Hi Friends
Today in between work I thought I would start my next lesson with Johanna and complete my inside cover and first double page in my Nameless Vintage Art Journal 🙂
Month: May 2019
“2019/2020 Junque Planner”
Hi Friends,
Hope you are having a nice start to the week. I am not up to much just working and resting! I have just made myself a new planner as my other one has been used quite a lot and I decided I wanted a new one! I am not into planning in a big way, I just need to to be able to record my work, appointments, etc and why not have a pretty journal to do this in!
This time I have used a recycled book cover. I just used some pattern paper from my stash for the inside of the covers. I extended the spine when I removed the pages to give me a bit more room and just used some cardboard to reinforce it. I liked the look of it so I didn’t add any cloth tape over it like I usually do. It’s a bit more rustic like me 🙂
I usually put 6 months at a time in my journal, but I have the whole 12 months ready to use. I work with different clients and have two rosters, so keping track of my days is essential. I have used my coffee dyed paper in this with unused Project Life cards left over. I used one for each day to give me a good amount of space to journal on.
I didn’t want to much on the cover, I used some collaged pattern paper and some washi tape. For the binding, I added some nice mushroom coloured trim and then some lovely brown organza ribbon to hold the signatures in. I just added a key embellishment to it. It is now ready for me to add my never-ending work roster and be in control of at least my daily work routine!!!
Maybe I have inspired you to create a lovely journal to keep track of your life also. I would love to hear from you if you do!
Happy Junking
Kerri x
“Recycled Junk Journal Tutorial – Part 4”
Hi Friends,
I am feeling a bit under the weather today as my back has been playing up and work is pretty hard yakka at the moment. I am resting up today and thought I might catch you up on my Tutorial if you are following along 🙂
PART 1 – “HERE”
PART 2 – “HERE”
PART 3 – “HERE”
STEP 6 – Now we are on to making our signatures (a bundle of 6-8 pages) You can use whatever you have for this part. You can find a list I have put together for you “HERE”
As my book is larger than the standard say 5 x 7 journal I measured the length of my book and doubled it to get the right size pages. I then had to tape my pages together and they have an overlap which isn’t a problem as some I am using as pockets. I have made four lots of approx 8-10 pages for my Journal. You just make enough that will fit into the spine of your book. If you want to heavily embellish your pages, then less is better.
As you can see above I have used a variety of paper and ‘junk in signatures to create the book. I used a fair bit of scrapbook paper from my stash, coffee dyed paper, envelopes and doilies plus vellum, music sheets, book and ledger pages. You just fold them all in half and collate them to what order pleases you.
Above is a stack of signatures I have made for my new 2019/20 Planner which I have been working on this week also. You can see how the pages are created here ready to go into my Journal.
These are the 5 signatures I have completed for my Botanical Journal. I used a good mix of papers in it and happy with how they have come together.
STEP 7 – Now, it is time to bind your pages into your book, ready to use. There are quite a lot of different ways to do this, but the easiest I find is called the
Easy Twine Method and requires no sewing or special tools. This is the video I used from YouTube and is very easy to follow “HERE”
First of all, put my signatures in order that I want to bind them.
As this journal is quite large, I am not using Twine as I don’t want it to rip my pages as it will have a bit of weight. Instead, am using a mix of my coffee dyed seam binding, trim and lace. I have decided also to tie each binding separate so the weight is evener. You will also find your journal will open flat to work in.
You can either tie one signature at a time straight into it or as I am doing above, I am tieing my trims on first to get them evenly space along the spine. They will move a little when you are using your book but that is fine as you can just slide them back.
I ended up trimming my pages down a smidge as they were getting caught as I put them through the binding. You just go to the centre of each lot of pages and gently coax them into the middle.
This is how each signature will look as you place them through each binding. Once you have them all in, I close the book, then work the biding and the pages to get them back even.
Your lovely new book will stand up nicely on it’s own and open to show all the pretties and ‘junque’ you have added to it to make it your own!!
