“JJ Tutorial – Part 1 – Making The Covers”

Hi There,

I am making a new journal and I was asked by Alicia to create a Step By Step Tutorial to go with it, for a lovely group of ladies, that are in Papercraft Secrets group on FaceBook. If you don’t know my favorite color is Blue and that is the theme of this one 🙂  A Junk Journal can be used for many things like a memory book, an art journal, a recipe book, for keeping ephemera like tickets, postcards, receipts, their uses are limitless!!!

I hope you enjoy my step by step and you might like to play along to……………..The first thing you need will be a few things from your craft stash to make it which is listed below………..

We are going to use cereal or some sort of box/cardboard that already has a spine. You can also use a book cover with its pages removed. I like the softness of the cereal box but a harder cover is great also. If you are new to making them I would start small for your first one to get the hang of it, but that is up o you. A good size is 5×7 or 6×8 to start with, but you can be adventurous if you like!  I am partial to large journals with big spines, like the one I am showing you here.

SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR COVER

You only need basic items like scissors or a cutter, double-sided tape or glue, your box, and some extra cardboard or chipboard to make the covers. I like to use the backing of paper pads, which is still a good strenth but not too stiff. For the spine, I like to use the chipboard as it supports the pages inside.

 

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 or ruler and blade on my cutting mat, to get a nice straight edge. Cut it down to the size that you are comfortable with. The spine on my box is quite large but a smaller box will, of course, give you a smaller spine. Depends on how many pages you want in your journal to play with 🙂

Now you have the cover measured and cut you can cut some light chipboard/card to a smidge smaller than the size of your covers. don’t forget your spine piece!

My covers are 8×10, but I may cut them down a smidge yet. I cut my extra cardboard a 1/4 of an inch smaller.

 

STEP 2 –  Next you need to glue on the extra pieces you are using to strength your journal 🙂 I like using double-sided oh so sticky tape that I get from Craft Online. It is the best I have found so far 🙂

Use the 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 what you made the covers.

 

STEP 3 – This step is to strengthen your covers a little with some cloth or duct tape. I get mine at Bunnings. You could also use fabric, etc. You can use whatever color suits your journal. I know you can get printed ones also. I like either white or black for my journals.

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.

Fold the tape around the edges as shown above and make sure it’s well adhered.

Now add tape on this side over what was there down the spine and make sure it’s stuck down well.

I like to put some tape on my corners so they don’t get torn or roughed up with handling. I just put a piece like this then cut across the corner to make a triangle. I then fold the pieces into the inside of the cover.

This creates a nice clean looking corner. If you want you can go along each of the edges of your journal to protect them. I have done this on most of my other journals.

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.  You can see the spine on this one is about 3″ wide as I like a chunky journal 🙂  I hope you are enjoying my Tutorial so far 🙂

Stay Tuned for Part 2 which will be up tomorrow for you.

Happy Junking

Kerri x

 

“Recipe/Memory Book”

Hello there,

I hope you are having a great Hump Day and getting some crafty time. I have worked this morning and been doing a desk tidy up. JJ has gone to work and I have had Cj around for the afternoon 🙂

My latest project has been updating my Recipe /Memory Book. I have collected so many recipes from magazines I thought it was time to get them into my books. I was using a scrapbook album for this but as I need the album, I have gone to recipe binders and they have come up great. It’s a bit of a mixture of a memory album, glue book and junk journal all together 🙂

I used 4 of these cute binders I got awhile ago at Office works and changed my mind about using them for a project. I divided them up into the categories that I use for cooking and then I cut and paste the magazine clippings that I have collected.

I made a special section for Gran’s Recipes, as I have a bit of a collection of what mum used to cook and bake for us all!

I am also incorporating some photos and journaling in these Recipe/ Memory books for my boys.

I had quite a lot of recipe cards already done so I just created a few pages like this so I can access them easily, as they flip up.

