Jumbo Junk Journal [Pt 2]: Signatures and Pages

Project JJJ...

How is everyone in this merry month of May?

I'm disappointed with our weather thus far, but with the near constant threat of wildfires, the return of cool and wet this past week – we actually had snow a few days ago – has its advantages, I suppose. (Hard to believe the halfway point of 2024 is fast approaching and I'm only on my fourth post of the year — ha, ha!)

Today's entry covers two related but slightly different aspects of junk journaling. The first has to do with the physical creation of signatures and the second has to do with the embellishment of the resulting pages.

At the end of my first post in this series, I explained that the term signature is used to describe a set of papers that when folded and bound together, create the pages of a book.

When making a junk journal, one has the freedom to include as many signatures as desired. A small journal might have just one; my jumbo journal ended up with six. I would suppose – and I'm guessing here since I have limited experience with making junk journals – that the decision to have one, two, three or more signatures might have something to do with how much paper one has to fit the theme (if there is one).

In any case, amount of paper was certainly the decision maker for me, as I had twenty-four scrapbooking sheets and I wanted to use all of it.

---

---

You may recall that since I had already purchased a notebook of a certain size, the dimensions of the junk journal pages were already predetermined. I needed them to be 9" high and no more than 6" wide.

A pad of 12" x 12" scrapbooking paper worked out perfectly in terms of me being able to use all of it with no waste. Here's how that happened.

Slicing up some 12" x 12" sheets of paper...

The pad consisted of twenty-four sheets featuring eight different colours; therefore it was an easy decision to turn them into three signatures of eight sheets each (3 x 8 = 24). By cutting off a 3" strip from the bottom, I was left with 9" high x 12" wide sheets. Folding this down the middle results in 9" high x 6" wide individual pages, exactly what I needed.

When I realized that the 3" high remnants could also be arranged to fit into a 9" high x 6" wide space (3 x 3" x 6"), I made the decision to make and "stack" three smaller signatures in between a couple of the large signatures. They would need to be bound differently, but that wouldn't be a big deal.

The previous graphic provides all of the data regarding the size of my jumbo junk journal. With every sheet of 12" x 12" paper accounted for, I ended up with a 192 page journal. (The final number is actually greater – by 28, if I counted correctly – since I ended up adding some greeting cards and envelopes into the mix when I bound the signatures.)

Fitting in three smaller signatures into my junk journal...

Oddly enough, the thought of how am I ever going to fill this up never once occurred to me. ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ

With the signature creation part over for me – and to clarify, this would be more of a creative process for junk journal makers who use non-traditional types of paper – my attention then turned to cutting up stuff and decorating. (By the way, I used rubber bands to hold the signatures together at this point, since the objective was still to decorate the majority of the pages first before binding everything together.)

Concave and convex page edges...

My first thought was to take the edging scissors and cut along every page edge. (The only ones that I left "as is" were the second half of the smaller signatures.) Depending on how the scissors are oriented, the cut edge is either concave or convex. I took off more or less the same amount from every page, but the beauty of a junk journal – again – is that perfection and symmetry are not required.

---

Watch live classes for FREE at CreativeLive! [affiliate link]

---

The front page of every signature got the crochet ribbon treatment down the right edge.

Crochet ribbon trimmed front pages...

For the three smaller signatures, what you see above was the extent of my decorating. (The backs also have stickers on them.) I use these pages strictly for writing down quotes.

Since it was that time of year when I was doing this, several pages ended up with a Christmas theme. (In this particular instance, binding the card and the front of its envelope to the signature added eight pages to the journal.)

These are the center pages of the last signature of my jumbo junk journal...

In my first post of this series, I mentioned having recycled the lid from a box of Lindt chocolates. Here are the four different things that it became. (There's actually a fifth item, but it's just a rectangular piece acting as an anchor under a paperclip.)

Junk journaling opportunities with a Lindt chocolate box...

Clockwise from top left, the box was transformed into a book mark, a tuck spot (open sided pocket), an altered paper clip, and another pocket.

Other side of the writing board decorated with washi tape and stickers...

Underneath the book mark in the first image is a "writing board" made out of a couple of pieces of the scrapbook pad cover; the other side of it is shown above. The term applies to something flat and even to place under a bound journal page to facilitate easier writing.

---

Celebrate Creativebug's 10th Birthday with $10 offer valid May 11th to 19th! [affiliate link]

---

I had just enough ribbon to make three ruffles, one for each of my large signatures. (The ribbon was sewn onto a piece of cardboard, which is then glued onto the edge of the page.)

The one thing that's sewn for today!

This post – and the ones to follow – was/are by no means an attempt to teach you how to "junk journal." There are amazing creators out there vying for your attention all over the internet who can do a much better job than me on that front. (I've stated that YouTuber Natasha at Treasure Books is my main source of inspiration.)

My objective is solely to demonstrate what an absolute beginner can do without needing too much or buying too much. But if I hadn't found the whole project and process to be enormously satisfying on many levels, I wouldn't have bothered sharing it at all. (And if you're really curious to see my efforts, a flip-through of the first two signatures are available in PDF format here and here.)

What's a journal without a bookmark?

Part three of this series will be about sewing the cover for this junk journal, the size of which can only be assessed after embellishing the majority of the pages. Yay, finally something about sewing!