Your lovely journal is now complete to this stage and now you can embellish it to your heart’s content. I will be adding some pockets and tuck spots plus adding stamping and lots of other items. I will create another post for you with some great video tutorials for you to make ephemera for your journals plus show you what I have created for it!
I hope you have joined in my Step by Step and you have completed a journal for yourself. I would love to hear from you if you do!!!
Now to clean up my disaster of a messy table to start again!!!
Happy Junking
Kerri x
“Items To Use In Your Junque Journals”
Hi There
As I have been creating the JJ Tutorial for you, I thought it would be a good idea to do a list of items you can use in your Journals. You will get to know what to use and nothing is off limits. If you want to include it then go ahead!!
MY “MAMMOTH” LIST FOR THINGS TO COLLECT FOR ART & JUNK JOURNALS
Whether you are just starting in making junk journals or have been doing it forever, one of the things you will probably do at some point is starting to gather ephemera and collage supplies for your junk journals.
Sometimes this can be tricky – where do you start? Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be hard to find things to use in your art and junk journals – and many of these things can be found for free or super cheap!
Old Interesting Books & Magazines: This is probably one of my favourite go-to supplies for junk journals! I love to look for anthologies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, kids books, books of quotes and poetry and of course magazines! Books in other languages can also be fun to use.
Junk Mail: Another obvious one – you’d be surprised how great junk mail can be! You can use the patterns on old security envelopes for bank and credit card statements, or cover those gigantic glossy postcards with some gesso and use them as a mini-canvas
Sheet Music: You never know where you might find sheet music or what type you might find! I’ve found some great treasures at Thrift Stores and Garage Sales.
Old Sewing Patterns: These tissue-paper-like sewing patterns make for great photo transfer backgrounds and texture in your art journal!
Scrapbook Paper Lots: If you are a memory keeper/paper crafter like I am then you probably have quite a stash of paper.
Postage Stamps: I like to save these from letters I get in the mail and then use as ephemera in journals.
Stickers: You can find stickers cheap at the cheap and thrift stores. Just keep in mind if you are shopping at thrift stores, stickers that are older usually won’t “stick” – be prepared to paste them on with a glue stick or matte gel medium.
Playing Cards: Playing cards are great to use as tags or journal cards in your journals. You can also use them to make your own altered cards for Artist Trading Cards or create an inspiration deck.
Old Games: Often times at thrift stores and estate sales you can find a lot of old beat up games with assorted paper pads, playing pieces, and game cards.
Bingo Cards: These are super cheap even if you buy them new, but it’s fun to stumble across a vintage pack of them at a market too!
Greeting Cards: Finding assorted bags of greeting cards, invitations, thank you notes, valentines, postcards and more is pretty common at most thrift shops and garage sales!
Wrapping Paper: There are so many ways to use wrapping paper in your art journals! Whether you cut out the pictures and glue them in or use them as texture – the possibilities are endless.
Tissue Paper & Napkins: These can be a lot of fun for adding texture and image transfers on your pages. I also like to stamp on plain tissue paper with archival ink and create my own.
Old Journals, Address Books, Planners & Notebooks: You can find all sorts of interesting journals and binders at thrift stores. These are great for transforming into junk journals!
Notebook paper, Notepads, Stationary: I love looking for to-do list types of notepads and pretty stationary paper.
Paper Clips & Binder Clips: You can always use these in some way in your journals. They are great for keeping pages to stay down flat while painting, use as a bookmark, or even use to attach tags, cards, or envelopes in the journal.
Concert and Event Flyers: You can often find these for free in small restaurants, cafes and bars. Not only for junk journals – these are a great way to discover new artists and events happening near you!
Interesting Business Cards: Vintage business cards can be a lot of fun – or you can always create an artful directory with business cards from people you know for a creative address book.
Coffee Cup Cozies: Next time you are at a coffee shop, save one of those cardboard coffee cup cozies – they make for great texture in a journal or collage!
