A Tree House .. A Free House ..

I am excited to say that I have finally started on my Sketchbook Project .. I only received it in the beginning of the summer !  I think part of the reason it has taken me this long to get started is the theme that I chose.  I saw Treehouse and was immediately drawn to it due to my love for these fun and out of doors type of home.  I always wanted a treehouse as a kid but never did have one .. probably because there weren't really an trees that would have been a good fit for one.

So I am living vicariously through my sketchbook and I am really liking how it is coming out !  I wanted to keep the cover somewhat simple .. I used a rub on of a tree and a stamped image of a house that I colored with golden acrylics and outlined in black with my Pitt pen.  I found the words Tree House on a vintage children's book page so I knew it was waiting to be used for this project !

The first page of the inside is a cute little manila tag with bakers twine attached to it .  The little tree is from a piece of scrapbook paper ..and the tiny house is colored with sharpie markers -- it is from Studio Calico's wood veneer line.  I think it is sooooo cute !   The wee little owl and mushroom are from scrapbook paper also.

I added a piece of Tim Holtz's masking tape and cut the text from  a vintage storybook page.

The first 2 page spread is pretty much how the sketchbook will progress.. using different color themes for the backgrounds, trees and houses .

The backgrounds are pieces of scrapbook paper glued on top of watercolor paper which I deckled on the edges. I wanted to make the pages a little more "heavy" since the actual journal pages are quite thin.  I like  how the added pages are really giving the book a thicker and more sturdy feel when you hold it .
The trees were free online templates that I found which I cut out and traced onto vintage dictionary pages.  I colored them with colorbox inks and copic markers. 

The sweet little houses are all stamps from the Dylusions line .. she has some of the best stamps .. I would love to have the whole collection !  Coloring them in with paints and markers is so fun .. some of the color combos I used are quite quirky :)
The poem I am using throughout the journal is from Dr. Suess's "A Tree House "

I am so glad that this project isn't just for those who have the amazing talent of knowing how to draw .. although learning to draw is on my long list of things to try !
I will be back throughout the week with more page layouts and I hope to have the book done within the next couple weeks so I can get it sent safely on it's way to the Brooklyn library :)