60s and 70s music - altered book pages

i was once in a round robin altered book group where one of the books was featuring music of the 60s and 70s. other than the request to not smoke and not use frangrances in/around the book -- there were really no other requests of limits on the creativity. if possible, we were to do at least 2 - 2-page spreads in each book.

i decided to do a page in remembrance of the infamous plane crash -- the day the music died. for this page, i printed off a page w/ some lyrics on it from the don mclean song "american pie" and glued into the book using mod podge. the i found a picture online of the actual place crash and printed it on light pink tissue paper (*** read warning below about printing on tissue paper!***). i used mod podge and generously coated the book pages and then laid the pink tissue down onto the wet pages.

tissue is so lightweight that it can't handle being moved or stretched or repositioned -- so you pretty much have to get it right the first time or be stuck w/ it. i have found it helpful to fold the tissue to where it will fit into the fold of the book to help me get it positioned right. the gently smooth the tissue out, making sure that it is pressed down against the mod podge all across the page. after the page is dry, trim the edges of the tissue to match the egdes of the page.

the page of elton john was more difficult to decide on, because what can a person do that portrays ALL that elton john has done music-wise and do that on a 2-page spread? so, i decided to put his name/info, his picture, and a list of his most well-known songs (which was about 1/2 of his hits!) and focused on the songs from the 60s and 70s.

this background is just a regular piece of scrapbook paper, measuring 12 x 12. i chose the bright green color because i though it matched his flambouyant personality and performances. then i used bright green tissue paper to print out his name, his pictures and the list of hits. these i glued on top of the background paper, using mod podge. the picture i trimmed around before glueing, but the other pieces i just glued them down and then pulled the excess off after the mod podge had dried. this gave the edges a nice frayed and textured look.

there is no "final finish" coat over these pages because anything (like mod podge) would smear the printer ink. i've since learned, though, that i should print everything in reverse so that it goes on the side of the tissue that is laid down against the mod podge (or glue) and that way it won't smear and it won't be on top and need protected.

***warning on printing on tissue paper***
printing on tissue paper is NOT recommended for you printer, so you take a risk by putting this material in your printer. tissue paper is not strong enough by itself to go through the printer, so it must be attached (taped) to a regular piece of typing paper. the tissue must be larger than then typing paper, as it must wrap around to the back side of the paper to keep the printer from getting hung up on the edges of the tissue paper in the printing process.

i have printed on tissue paper about 30 times and never had any problems, but it is rather tedious in attaching it to another piece of paper. i use the tape roller from scrapbooking, fold my tissue around the typing paper, and leave quite a generous margin. this helps specifically if the book you are working in is larger than a regular piece of typing paper OR if you tear your edges getting the tape off of the tissue.

notice -- now, any time i print something out on tissue, i print the picture or words in reverse so that the ink side is down on the mod podge. then i can still put a finishing coat on the top w/o worrying about smearing the words or designs. if anyone has questions, feel free to ask. suggestions are also welcomed, too!