Matchbooks: I would recommend removing old matches safely of course first – but many vintage matchbooks have some pretty nifty designs.
Ticket Stubs: If you go somewhere with tickets, hang on to the stubs! This is a great ephemera to have when you are making travel or memory-keeping types of junk journals. I also like to keep the tickets from 50-50 raffles and basket raffles.
Travel Brochures: You can find these on your travels or just go into a Travel Agency. They are free and great Junk to add to your creations.
Receipts – These are great ephemera, add them to your journal for a way to keep some memories.
Old Keys: Old keys are another great thing to keep an eye out for. I am always finding old keys at estate sales or even in my own garage – and I have no idea what the keys ever went to! Often times these are little keys for combination locks, though once in a while I get lucky and find some old vintage skeleton keys.
Photographs: If you have old photos, scan them into digital format to preserve and print out for artwork! This is a great way to include those old vintage photos of family members and friends without damaging or destroying the originals.
Maps & Atlases: Need some direction? Maps make for great texture and background pages in all sorts of types of creative work!
Fabric Scraps: There are so many great ways to use fabric scraps. Whether you are making a fabric textile collage or using them to create journal covers. – there are lots of great options!
Ribbons, Yarn, Twine and String: You can use ribbons and twine to add some decorative flair to almost any journal, or even tie around the binding of a composition notebook to give it some strength as you start adding in more papers and items. You can also use embroidery thread to hand stitch some neat patterns onto your pages or journal covers.
Mail Order Catalogs: I like these types of catalogues because there are often a lot of neat things you can cut-out and use just as you would for magazines. Some of the catalogues we regularly get from my husband’s business are more like telephone book newsprint paper, and these are great for adding texture or even paper mache projects.
Cereal Boxes: Cereal boxes are great to use for journal covers since they are made of nice cardboard. You can also use the plastic cereal bags to add texture or use for stamping into the paint for making some interesting backgrounds.
Lolly Wrappers: Have a favourite Lolly? Why not save the wrapper and add it into the journal? This can be a lot of fun to do with different types of wrappers for all sorts of texture and theme ideas.
Tea Bags: My son and I are Tea-a-holics so no shortage of Tbags here. I drink different green teas also so they are nice and colourful to add to journals.
Fruit/Vegetable Netting: Oranges, Lemons, and Onions often come in bags that are made of this plastic mesh netting. That netting is perfect for adding texture into your art journal pages with gesso or even using as a stamp.
Packaging From Things You Buy: There’s always inspiration to find in packages from things you buy. Maybe it’s the assembly directions for a piece of furniture you bought or an interesting design on some sort of product package. Maybe those packing peanuts from that package in the mail could be used as stamps!
Tags From Clothes and Fashion Accessories: I love saving the tags from the clothes I buy for myself because they are already the perfect size and shape for my journals. These are perfect for painting over with your own designs or even using as-is.
Labels from Soaps and Bath & Beauty Products: Not only are soap labels cute to decorate with – often times they can add a nice soft scent to your journal! It’s also the perfect excuse to treat yourself to a nice bar of your favourite soap!
Cardboard Boxes: I love cardboard boxes because there are so many ways to use them for journaling and other different crafty projects. I use them a lot to make the bones of my Journals.
Paper Roll Tubes: From Paper Towels to TP rolls, these are great to use for all sorts of things! Glue some foam shapes on them and you have a fun texture roller for your paint. Flatten them and they are the perfect size to use as pockets and envelopes for tags. These can also be used for mark making and stamps!
Great places to find these things are: around your home, markets, second-hand shops, Estate sales, Garage sales and local buy/swap/sell groups, FaceBook, eBay, Etsy, Cheap Shops, ask family and friends!
To Finish off this MAMMOTH LIST– Anything that is flat can be used in your junk/art journal.
