I’ve been going back through the pages of The Octopode Factory storybook/Art Journal and trying to find creative ways to add the text of the actual story.  The last page I completed was interactive with movable parts.  I really liked how it turned out and the kids I have read it to enjoyed the interactive element as well.

The critics have spoken (aka little girls at the park and my friends kids) and they really love the Lily character from the Under the Sea Page.  *”Lily” is actually a real person and the creative mastermind behind “The Octopode Factory.”  In order to make this book enjoyable for children I have to think like a kid and tell the story in a way that will intrigue them.  For this journal page I channeled my inner little girl and thought about the things I most enjoyed as a child.  Well, dolls and dress up were the first things that came to mind.  Try as I might a 3 dimensional doll would never fit inside a book so I decided to create paper dolls with images from The Octopode Factory.

 

 

This may have been…no it WAS…the most fun I have had on a project in a long time!  Who doesn’t love to color and play dress up with paper dolls?

 

All those pretty dresses!  Did you have one of those Barbie carrying cases that turned into a closet when you were a kid?  I did.  I wanted to recreate something similar within the journal page and make a “Closet” to hang the paper doll dresses.

Knock-knock!  ” Who’s there?”  ‘Your imagination…what will you imagine today?’  “Hmmm…I’m imagining a magical place and I’m pretty sure this is the door that will take me there!”

*They do not sell small hinges at Jo-ann’s or Michael’s so I had to swing by the Home Depot for the hinge pictured.  The “Screws” are actually brads attached to grunge board.  I really love how the hinge looks when the book is closed.

Welcome to the Dress Up closet.  Who would you like to be today?  Here is the key to Unlock your imagination.  You can be anyone or anything here.

How adorable are the Hanger Clips from Tim Holtz idea-ology?  I want to make paper doll dresses all day just so I can put them on tiny hangers.  The “hooks” are star brads that I flipped over and curled up.  I wanted to make the dresses removable so kids could “try them on” the characters.  Magnets were glued to the backs of the paper doll dresses and I used a Tim Holtz Hardware findings die to cut magnets for the door with my sizzix.  I don’t know why I never thought to cut magnets with my sizzix before!  This discovery has definitely opened a new “door”.

 

How to Make Paper Dolls

I printed out the dresses of several different characters from The Octopode Factory.  “Lily” is actually Jolee from the Somewhere girls collection.  I replaced her dress with one from the Steampunk collection.  All of the images were colored with Copic Markers and mounted on chipboard with Mod Podge.

*Here’s something new Mod Podge now has Acrylic sealers.  Since the kids tend to get a little handsy when I read the book to them my image need to be sealed well.  I really like the new Mod Podge Sealer.  You can see the difference between the Matte and Gloss sealer in the photo above.

To create a colorful background on your chipboard elements spray Dylusions spray inks onto a craft sheet.  I also sprayed Perfect Pearls Mist to blend the colors and add shimmer.  Once the ink is dry use a background stamp to stamp with Archival ink and emboss with Ranger Holographic for extra sparkle!

 

The theme of this art journal page is all about Fairy tales and dress up.  It’s all about using your imagination to become anything you want.  With the removable Paper Doll dresses the reader can play around with different looks.  What do I want to be today?  Maybe a princess, or the bell of the ball, or perhaps Alice in Wonderland!  Art Journals are always fun to look at but by adding interactive elements you can open up new worlds and maybe a few “Doors” as well.  It’s easy to do just use your imagination!

Hope you have a chance to play dress up today!

Amy*

The Octopode Factory Storybook

Linking to:

Sizzix: I Spy Saturday

Art Journal Everyday

Frilly and Funky

*I order all of my mists and sprays from Funky Junkie

Tagged as: art journal, Copic Marker, Dylusions Spray Inks, embossing, fridge magnets, Mod Podge, Paper Dolls, sizzix, The Octopode Factory, Tim Holtz