Hello

This week I am sharing notebooks (nothing new there!) where I worked with Tyvek to create the notebook covers and to add organic detailing.

What I learned, quickly, is how beautiful it is to work with Walnut Ink Crystals and Lustres to stain the Tyvek. Let's just say I enjoyed the process so much that I continued to stain several sheets of Tyvek.

Unfortunately, due to the quality of light, I was unable to capture the beauty of the merging stains on the finished notebook and the way the Lustre catches the light.

I am unable to share the video of the process of staining the Tyvek but I will aim to share on my profile page on Facebook.

Supplies

Pack of 15 sheets of Tyvek (I worked with the 150gsm sheet)
That's Crafty! Clear Stamp Set Lynne's Word Flowers Set 1
That's Crafty! Lustre Sray Aubergine
That's Crafty! Lustre Spray Gold
StazOn Solvent Ink Pad  Jet Black
Heat Tool (HERE)
Craft Knife
Mister Bottle (HERE)
Large, soft brush
Bone Folder
Craft Mat (HERE)
Black Waxed Thread
Page Inserts - Watercolour Paper

Instructions

Both sides of the Tyvek were stained but I ensured one side was completely dry before preparing the flip side. I chose to air dry the staining which does mean that this stage of requires patience!

If you are new to working with Tyvek, keep in mind this is quite different to the qualities we expect when we work with paper. The stain will appear as though it is sitting on top of the Tyvek but go with the flow, continuing to apply the colours and then leave it alone to air dry and the magic will happen.  Only if the stain is flowing over the edges, that is when I would use rice/teabag paper to mop up any excessive stain. It is worth noting that the colours will dry much lighter.

(Photo shows instruction leaflet provided with the Tyvek, behind the leaflet is the plain Tyvek and on the right, the sheets I stained)

Apply the walnut ink to the Tyvek first, wait a few moments or as I did, prepare a few sheets with the walnut stain before returning to the first sheet. Lightly mist with water, to create wicking. Now to spray the Aubergine Lustre first and in smaller amounts, Lustre Gold. I then, once again, misted with water. Leave to dry completely before flipping over to do the very same to the rear side.

Now, I am not sure if it was the combination of the walnut ink and sprays being wet on wet or if it was the fact it was on Tyvek and not an absorbent surface or due to misting with water after the application of the Lustres, once the Tyvek dried, the colour combinations were different to what I anticipated as the outcome but I was thrilled with the result.

Cut Tyvek with craft knife, to required size for each notebook cover.  It will not tear, you need to cut it. Tyvek folds easily but to create crisp folds, I like to use a Bone Folder.

By staining both sides of the Tyvek it means the inside covers are also stained and Tyvek is so durable, no need to back the Tyvek onto greyboard or suchlike unless you wanted a hardback style notebook. This photo shows the inside cover of one of the completed notebooks.

Prepare page inserts, I chose watercolour paper, cut to size for each notebook, guided by the dimensions of the Tyvek cover, cutting the inserts within the dimensions. Bind with simple three hole pamphlet stitch, with black waxed thread.

On two of the notebooks I embellished with heated Tyvek. Cut two strips of Tyvek and working on silicone craft mat begin to heat the strips, one at a time. It will begin to curl and bubble and depending on how much heat is directed at the Tyvek, holes can appear.

Remember, it can be hot to touch!

Next step, stamp onto covers with Word Flower stamps then time to embellish two of the notebooks with the heated Tyvek pieces.

Here are some detail photos of the notebooks.

The melted piece added to the front of the notebook enhances the organic feel of the staining on the Tyvek covers.

The dark line near the top of this notebook is where I allowed the Lustre Gold to run before laying the Tyvek flat, to air dry.

On the Imagine notebook, the Tyvek was folded in half to form a "hinge" detailing.

On the rear of this particular notebook, I selectively inked up "imagine" only from the Word Flower, stamping on the horizontal.

They are such simple notebooks to make but the possibilities are there to take them several steps further, making a notebook from one sheet of Tyvek instead of these smaller versions. 
What about adding machine or handstitching to the Tyvek which can also be heated after the stitches have been made.

Tyvek is something which expands the creative life of any Mixed Media artist and some of the joy in working with it is the unpredictability of the outcome after applying paints/sprays and leaving to dry and the transformation when it is heated. I was impressed that none of the Lustre was lost once the sheets were dry.

If you own a die cutting machine, you have a whole new world of possibilities to play with Tyvek.