As you find things and you start a bit of a collection you will need some sort of storage for it. I use the storage that I already have and I have my Raskog cart set up with my most used supplies. I can have it near me when working and out of the way when I’m not. I love it!!
I hope my “little list” helps you get started collecting bits and pieces for your junk journals. It’s up to you what you want to include and you will have your favourites 🙂
Happy Hunting!
Kerri x
“Nameless Vintage Art Journal Class -Adding Beads & Charms”
Hi Fellow Junque Journalers,
I’m back with the next instalment of JOHANNA’S class. I am having a great creative time playing along with her class and I am looking forward to starting to work in the journal 🙂
This week our challenge was to add charms and things to the binding of our journal. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to add to it but I found some Tim Holtz keys I forgot I had, a couple of charms and an old bracelet that had my initial on it plus a watch piece that my boys gave me a long time ago when they were younger. I love how it came together and it makes a lovely tinkling sound when I move it 🙂
I hope you are playing along with us, I am really enjoying learning some new ideas from Johanna 🙂
Happy Junking
Kerri x
“Recycled Junk Journal Tutorial – Part 3
Hi Friends,
I hope you are playing along with me and you are ready to decorate the inside and out of your Journal covers. There are many options out there for you and most of you will have your own style! Sometimes I like to use pattern papers, lace, fabric etc, then other times I like to go with a bit of mixed media!
Above are a few different ways I have decorated some of my journal covers. Most of mine are pretty girly and each one is used for different things I create. I like using fabric and twine, trims and flowers, stamping, collage, die cuts rubons, stickers and other bits and bobs to make them my own.
From the top row left, is my Daphne’s Diary Journal that is like a glue book I stick magazine cuttings and things, I like in it. Next is my Fur baby Memory Journal, A Book About Me, and my 2019 Memory Journal.
The middle two are my art journal and another photo journal that I used eyelets and seam binding for the binding.
The bottom row is a journal for my Prima Paper Dolls, an ATC Journal, 365-day journal for 2018 and just a Journal I just junk in. Phew, I have been busy!!!!
STEP 5 –
Decorate your covers outside in your own style. Just create and enjoy the process. I always think I never do it right, but it’s “what YOU LOVe and no one else that defines your creations”
I just measure the length and width of the covers and cut the pattern papers a smidge smaller. Mine are 8.25 x 11.5″ I used strong double sided tape and glue over the top to adhere them to the covers.
This large Journal is going to be a Botanical JJ that I can add all the bits and pieces I have collected. I have lots of stamps that I want to use in it also. The back of the JJ is on the right with just a lovely image from a book and I have Collaged the front cover with stuff from my stash. I have used the black tape as a border on my covers and it makes the college stand out. I used book page, images are torn out of a gardening book, die cuts, washi tape, Prima pattern paper on the background, and Distress oxide ink on the edges of papers and die-cuts. I really enjoyed putting this together. I think the quote says it all for me 🙂
For the inside, I used two more pieces of the Prima paper and just glued them down. I added a small embellishment and a pocket on the front inside to hold images, tags etc as I am embellishing it later on. I just added another piece of the pp on the spine to finish it off. You won’t see a lot of it once we do the binding 🙂
PART 4 of this tutorial will be making the pages and the signatures ( a bundle of pages put together) and binding them in. I do quite an easy way to bind your journal, which involves no sewing, as I am lazy and not a big sewer!
Stay Tuned 🙂
Happy Junk Journaling
Kerri x
Recycled Junk Journal – PART 2″
Hi Friends,
I am back to show you the next steps to creating your very own Junque Journal! Ok, so you have your box of choice cut down to the size you want to use to create in and you have strengthened it with some extra chippy or cardboard.
You can find PART 1 HERE!
STEP 3 –
I like to use some duct or book tape next to cover the spine and around the edges of the journal. I buy mine here in Australia at our local Bunnings Hardware store. If you don’t want to do this step, that is up to you but it makes a big difference to the durability of your book. There are also other bookmaking supplies you can use like canvas or book cloth but I like to use what I have and not buy extra supplies if I don’t need to.
