Christmas Craft Challenge 6 of ?

I did manage to finally get some crafting done as the flu started to improve... mainly because I had to get it done. Some of it may have been finished after Christmas... but if anyone asks, I will deny it...!!!

Like previous year's I planned to alter my diary for next year (well this year now). Previously I've bought a diary, altered the cover, taken out some pages I wouldn't use then added in some dividers and extra pages I would use. This year I decided to go whole hog and make my diary from scratch... including printing out the pages of the diary as well as making the covers themselves.
My first decision was what size did I want. I decided, after much umming and ahhing, to make it A4 size... plenty big enough for planning and writing notes. I cut some heavy weight chipboard to size and covered it completely in some heavy weight kraft cardstock. (I have some A3 size so it was big enough to completely cover each chipboard sheet.)
I made some black acrylic mist by adding water to black acrylic paint to a mist bottle. I misted through The Crafter's Workshop "Tiny Circles" 12 x 12 stencil. The home made mist blobbed in some places while in others the pattern stayed quite crisp. To be honest I really like the end result even more than if the whole image had sprayed and held it's image. Once the home made acrylic mist had dried I lightly added texture paste using The Crafter's Workshop "Time Travel" 12 x 12 stencil turning the stencil around to get the images across the front cover how I wanted. (I didn't add any to the back cover).
Once the texture paste was dry, I generously misted both the front and back covers with Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists.

 Above taken without camera flash... LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this!!

 With the camera flash to show off that gorgeous shimmer of the Lindy's mists.

 Back cover (no texture paste).

 Diary covered out to show both back and front covers.

We had a Secret Santa swap at work... gifts to cost less than $10.00. I was gifting to the boss's secretary, Carmen, and wanted to make her something different she could put on her desk at work or have on display at home. Something a little more personal.

I found some mini clipboards (A5 size - so cute!) which just looked perfect. I bought some plates stands to hold it up on display.

I started by painting the edges of the clipboards and a little onto both the front and back with white gesso.

When the paint was dried, I cut some patterned paper to size then adhered it onto both the front and back with Scotch Quick Dry Adhesive. I used the brayer to make sure the paper was well and truly stuck down onto the clipboard.

The "C" was a die cut letter I've had forever. I coloured it using Tim Holtz Distress Inks. Once coloured completely I polished the ink which gave it a nice shine before I then distressed the edges slightly with sandpaper.

To finish off the clipboard I added some I Am Roses flowers which I had misted with coordinating Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists.

I liked Carmen's clipboard so much I then made one for myself... though instead of flowers with the animal print, I added feathers.

The "P" is from the same chipboard alphabet set as the "C" above. As above I coloured the letter with some Lindy's Stamp Gang Mists. Once the mists have dried I stamped across the letter with Archival Ink in Black using one of the stamps from the Classics #2 set from Stampers Anonymous.

 To finish off I added three black rhinestones.