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Project JJJ... |
Happy spring (or fall), everyone! For those of us who live as far north as
I do, it always seems like an accomplishment to have endured
another winter.
Over the past couple of years, you may have seen my series of
posts called
Living & Crafting Sustainably (which I'm
actually going to continue with, next time I'm here). For those of
us who sew, we're lucky in that we can be
eco friendly in our sewing choices.
As a sewer, that's become important to me, so it was unexpectedly gratifying to encounter a craft like junk journaling
that uses truly ordinary materials – that some might even deem to
have no use – to create a uniquely beautiful item that no
one else will have. (One of my readers once referred to junk
journals as "eye candy".)
Once I decided that I needed to make a junk journal, ideas
began to swirl in my head about all the things that I could use
from from own "stash of stuff". Over the next few months, I'll share updates here about
Project Jumbo Junk Journal, in which I'll reveal the
results of my first attempt at this potentially addicting craft.
Oh, and it was encouraging to learn that a few of you are
similarly intrigued! I won't just be blogging for myself. 😉
As with all creative endeavours, one needs supplies to make a junk journal, some of which – fortunately for the pocketbook – are just basic household items (like scissors, glue, tape, etc.). Some folks will go all out and purchase stuff that they don't absolutely have to have; my decision to make a junk journal was based on knowing that I had things that were just waiting to be transformed.
I was also very much influenced by YouTuber Natasa at
Treasure Books. Her extremely practical advice regarding improvising by using
what you have – even when it comes to tools of the trade – is
absolutely the principle by which I've always crafted. (By the
way, when I speak of junk journals as being beautiful, you
will certainly understand that I am not exaggerating if you check
out Natasa's creations.)
Bling
Whenever I made a purse, I loved to add bag bling. Fortuitously,
it's a habit that can be applied to junk journaling, as they are
usually replete with bling-y bits and dangly charms, commonly
hanging off paper clips.
When I first saw examples of these, I instantly thought of two
necklaces that I could take apart. Here's the first one, which –
after removing various components – still manages to function as a
necklace.
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| A dangly necklace gives up some pieces to provide junk journal bling... |
This was purchased as a souvenir on a Royal Caribbean cruise that
I took back in 2007. It's not my usual taste, but at the time, I
wanted something with a boho vibe to add to my collection.
I managed to harvest five charms from it while still keeping it
intact as a piece of jewelry.
Given the bronze toned bits, I was able to use paper clips of the
same hue that I don't normally use. I didn't have many of them –
my paper clips are mostly silver – but I found a small box that
used to belong to my father-in-law that was full of (albeit
smaller) copper toned clips. With the help of these, a second
necklace was recycled to create three more dangly charms. (These
bling-y bits are arguably serving a better function here than in
their former life. Since the pandemic, I've been a very minimalist
jewelry wearer.)
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| One of the paperclip charms from a second recycled necklace... |
Does anyone recall the bunch of belts
that I got for a dollar each? (Hard to believe it's been almost
six years since I bought those.) Various components have been
put to all sorts of good uses on bags that I've made over those
years, but these choice pieces seem to have been waiting for the
perfect application.
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| Old belt bling... |
These came with their own lobster clasps on the original belts.
The one on top was taken apart and rearranged to create three
more or less equal lengths. These two pieces will be used to
beautify the front cover closure of the journal. (I eventually
added a gold-toned initial "r" to the mix.)
Ephemera
With the bling out of the way, I poured out the ever-increasing
supply of greeting cards, stickers and notepads that we receive
throughout the year from charities that we donate to; all of
which were threatening to burst through the
seal pup gift bag that you see in the photo below. These
items were my main motivation for undertaking this project.
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| My bag of "greeting cards from charitable organizations" has been partly culled! |
In my opinion, these cards are usually much nicer than the
pricey ones that you buy. Many of them have metallic highlights,
fancy cutouts, and interesting edges to them, not to mention the
absolute best matching envelopes. I don't really send
cards to anyone these days, so the idea of creating a junk
journal that allows me to enjoy them is just pure
serendipity.
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| I received these cards in a mailer from the Red Cross... |
The term ephemera covers the whole gamut of
things you can put into a junk journal. Apart from stickers
and greeting cards, I ended up using bits and pieces from various
packaging: the lid off a box of Lindt chocolates, part of a
tissue box, silver flaps cut from an Olay box, even the
cellophane top from a pecan pie container! Things like pressed
flowers, ticket stubs, tags, etc., are pretty standard fare also.
Here's the thing — once you decide to make a junk journal, you
begin to look at everything with a different eye... and I mean
everything.
Paper
Junk journal aficionados often make vintage style journals by
using coffee and tea to stain various types of papers – from
discarded books to newspapers to doilies – for the book pages.
Although I like vintage-y, I knew early on that I wasn't going to
make my pages out of different types of found paper. I wanted a more durable, modern looking journal,
with same sized pages that I could mostly write on.
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| A set of 24 sheets of neutral toned scrapbook paper... |
I decided on this pad of scrapbook style papers from
Dollarama. It was $4 for twenty-four 12" x 12" sheets. As
you can see, it's a good sturdy weight paper at 190 GSM. (Since I
was going to bind my pages eventually, I also picked up a nifty
set of coloured cotton twine with two rolls of washi tape for
$1.50 at Dollar Tree.)
