My new obsession for this year has been junk journal making and watching junk journalling videos on YouTube. It all started because I joined in with a challenge at the Inchies and Twinchies Facebook group to make a junk journal. The plan is to have swap challenges throughout the year to build up a junk journal… of course I am rubbish at following the instructions and already started filling mine up! Lol!
The first challenge was to collect items and construct a junk journal. I decided to create a few signatures and enclose them in a travellers notebook style cover. I did buy the cover but I made the signatures from a mix of old watercolour paper pads, gifted book papers, patterned papers brown paper packaging and cardstock. I also included a background sheet made by one of my swap partners.
I decided to make four signatures with the idea that I would do one for each season. I didn’t make them too many sheets as I didn’t want to feel overwhelmed by too many sheets plus I figure they would get super chunky.
I thought having them as travellers notebooks would aid with working on them too as they might lie a bit more flat that way.
And size wise I went with a5 as I thought it was a nice size to work with.
I did create a few pieces of mixed media artwork before I really knew what a junk journal was with the intention of them going in the journal…
The first additions to the journal was to add these onto a couple of pages once I understood more about how junk journalling is meant to work… I say meant to… there aren’t really rules! But anyway I like that I mixed the mixed media style art journalling in with the junk journal and decided to keep doing that throughout the year. The second one I actually videoed the process for… Link
The challenge in February was to make an envelope pocket for your own journal and two for swapping. My first one went straight into my journal as I was working out how to do tip ins etc…
I made a little pocket on the front or the envelope I had cut down and then also made a little tag/bookmark to go in the main section. The front was just lots of bits off the desk including some old stamps, some gelliprinted card and bookprint… and washi too of course!
The reverse of the envelope I gave a different theme…
Again I created a little pocket, in which I added the painted and stamped piece I received in a swap, and the map just seemed relevant for the travel/foreign theme.
I added journalling to the back of the tag to represent what was going on that day… mainly me watching YouTube videos of other people junk journalling!
I also decorated the page to the left of where I added the pocket … so my first page.
Again my page had a little pocket so I added a tag and did some journalling on that. The rest was just bits and pieces off the desk and from the boxes of stash I’ve been saving up and finally found a use for!
So this was my starting point.
A few days later I made a page all about some new Washi tapes I had bought … because … well why not?
I had such fun just picking bits and pieces out of the box and using up embellishments I’ve been gifted or bought over the years and never got round to using. The tag in the pocket at the top has journalling on it about my new washi tapes!
The next couple of pages were dedicated to the swaps I received this month from the UK stampers forum swap…
So I am busy starting to make more pockets and tip in pages and allsorts of other things now… not sure how long the enthusiasm will continue for, but whilst it lasts this is my new obsession!
Happy crafting!
Catherine
Inkyfingeredcat 