“Bloom Journal & OLW Update”

Hi there,

If you didn’t see my post about this journal it is “HERE”  

At the start of 2019, I picked my One Little Word and this year it is CREATE!!! I certainly have been using my OLW and letting myself have time to CREATE”!  I have scrapped quite a bit and made numerous journals for my self and friends plus gifts. I have also made 3 Tutorials for a couple of Facebook groups that I am in and joined in making ATC swaps and some cards for the shop I sell them in also. This has also been great for my mental health with a couple of challenges in that department of late. Craft is great ‘therapy’ and is good for your soul 🙂 I have also managed a few crafty days with my sister showing her different things and she has taught me a few bits and pieces also.

Anyway………………I was intending to use this journal for my mum, but it has now become my Quote Journal as I always had bits and pieces of quotes kept on paper and Pinterest and never all together! I will be making another journal to use for my mum.

I started adding “stuff” to it over the last couple of days and I am pleased with my progress.

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 I have been using my stash for the last 6 months or so and making a slight dent in it!!!  Making some journals certainly helps with my stash of pattern paper and matching sticker sheets. I went through them all and put them to good use to make pockets, tuck spots, collages, tags, and embellishments for my journal.

I also added some tags, flip-out pages, and extra pages to use my own handwriting to Journal in it also.

 

I made a fold-out flip from some pattern paper and it ties up with the ribbon. It’s a nice way to add some more space to journal or add images.

As you can see it has grown a little with all the goodies I am adding to it and it is getting thicker. I love a journal that is loved and chunky….. I will probably be adding to it daily as I find things to add.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a go at making your own Quote Journal. Stay tuned as I am making my boys a Journal each and will share soon 🙂

Happy Journaling

Kerri x

“Common Place Journal”

Hi friends,

I have been a bit absent this week as I am on leave and I spent a couple of days with my sister for her birthday. It was a great time shopping, talking, laughing, eating and generally just doing sister stuff!! Back to work tomorrow!

Over the weekend it has been beautiful and I have been out in the garden, to do some much needed tidying up. So happy it’s now Spring here in Australia!!

As you know I like to make the odd journal or three and they have a specific purpose as art, collage, memory keeping, junking, etc 🙂 I am making my boys a journal each and more on that soon.

Commonplace books (or commonplaces) – are a way to compile knowledge, usually by writing information into books. … Such books are essentially scrapbooks filled with items of every kind: recipes, quotes, letters, poems,  proverbs, etc.  These are also known as Thinker Journals and I am definitely that.

I thought I would like to make two, to have. One on my desk and one in my bag to use as inspiration strikes. A little journal just to add ‘me’ stuff like inspiration, quotes, arty things I try, etc.  I think we all need that one space to collate our thoughts and ideas. I have been doing this for quite a while but not realizing I was.  You can use anything you want to as a journal but I, of course, am making my own special one!!

Thinking about the size of the journal that I want and what I want to put in it, I decided on a 5×7 book and I took the pages out to use the cover.  I am mainly wanting plain and lined papers in this to write on.

If you know me I like to puddle and this is no exception. I Gessoed the cover, as I want to add these gorgeous owl images that my sister gave me when we did a bit of a napkin swap 🙂 Napkins are so much fun to use and give a great look on any projects.

I am using my Tim Holtz glass media mat and it is non-stick but as I make a mess I always put baking paper under it. I usually need to move it so it makes cleaning up easier.

I was going to leave it white but decided on a sage color underneath for a bit of contrast to the napkins. I just sponged some over it randomly!

 

To prepare your napkins you need to make sure you take all the layers of the white tissue off the back. To get the tear in it where you want it, I used a wet brush and drew the tear line. It is much easier than tearing it the wrong way.

It’s up to you where you start. You need a good brush to adhere to the mod podge and smooth it under and over the This glues and seals at the same time.

I then randomly put more of the napkin here and there in a collage. I make sure I have some hanging over the edges. I then let it dry. It hardens as it drys and gives a nice aged effect. The wrinkling of the tissue doesn’t bother me.

 

Here is the cover of my other journal I am making at the same time. It measures approx 7x 9.5. I used the same Napkin technique on this also.

Once dry, I then turn it over and glue the napkin down inside the cover, making sure it is well stuck down. I add pattern paper to the inside, or as I did here a couple more of the images from the napkins. Allow this to dry also before you do anything else to it.

To finish the journal off I cut some lined and plain copy paper to size and then just used some pretty lace to tie it in around the spine and bind it. This way if I want to add or take out pages I can.

Now, his is my finished small 5×7 commonplace journal which I can take in my backpack with and use as I like 🙂

Above is my journal for playing in at home, to journal in 🙂 I just used different lined and plain scrapbook paper in this one from my stash.

 

I made some tags and lots of places to add journaling in the pages. I hope you like this little look at my Common Place Journals and you might like to try keeping one for yourself 🙂

Kerri x

“Using My Stash – July -Dec 2019”

Hi Friends,

I have just done a bit de-stash and sort through my craft stash and I have sold and also donated some of my supplies. If you are like me we collect stuff and after a while, it gets on top of me and I have to cull. I find I end up getting overwhelmed and not finding the joy in creating.

Soooo………..once again I am not buying anything new for my stash until after Xmas; only the essentials like glue!  As I am no longer scrapping or crafting the way I used to, I have enough Junk Journaling supplies to keep me going. I have collected some old books to make journals and use for ephemera etc.

I did really well for 18 months the last time I challenged myself to do this again and I know its time to stop spending and use what I have……..I want to keep my craft space clutter free and able to find what I have and I think over the last few weeks I have been managing to do it. I only have my pattern papers to attack and sort them out and my sorting and culling will be all done!!

As you can see above, I have collated my supplies a lot better using these cute bins I found at Kmart. These three have Adhesives, tools and Ink pads etc in them. They fit perfectly on my desk and I have labelled them also so I know what is in them. I have also used a few on my white storage units and they are great.

Next, to the first three, I had room for three more and these have Stamps, Washi tape and Stickers in them. It is great to see what is there and I used a few bits and bobs on the journal pages I created this evening.

Right in front of me, on my left where my computer is, I have these bins with Journal junque, pretty stuff and ephemera in them. I also have a lot more room to make a mess on and I am able to find what I need.

On the left, this unit is right behind me and the other one is on the other side of the lounge. I have been through all my stash and kept what is on the shelves. The small bins have been great to hold bits and pieces and keep everything together. If you are interested I have just listed an album full of goodies on the Craft De-Stash Group on FB 🙂

Thanks for stopping by and I would love to know how you store some of your goodies also 🙂

Happy Crafting

Kerri x