Some I had written on other journaling cards and pieces of tea-dyed papers that I did a while ago. I added these in by taping the sides of the paper so the would open as above.

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Above are a few more pics of how I set the pages up. I have used my Tab Punch for the dividers and a pocket in the front of each binder to hold clippings and cards. I like having pictures of the recipes for reference and I use my own photos of recipes I have made.

I hope you have enjoyed seeing this idea to organise your recipe and keep a record of special family ones also 🙂

Happy Recipe Hunting

Kerri x

“Cut and Paste Fun”

Hi Friends,

After a really busy Thursday and work this morning, I have had a bit of a rest and a play in my glue book this afternoon. I am collecting magazine clippings at the moment so not a lot of stuff to collage so I decided to dig into my stash to see what I could find 🙂

I love anything floral, birds and butterflies, so I was drawn to this creating this page. I found some dictionary page, magazine cutting, a tag, stickers, die cuts, pattern paper, paper doily, washi tape and bits of a journaling card to create this collage. All I used for this was my glue stick and scissors. I tore some of the papers and didn’t really overthink it. I am adding the date somewhere on each page that I create, as that is the ‘memory keeper’ in me. This was really fun and relaxing 🙂

Hoping to have time to play a bit more over the weekend and I am also starting a Glue Book to get all my Recipes sorted 🙂

Have a great evening

Kerri x

“Making A GlueBook”

Hi Crafters,

I was away, last weekend and I showed my sister how to make a Junk Journal using a book cover. I decided I wanted to turn my small one into a Serendipity Journal and make a larger one into a Glue/Collage Journal.

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Above is my small journal that will be for my Serendipity scraps. I just made one signature from some leftover pattern paper scraps, a few pages from one of my Daphne’s Diary magazine and a few bits of tea-dyed copy paper.

For my larger glue book, I added a bigger spine to a cover I had. This is how I did this baking paper technique above, “HERE”

You can see above, I just used some cardstock from my stash to glue my collages on and I used some Sari Silk to bind my pages in.

To finish off the front cover, I decided to use the image of one of my Daphne’s Diary magazines which had the door on it. I also and added a bit of doodling to the door. For these two projects, I used everything from my stash to create them.

I used one of my favourite quotes, that mum always said to me. Mum always knew things would work out and I think she has left her Faith with me…………….

This was a fun project to do and now I have a Glue Book to cut and paste all my fun images in. I will be gluing to my heart’s content!

I hope you have enjoyed this post and please feel free to let me know if you like my project 🙂

Thanks for stopping by………..

Kerri x

 

“Glue/Collage Books”

Hi there

Do you know what a Glue/Collage Book is?

These are my easy steps…………………

STEP 1 –

Find a book – Any book that works for you. Any size that works for you. Any paperweight that works for you. Some gluebookers like composition notebooks, because they’re cheap and easy to get. Some use old printed books. Some make their own journals from folded paper or magazine pages. Whatever book you choose to use is fine, because it’s your gluebook.

STEP 2 –

Find some glue –  Any glue that works for you, and doesn’t make your paper ripple, or make you cuss while you’re working. I use Blu-stick glue when I gluebook. It goes on blue and dries clear. Some people like matte medium, or Elmer’s glue, or rubber cement. Don’t use Mod Podge, because your finished pages will stick together, no matter how long you let it dry. Beyond that, any glue is fine.

STEP 3 –

Find some stuff to glue. Most glue monkeys use magazines, junk mail, and whatever paper fallout they collect during the day. The object here is not to go out and buy stuff like stickers or papers, but to use whatever is headed to the recycle bin. Receipts. Envelopes from bills. Flyers stuck on your front door. I mainly use magazine images as I like the paper and they seem to glue nicely.

STEP 4 –

GLUE YOUR HEART OUT………………

 Arrange your paper bits on the pages of your book, and glue. Make pretty pictures, or funny ones, or creepy ones. Add words, or make a whole page of words. Use images and no words. Whatever. Glue stuff down so that it says something to you.

