so come on!!! sign up! Ed hardy even has some really great mermaids. day of the dead mermaids are very cool too! Just some ideas.....have you signed up yet???

I hope people like chunky pages with lots of embellishments! While I do not have a layout in mind yet, I have found some great things while garage saleling on vacation this week. I scored some super cheap aquarium seaweed. Also found some shell shower curtain rings I am hoping to be able to tear off of the ring and use the metal shells. What finds!

Is any one vegan? do I have to watch out for feathers, shells and such?

@samjowers Good question. I'll include that in our next group message.

@starrgazer make sure you clean that aquarium seaweed. haha ;P That's a good idea though. I keep wanting to buy some new, but it's so effin' expensive. =P

I also hope that its ok to put chunky stuff on the pages. Like fibers and sea glass and charms and things...is that going to screw up everyone's binding plans if the pages aren't perfectly flat?

For me, the chunkier, the better! I loves me some chunky junk on my pages! You guys are all getting the jump on me, but now that @samjowers has coaxed me back on board, I do have my pages already planned in my head. Now it's just sitting down and gettin' 'er done. Sounds like lots of great ideas floating around. Also, I have no objections to natural items.

Chunks ahoy!

Chunky should be ok. As long as we're keeping that 1 inch blank on one side to assist with the binding process, that shouldn't hurt a chunky page as far as binding goes. =)

Make sure your paper is going to be able to support the chunkies of course!! ^_^

After reading all the comments I had to join! I have made 10 chunky pages at a time so I think I'm up to the challenge. I hope AC Moore still has the paper I saw the last time I was in Altoona.

Yeah I need to go around my town and see if I can find the paper I was planning on using for this. Otherwise, I'll be buying online. I hate having to do that, but I want to use the paper I'm picturing!! haha

For those of you who have started and/or finished your pages, please remember to leave part of the left side blank to help with binding the pages once we all get them!! Thank you!!

Does anyone have objections to having bare breasted mermaids?

Bring on the boobs!!!! LOL. I think mermaids are creatures of nature and wouldn't be caught up in the morality of humans. I m just saying!....

Woviechick121, will you set up a flicker so we can show off our covers when the books are assembled? I would love to see what everyone else ended up doing!

Im making a total of 12 pages, mainly because I want one of the one I make, and its easier to make 12 than 11. err maybe that doesnt make sense but i like it anyway. i am getting so excited for this swap - i am going to a scrapbook event tomorrow and this is my project to work on for the night ~ Whee!!! I started packing all my bits and pieces for the event and I think its going to be soo cool and I cant wait!

Oh, fishy boobies? well - hey - its almost october, that is breast cancer awareness month - barebreasted mermies can remind us all to check the tatas! Wow, that isnt a sentence I could have pictured myself saying before swapbot!

oohh i better go check my shell supply... later!

If you read my profile I say no nudies, HOWEVER, please don't worry about it! I'm so excited about this swap! Starting my plans now that I've signed up. Woo hoo! Maybe I should change my profile so I don't scare anyone away. :)

@samjowers - We have a group flickr already. There's a link to it on our group homepage.

Hi everyone! I am new to this group and just joined the swap. You all sound like so much fun and I look forward to being a part of this cool project :).

@kimmer haha, that IS a funny sentence, haha. You should use that on your pages!

Heck yeah! Breast cancer awareness mermaids! haha

How do you feel about people who have never done this before? I have NEVER done this before, but I am going to sign up. I will give it my all, and if you don't like it...well...Again I'll give it a good shot.

So with twelve now in the swap, will we be upping partners to eleven? I would hate to miss out on s single page. :) Not sure what the group thinks, but I am game.

I know, I was trying to figure out how I could get that last page from the person I didnt get put with! I am game with 11 partners! if everyone else is! i was planning on doing a one on one with whomever it ended up being.

Dangit. I actually was going to change it right before I assigned, but forgot to change the number. D'OH!! If you would like to send to an 11th person, write whichever person you didn't get on your send list and see if they wouldn't mind getting a page from you. Sorry. I'll make sure to change the numbers for the next series. =)

im sending 11 as well.

Sorry 'bout that. I'll get it next time for sure. X_X

I am sending 11 as well.

no worries @wolviechick - you did an incredible job of putting this all together- thank you!!!

sent a message to cocoa asking for her addy and the lovely Kaiwiopele sent me a message for the same!! i love it when a plan works out!!

same here! Did you notice that everyone has a rating of 5!!!! You all are awsome!!! love working with good people!

Please post here what your preference is for the back page of the journal. Does anyone like cutesy stamped images of manatee in a bikini and a cat swimming underwater? Or would you rather have things that look real, lighthouse, shell, etc? Trying to figure out what to do with the back page? Thanks for your info

I meant my back page of my pages.

Not much into cutesy, but this is your journal page and we will welcome what ever you decide! :D

Mimi7, I agree with samjowers about making the back whatever style reflects YOU and your creativity. That is what makes it so cool to receive each other's individual style of art.

sam and crescendo, thanks for the feedback.

I just finished mine! Pics posted on my Flickr...spoiler alert! :)

Those pages look great. I'm SO jealous of those stamps of yours. haha

Link those to the Mermaid Lovers Unite flickr page after everyone gets their pages for sure! =D

Or before. Either way. haha ;P

Oh my goodness, whew! I can now also say that I finally finished my pages and they are ready to go in envelopes, as soon as I figure out what kind of envelope will keep them from getting bent in the mail. Wow, making 12 of everything was quite an experience! I am so excited to get all the pages from everyone and put the book together. I am going to post my pix to my flickr too (and go look at yours starrgazer!) but I won't link them into the group pool till later, maybe, I don't know, maybe I should do it now so I don't forget, hmmm, decisions!

Mine are being sent out tomorrow! Paint still drying on two! yes, this was quite the endeavor!!! Cant wait to see!

Re shipping, I cut posterboard to size and made two to go one on each side of my pages. i then put it into a bubble envelope.

Mine are done and in the mail!!!!

Wow , all of you are so talented!!! I have already seen how i can improve my artistic endeavors, because I received kimmers, Rheas, and Sams already!!! THey are awesome!!! I cut out my mermaid, and then found just the right material for her body and had to glue that on, and then found some sparkly blue paper for her fin and glued that on. The sea grass was a stamp and then I colored it with copic markers. But I see that all of you are much more advanced than me. I hope no one is disappointed with my page. I will work even harder on the next page!!

@starrgazer I really liked your envelope also and saved the image of the mermaid that was on it. Also I loved the stamps,the birds and butterflies and i saved them also!!

yeah, those postage stamps were pretty impressive and I saved them as well!

I am happy to hear the packaging was to your liking! I just love making my packages look special too. The stamps were supposed to be under water images, bit the post office location I went to was out of them. I still think they were pretty though.

I ordered a really beautiful sheet of mermaid rubber stamps online. they have worked wonderfully.

Mine went out today, I was not able to print my note I wrote to all of you about techniques and showing my excitement, If anyone is interested I'll post it somewhere. Our little stand in printer ran out of battery and I couldn't wait for it to charge. ha

Mine are in the mail!! Hope you like them, each one is a little different. Sorry Sam but they are a little cutesy. Just read all the posts tonight. The 6 I have received are wonderful!! Looking forward to receiving the rest :)

I can live with cutesy! :D