This was made for my partner @wendiek in the recent Go Bananas Swap. I was inspired by two of her Pinterest boards - art journals and prayer flags, so this blend of the two was born. I painted sheets slightly smaller than the pages in the book and then stuck them in - I was not quite brave enough to paint directly into the book, but think I would be if I made another. I pulled out about half of the pages in the book, which allowed space for the 3d elements on some pages.
I stuck the backgrounds into the book in a completely random order (remember this point when you get to R! 
). I set up all the words/quotes in Word, using a whole range of fonts and printed them onto a heavy paper. I cut them out and stuck them in, in order, and then went to town with my box of markers/sharpies/metallic gel pens/etc.
Lastly I embellished each page with a random assortment of bits and pieces - ribbons, flowers, gems, etc. Dependent on how I had painted the page, I added more or less to the page. I finally had to stop when I could barely close the book.
The front of the book was decorated with a napkin - I was hoping the butterfly print would show through the glitter more than it did, but I do quite like the outcome anyway. I laid this over a ribbon which could be tied to keep the book closed, as it tended to bounce open without it.
My favourite pages keep changing, but I do love F and R specifically. And I loved the journey of making it - I learnt a lot about just letting go and not overthinking the finished item, but letting it grow almost organically.
Front cover
Accomplish
Bliss
Clarity
Dreams
Excellence
Flowers
Gezelligheid (description from wikipedia - a Dutch word which, depending on context, can be translated as conviviality, coziness, fun. It is often used to describe a social and relaxed situation.)
Hoop (Dutch for hope)
Imagine
Je - I had to be a little sneaky on this one, as it was a quote my partner loved, but she loved the Dutch version, so I filled in most of the other letters and popped this one in on a blank letter towards the end, as I could have used it for a range of letters. It translates to “Your life would be very empty if you had nothing to regret”
Kindness
Liefde - Dutch for love
Mindfulness
Nurture
Optimist
Persist
Question
Rainbow - this placement of the background was a complete happy accident 
Straight
Time
Uplifting
Voorpret - Dutch for anticipation
Wees - Translates to “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”
X-rays
Yourself
Zielsverwant Dutch for soulmate or kindred spirit