I use my craft mat to lay it on, but a non-stick surface is great too. I just add lengths of the tape to cover the spine and where it folds. I make the tape longer than needed and then it gets folded over on the other side.
I then add tape on this side also to strengthen it and tidy it up. I fold it up and out and use a bone folder or scissors to get into the folds of the spine and make sure it is stuck down well.
STEP 4 –
You can now add the tape around the edges to make them sturdier also. I just cut it across the corners and folded it neatly in. I did this on the outside, then turned it over and tidied it up.
Now, your cover will look like this and be nice and sturdy. It doesn’t matter what it looks like as you will be covering it up and embellishing it. I hope you are enjoying my Step by Step so far.
The next part will be the covers and inside of the journal! Have a think about what you would like to do with these. The possibilities are endless!
Happy Junking
Kerri x
“Recycled Junk Journal Tutorial” – PART 1
Hi Friends,
Happy Mother’s Day to everyone in Australia! I am having a chillax at home today and playing with my Junque Journals
I thought you might like to see how I make my Junk Journals from cereal box/cardboard! This is a STEP X STEP and you are Welcome to play along!
SUPPLIES:
You only need basic items like scissors or a cutter, double-sided tape or glue, your box and some extra cardboard or chipboard.
STEP 1 –
Open the box up by cutting one edge, then you can either glue the tabs up or cut them off. I like to cut them off then use my cutter to get a nice straight edge.
If this is your first go at making one you are probably best to go for a smaller box or something like a biscuit box to start with.
STEP – 2
This one is 12 x 8.75″, and the spine is 2.75″. I decided on making a larger one, as I want the journal to give me more real estate to play with 🙂 I also cut extra chipboard or cardboard to strengthen the spine and covers as mine are handled quite a bit. I glue these on with a strong PVA glue and give them time to dry properly.
Another good way to adhere them is strong double-sided tape then go over with a glue stick. Just make sure you leave a little bit of a gap and don’t put the edge of the chipboard right up against the spine as you will need a little room for it to open and close. I always do the covers and the spine by cutting them a little smaller than your box.
I keep the cardboard that is usually found on the back of 12×12 paper pads and also you could use an extra cereal box or any other cardboard/chipboard you have.
I just wanted to show you this one, which is quite large at 7.5 x 10″ The spine is about 4″ wide and I have also made one 6×12″ These are Memory Journals. They are so much fun to create in 🙂
This Vita Brits box, I am altering to make a journal that will be 7.5 x 8.5″ and its spine is a bit bigger @ 3.5″. If you have any questions please feel free to leave me a comment 🙂
Stay Tuned for PART 2 which I will have for you in the next couple of days.
Happy Journaling
Kerri x
“A Peek @ My Craft Space”
Hi Crafty Friends,
If you are new to my blog and Junque Journaling you might like a look at my Craft Space and how I store my crafty goodness! My space is in one part of our lounge room and my kitchen also has a few bits and bobs hiding in there also. At the moment my youngest son who is 21, is still home, but moving out in the near future I hope!! I want his room, so he is on notice lol!
Anyway, making the best of what I have, I found some useful furniture items. I am lucky to have some custom built storage and I have upcycled a few pieces too. I think I am going well as I haven’t moved it around for quite a while!
I have had a big corner desk for about 5 years and it is awesome. This half unit is on it and it holds some of my mixed media stuff like sprays, inks, glue, etc. The draws hold journaling stuff, pens, my small tools, tapes, labeller etc. On the top is my larger tools in the jug, my JJ basket has ephemera I have been collecting and which I must get some into my journal and my daubers on the end. I have a large Heidi Swapp non-stick mat on the desk at the front of this unit.
My computer sits to the left of this and I have a WRMK magnetic mat on the desk to protect it from the mess I make!! As it has a large ruler with it, it is very useful for holding items if I cut them with a blade.