The colours that you see on the cover are those found inside the
pad, where there are three sheets of each. I sliced 3" off the
bottom of each one to get twenty-four 12" wide x 9" high sheets.
Folded into book format, they will yield pages that measure 6" x
9".
With my previous notebook having had a hard cover and a big
decorative coil, I chose something simple this time because it's
easier to write in. (It didn't matter what was on the cover
because as soon as I got home, I glued torn images from an old
travel magazine onto the front and back. In essence, it is its own
version of a junk journal.)
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| Back and front cover of notebook decorated with images from a travel mag... |
Junk journal page edges are commonly adorned with all
sorts of decorative trims (such as the paper clipped bling that I
described above, as well as the ruffled ribbon). They are meant to stand out and be noticed, which adds a lot of creative fun to the mix.
Some people employ paper punches to make uniformly
rounded or otherwise creatively cut corners. Not wanting to spend money on this, I "made do" by using a cardboard template that I
have in my sewing kit. Certainly not as quick and certainly not
perfect, but perfection is hardly necessary in a junk journal.
A little over a week ago, we received a package in the mail that included a
massive amount of packing paper inside a fairly study cardboard
box. The protection factor seemed overdone, but as I flattened out
the paper, I immediately identified its potential use for junk
journaling (not that I'm planning another one). Take a look and
see what you think.
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| Packing paper is an ideal start for a junk journal... |
As I said, the package didn't need all of this protection, proving
that our current buying habits are contributing to an
overabundance of "stuff". I've always kept this type of paper on
hand for drafting sewing pattern templates, but I sure don't need
this much of it. This stack may eventually go off to my
local reuse store.
Ribbons and Ruffles and Fabric
The crochet ribbon can be seen above in the picture showing one of
the paperclip charms. (It was glued flat along the front right
edge of the page.) The yellow ribbon was sewn into a ruffle and
used as edge trim.
Large pieces of fabric may or may not be part of a typical junk
journal, but mine was always intended to have a fabric cover. I
turned to my
Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fat quarters
to find just the perfect selection; it's called
Cigarbox. (Did you know that Mr. Holtz comes from the world of paper
crafting? You could literally make a journal out of just his
stuff.)
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| Don't you think this fabric is just perfect for a junk journal? |
The sheer ribbon shown here (that came off a Christmas present)
was going to be used as a belt to secure the journal, but I
eventually went another way with that. The little metal buckle
thingie, however – which was saved from a pair of shoes, if I
recall correctly – ultimately served as the method of closure.
Finally, what is journaling without a variety of things to write with?
Pens & Markers
Since starting my daily handwriting practice last July, I've gone
through five BIC Gelocity pens. I lament the fact that pens
seem not to be eco friendly. For some reason, manufacturers
simply churn out pens without selling refills. The Gelocity pens
are retractable and are robust enough to be taken apart and
refilled, but no. (However, in writing up this paragraph, I've
found out that Staples – and likely other stores around the
world – will accept writing instruments for recycling. Did you
know this? I will stop tossing my used pens!)
Part of the fun of journaling is the opportunity to be freely creative with pens and markers, so I dipped into my supply of
Sarasa Porous Fineliners that I purchased many years ago
(to colour with, back when I was
zen doodling). For writing on the textured surface of the scrapbook paper,
I bought a pack of four gel roller balls from Dollar Tree for
$1.50.
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| Gotta have colourful pens! |
Adding in some glue that I also picked up for $1.50, the cost of
supplies for this project totals $10.25. As I said, I will be
sewing some elements of this junk journal, but since my sewing
supplies come out of my existing stash, they won't be adding to
the cost.
With stuff gathered, my next step is to make the signatures (that's a book binding term referring to
a set of sheets that – when folded in half and bound down the
middle – forms the pages) and then get on with the fun part: embellishing. I'll need
to have an idea of how thick this is going to be, before I can
arrive at dimensions for the fabric cover.
By the way, for my US friends, March is
National Craft Month. It's almost over now, but April 2nd
is also National DIY Day. It's a great time to plan your
next crafty project!
'Til next...
This is pretty exciting! I have a ton of stuff that I can use in this way as well as more fabric than I can use (after selling two lots of it!!). I even have some of the packing paper. Think I will go on a gathering mission!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad someone shares in the excitement! (To some others, it may seem odd to be excited about this kind of project.) In this upcoming series of posts, I'll also feature a couple of small items that are made out of scrap fabric, so perhaps we can make a further dent in your stash. Have fun with your "treasure" hunting!
DeleteHi Rochelle, I’m very entertained to hear your details. It’s like a mystery novel: setting the stage, introducing the characters and leading me to wonder what’s coming next! I’m intrigued and waiting for the creative process big reveal. Marie
ReplyDeleteAw shucks, I hope you're not building it up to some unachievable level of expectation! All that said, I have still been adding things to it even now, and part of the fun is knowing that the creative process in this case knows no bounds.
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