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I was first interested in having a play with these 12 months ago and above are a few pages I created. I somehow, I lost my way with them and now I am back…………….. I loved creating these and it is so relaxing………..I like to make a background then a focal point that draws you into the page and then some smaller embellishment.

I think they are like an extension of a Junk Journal as you can recycle ephemera and junk.

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Another way to collage using your paper scraps to make Serendipity paper. These can then be die-cut, stamped, etc to make your own embellishments. I used a small notebook for mine and I am making another small journal from a book also to put my paper in.

To make this paper it is easy………………….

• Heavyweight cardstock: this is your background or “base” sheet of paper.

• Scraps of paper: the more variety the better. Select a color theme and get out your scraps of textured paper, vellums, velveteens, handmade papers, tissue papers and more.

• Paper glue

• Paper cutter or scissors & ruler

• Pencil

• Optional: rubber stamps, inkpads, sponges, embossing powder and a heat tool.

Instructions…………

1. Serendipity paper is usually used as a background or matting paper.

2. Tear scrap papers into smaller pieces no bigger than 1/4″ x 1/2″. You’ll want variety in the abstract design of the serendipity paper so make different sizes and shapes.

3. Begin to glue torn paper randomly to your background or base paper. Keep gluing until the surface is covered. This is a serendipity paper. Allow the glue to dry.

4. If you want to use your rubber stamps, stamp images onto scrap papers. If you want to emboss stamped images use pigment ink, embossing powder and heat tool.

5. If you want more color variety you can use a sponge to apply inks directly to the paper. Heat set any ink.

6. Cut your serendipity paper into squares for letters, small photos, borders, pockets and other designs for your scrapbook, rubber stamping or card projects. The random pieces all seem to fall into place creating a very unique paper to use for mats and frames too. No two pieces of serendipity paper ever turn out the sameI hope you may have found some inspiration to have a go at Glue Booking. It is fun and relaxing. Stay tuned as I am making a Glue Book and a serendipity book from book covers!Happy CraftingKerri x

“An Oldie, But A Goody”

Hi Crafters,

I haven’t done any other crafts except scrapbooking, junk journaling and making cards in quite a while. Sometimes you just need a change and a different interest. I have done a bit of sewing with mum teaching me on her machine and I have made a few quilts with mine. Mum, also tried to teach me to cross stitch but I wasn’t patient enough hehe! I had also had a go at Candle wicking, but I needed something that was easy and quick to pull together.

When I was first married, back in the mid 80’s these Long Stitch Kits were all the rage 🙂  At the time, my father in law actually enjoyed making them and he got me interested in making them too. I did quite a few of them but over the years etc I think they were lost.

A lovely lady in a FaceBook group I am in was destashing some of these and I jumped at getting a couple. I bought this lovely Kookaburra one and a Bush Cottage one.  This is something I can do while watching tv, with the boys.  I don’t want to fussy cut images or things like that, where it takes a bit more attention. I want to be able to interact with my boys.

These lovely kits come with the canvas, needle ad yarn to make them. I started sorting the colours but with my stupid light at my desk, it wasn’t working so I need to sort them in the daylight. I know I can get frames for them at Lincraft or Kaiser to protect them when I have finished them.

What other crafts do you dabble in?

Have a great night!

Kerri x

“15 Minute Challenge – 5 6 &7”

Hi Friends.

I hope all is well in your part of the world. It is colder here today and in between working this weekend, I am doing the wonderful house duties and squishing some craft time!

I am still puddling with Johanna’s quick challenges and I am enjoying them heaps.

 

Challenge #5 – is to use maps somehow in your journal. My boys went to the Air Show here at Avalon in Feb this year and I thought this was a great photo to use with the map paper in the background. I used some layers of paper, stamps and washi tape. I have a few more pics to add also, so will prob put them in a pocket or make a flip 🙂

 

Challenge #6 – is to use or make an envelope. I was given a cd envelope from Juni Desiree in an ephemera pack and I thought I would use it. I have just added it in with some wide washi tape and popped a pic of my sister and I in it for now.  I have a few other pics to journal this story of our day in Melbourne.

