Last month we shared a few project ideas to help you start making your own background stamped images. As promised this month, here’s a cute Gardener’s Journal idea you can follow along with step-by-step that uses background stamp techniques. Customize your stamped journal to give as a gift or to fit your favorite theme!



Collect these supplies:
• Cardstock: green, ivory, kraft, brown, black, bright green, sage green
• Shipping tags
• Rubber stamps
• Designer Dries Clear Glue (Art Institute)
• Onyx Black, Vintage Sepia Versafine ink pads (Tsukineko)
• Green ink pad - Adirondack Meadow (Ranger Industries)
• Sponge
• Watercolor pencils (Prismacolor)
• Waterbrush
• Choice of binding
• Brown marker





Cut green cardstock and the ivory cardstock to 5 ½” x 8 ½” for use as the covers and pages. Use as many pages as you would like. I made my book with 5 green and 4 ivory pages. Decide how you plan to bind your book and make any holes that will be needed. I used the RubiCoil but you could also tie the pages together with ribbon, use metal snap rings, or any system you prefer.



Use a small, floral background stamp with brown ink to put borders around the edges of the green pages.





To create the cover, cut a 4 ¼” x 5 ¼” piece of brown cardstock. Stamp it with a background stamp that looks like screen or canvas and brown ink. Cut a 3 ¾” x 4 ½” piece of kraft colored cardstock. Stamp it with a harlequin background stamp and green ink. Sponge green ink on the edges and layer the kraft piece over the brown and glue in place. Cut a 3 ½” x 3 ½” piece of cardstock. Using black ink, stamp a garden image on it and sponge green ink around the edges. Color the image with watercolor pencils and a waterbrush. Layer the colored image over a 3 5/8” x 3 5/8” piece of black cardstock and attach over the harlequin layer. Using black ink, stamp dragonflies on a 1” x 4 ¼” strip of bright green cardstock. Glue the bright green strip to the lower edge of the brown layer, overlapping ¼”. Attach the assembled layers to the front cover.





For the pages, cut kraft cardstock to 4 ¼” x 5 ½” and stamp canvas/screen background with brown ink. Cut sage green cardstock to 4 ¼” x 5 ½” and sponge edges with brown ink. Cut ivory cardstock to 3 ¼” x 4 ¼”, sponge edges with brown ink, stamp floral image with black ink, and color in with watercolor pencils and a waterbrush. Glue kraft piece onto a green page, ½” down from the top edge.







Apply glue to 3 sides on the back of the sage piece and glue to page ½” up from the bottom edge; overlapping kraft piece and forming a pocket. Place shipping tags into pocket. Use an assortment of themed stamps to decorate each page.



Use a brown marker to draw horizontal lines onto the ivory pages.



Assemble pages and bind in your preferred style. Now you can enjoy your handmade journal or give it to someone special for their memories.

Additional Supplies:

Rubbernecker Stamps:
• Dragonfly vertical border I-3728
• Butterfly block L-3742
• Mum block K-3732
• Garden block L-3734
• Daisy block K-3738
• Daffodil block K-3740

• Copper Leaf Creations Stamp:
• Small floral background

Hero Arts Stamp:
• Large Harlequin Background S3413

Stampin’ Up! Stamp:
• Canvas background

RubiCoil Binding (Akiles)

To find the products mentioned in this article and shown in these layouts, check with your local scrapbook retailer. Browse our Premier Retail Stores for coupons to a store near you.