This beauty sits behind me on a bookshelf and holds, 6×6 paper pads, stamp boxes which I use for storage, punches, wood stamps, my washi tape storage and small tools.
Across from my desk, near the huge lounge window, I have this repurposed bar with another shelf unit on top with stamps, my ink pad storage, ephemera folio and another paper storage unit. The tall books shelf is mainly 12 x 12 paper and cs. It also has large music sheet books and other different papers.
Next, to the vertical paper storage unit, I have some cube storage and a large paper storage unit, which I use to store lots of different supplies like tags, journaling stuff, ephemera and some stamps which are stored in tough plastic envelopes. My Raskog cart sits there when not in use 🙂 On the top of the cubes sits a spice rack for embellishment storage and some of my journals I have made, you will see sitting in the cubes.
I have just set my Raskog Cart up to hold my JJ goodies. It has some larger envelopes with found items, tags, stencils and different papers, on the top shelf. There is a box which holds napkins, paper doilies, fabric, tissue paper etc on the second shelf. The bottom shelf holds some mixed media tools like watercolour paper, paints and twine. The red buckets on the side hold pencils, distress crayons and markers. I have magnetic tins on the side of the cart that are excellent to hold metal embellishments, buttons, pearls my prima alpha stamps and other bits.
My Bigshot Plus and my dies etc are in the kitchen on a table I picked up from an op shop about 4 years ago. I also have a bit of a ‘mixed media’ station set up with a couple of non-stick mats and a spray box.
I am Greateful to have a craft space and some lovely items to use and store my supplies in. It may not be a fancy room with everything that opens and shuts, but its mine 🙂
I hope you may have found some inspiration for your spaces or some ideas for your JJ goodies,
Thanks for stopping by and please feel free to leave me a comment and let me know about your blog. I will hop on over and have a look too.
Happy Junking
Kerri x
“Altered Book”
Hi Junkers,
You might be wondering what is an “ALTERED BOOK”. Well…..
An altered book is a form of mixed media or artwork that changes a book from its original form into a different form, altering its appearance and/or meaning.
An altered book artist takes a book (old, new, recycled or multiple) and cuts, tears, glues, burns, folds, paints, adds to, collages, rebinds, gold leaf, creates pop-ups, rubber-stamps, drills, bolts, and/or be-ribbons it. The artist may add pockets and niches to hold tags, ephemera, or other three-dimensional objects. Some change the shape of the book or use multiple books in the creation of the finished piece of art.
Altered books may be as simple as adding a drawing or text to a page, or as complex as creating an intricate book sculpture.
I have started two altered books and this time I have decided to take some of the pages out and replacing them with new, instead of taking all the pages out and just using the cover!
As you can see it has a lovely cover and I am not sure what I want to do with it just yet. The book had over 200 pages and I have removed about 3/4 of them and made some pockets in it and it now has about 20 sturdy pages. It is a lot thinner than it was. If you don’t take pages out it will get too bulky and you will end up damaging the spine and it will fall apart.
The books and pictures I found above on the weekend @ a Book Festival that I went to with my sister and niece near Ballarat. They have the loveliest drawings and letters printed in them and they were only a few dollars each. I am saving them to add to other projects and maybe put a few back into the book as embellishments on tags, pockets, etc. I even found a really old cookbook to add a bit to my Recipe Junque Journal.
This is a smaller one and I have removed over 250 pages and condensed it to what you see above. The marks on the paper are where I am making pockets for extra goodies and so I know where they are when working on it. This is going to be a very textile book using fabric, trims, lace etc.
There is a lovely lady on Youtube called CRAFTYIRINA and I use her method of removing pages, creating pockets, etc. Her video is “HERE”
I hope you will pop back and check out my progress on my books. I am hoping soon to be starting a YouTube channel of my own, which will have lots of what I create, ideas, tutorials etc!
Happy Junking
K x
"The Junque Journalist" 