Challenge #7 –  is to use images and/or photos. I used these lovely pictures I took out of one of my Daphnes Diary magazines of some beautiful David Austen rose gardens. They were my mums fave and I have some wonderful memories of her and I together drooling over the new catalouge each year. I used a bit of paint, torn scrapbook paper and some washi with a bit of a journaling flip.

There are three more challenges to go, so stay tuned over the next few days I will have them done and will give you the details. Hop on over to her YouTube channel and join in the fun!

Have a great weekend!

Kerri x

 

” 15 Minute Challenge – 3 & 4″

Hi Friends,

I hope you are having a nice Thursday, it is very wet and cold here in Vic. A good day to be indoors and crafting 😉

Challenge #3 from Johanna, was to use paint somewhere on a page. I decided to use some pink and create a border down on side of the page and then when dry, I added some Glitter Gel over the top with a sponge. I will be using this page for some girly photos.

 

Challenge #4 was to make a page that is sectioned. I just roughly divided my page up and instead of lines, I used washi tape. I decided to use a quote which is ” Just Breathe And Trust You Are Right Where You Need To Be Today” I used a pic of me as I don’t use too many pics of just me in my scrapping and this quote for me is something I need to remember. I am only one person and can only do so much. Where ever the day takes me is where I am supposed to be 🙂 Sometimes I need to step back and remember to ‘breathe’

I hope you are also playing along with Johanna’s class and having some creative time.

Have a great creative day and I will be back with the next couple of 15 Minute Challenge for you.

Kerri x

“15 Minute Challenge, 1 & 2”

Hi Friends,

A busy start to the week with work, and a meeting, I am still feeling a bit under the weather but managed another couple of quick JJ pages. Johanna Clough has a great series going for 10 days on her YouTube channel “HERE”

The first challenge was to use a quote and I decided to do another page. For this one, I used “Yellow Roses- Friendship and Joy” I love yellow roses and I have a few David Austen Roses in my garden. I watercoloured the plain card stock in my journal with a distress crayon. Layered the photos and title on to vellum and added the photos and bit of embellishment.

Challenge 2 was to use a photograph. I had this one of Trishka and I wanted it to peek over the page. I made a belly band with the pattern paper layers and stickers and then placed the photo under it. This was a fun challenge also!

Hop on over for a look at Johanna’s challenge she is very creative and great to watch 🙂

Have a great day!

Kerri x

 

“Scrapping In My Journal”

Hi Friends,

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend. I have been unwell for a few days and I am feeling a bit better now. I wanted to start playing in my new journal so nothing is stopping me lol 🙂

 

I am lucky to have a new Canon Selphy Printer which my boys bought me for Xmas as I wore my old one out 😉 I transfer my photos from my computer, on to a USB stick and print them out to the size I want them. It is so handy as we don’t have anywhere local to print them out at a reasonable price.

By printing my photos smaller and using a folded card I was able to get 7 photos on this double page in my journal. This was about my cousins and I. We have only been catching up lately at our parent’s funerals which is so sad. I grew up with my cousins and since mum passed away I have really missed our connection 😦 It is very important to document the sad and hard times of our lives as well as all the happy ones.

This page is probably more of a ‘junk journal page as I used the ticket and piece of Prima packaging on this one. My sister and I went to Paperific in Melbourne last year and it was heaps of fun, but very tiring for me as the driver 🙂 Everything is from my JJ or scrap stash and the flowers were from a little prize I won at Home and Scrapped on FB. I used a bit of Distress Oxide spray in the background and some trim, washi tape, die cuts, staples, etc. I also die cut a polaroid frame for the photo on the left

I have enjoyed my bit of a Junk Journal this afternoon and I hope you have had some “me time” also!

Happy Crafting

Kerri x