And as the remainder of these junk journaling posts are already written up and ready to go, I'm going to release them at a quicker pace; those of you who are following along won't have to wait three weeks for each part. After this series wraps, I'll slowly refocus on sewing... but with no promises of anything on a regular basis, of course. 😉

'Til next...

Living & Crafting Sustainably [Pt 5]: Choosing the Right Hobbies

How can we sew, craft and live more sustainably?

Are you someone in search of a new hobby? (As opposed to someone "not needing" another hobby. 😉)

If so, is there such a thing as a "bad" hobby? Maybe one that's not so great for the environment or not sustainable? Does your favourite pastime pass muster for being (somewhat) green?

About four years ago, I became aware of a craft called diamond painting. A friend was gifted with a kit and she completed it as part of her pandemic pastimes (photo below).

It didn't occur to me at the time, but what an environmentally unfriendly hobby it seems to be!

For those who don't know what diamond painting is, it involves sticking tiny coloured plastic gems (called "drills") onto a coded mat to create sparkly pieces of art. It's essentially a plastic version of paint by numbers that produces a finish resembling cross stitch.

An example of diamond painting done by a friend...

Those who are strong supporters of the craft say that the detailed attention required to do it has a calming effect on them and thus improves mental health. Personally, however, I can't get over the fact that someone actually invented yet another way to introduce millions upon billions of tiny bits of plastic – contained in small plastic bags, sorted by colour, no less – into our lives.

Not for me, and to be totally honest, I usually find the results gaudy and "unhangable". (My other half was given one as a thank you gesture. He had told the crafter that he liked it, but it's still rolled up in its box, as there's no way in the opposite of heaven that it's going up on our wall.)

Mental health benefits aside, diamond painting doesn't seem to qualify as a sustainable hobby.

---

---

Sewing With the Right Materials

On the other hand, whenever I do a search for "environmentally friendly hobbies", sewing is almost always included in the results. More and more, it's due to the fact that sewers are sourcing supplies in thrift and second-hand stores... and their own closets. (As for sewing machines, they've always been common finds in garage sales and the like, not to mention that you can sew by hand.)

But sewing is not without its environmental controversies, apparently.

Last fall, someone posted a comment on a YouTube video, strongly admonishing "the bag world" for not acknowledging the problem of plastics in making bags and purses, particularly as it applies to using vinyl as the material of choice. This person thought that pattern designers should be taking more leadership in discouraging the practice.

Printed vinyl called Colorful Heart (by ONEART)...

Apparently, apart from the usual faux leathers that have been around forever, there are now all sorts of clear printed vinyls – called TPUs: thermoplastic polyurethanes – that one can sew with; or more properly, with which one can sew.

I've not made a bag entirely out of vinyl in years, but I do own a small supply of (clear) vinyl that I sometimes incorporate into my sewing projects. Most of it's repurposed, so I'm not so much contributing to the problem per se, but I get the concern over how introducing more options into the marketplace isn't necessarily a good thing. (That doesn't address the ever-increasing practice of sports arenas and stadiums mandating "see through" bags, but I digress.)

Printed cork fabric called French Symbol (by SorenCut)...

Fortunately, there are always better options when it comes to materials for sewing that are environmentally friendly, even apart from repurposing existing textiles. If being transparent is not a requirement, a material that has a similar texture to vinyl/faux leather that is a more sustainable choice is cork.

In terms of cost, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot to differentiate the two; a 12" x 53" cut of the TPU is about $23 (CDN) and a 12.5" x 52.5" cut of the cork is about $26 (CDN). That said, most selections of cork are always going to appear a bit muted compared to the colourful vibrancy available in vinyl. I say most, because there are selections like this one below that might convince you to try cork for your next project.

Image courtesy of frameyourbag on Etsy...

This particular piece is smaller than the others at only 26.77'' x 19.69" – and sells for about $19 (CDN) – but it is definitely more colourful than the usual variants of cork.

There is also an increasing movement among established sewers to "sew down the stash." I don't know the actual numbers, but let's say that many people have purchased fabric over their lifetimes, just to have it. Sewing down your stash simply means that you will not buy new fabric until you use up your own supply.

---

Watch live classes for FREE at CreativeLive! [affiliate link]

---

Indoor & Outdoor Gardening

Gardening, in general, is another widely recommended sustainable, environmentally friendly hobby.

I really dislike outdoor gardening, but the indoor variant that hubby started a couple of years ago has rubbed off on me... somewhat. I must admit that it is tremendously rewarding to see seed, dirt, light and water combine to grow actual food.

Tomatoes, arugula, spinach, romaine and kale from our indoor garden...

And all without the messiness of dirty dirt (indoor dirt is arguably "cleaner", believe me), dealing with insects, and roasting under the hot sun. I am so not suited for outdoor gardening! We grew cucumbers along the side of our house last summer, and for a period of several weeks, I refused to look at them. We had had an explosion in the mosquito population and just venturing out onto the lawn next to the garden was sure to provoke an assault by those pesky buggers.

Emerging carrots...

Inside, I'm able to put my hands into the actual plantings and fiddle with leaves without fear of finding a huge spider climbing onto my fingers. (Although, we have have had aphid problems, so it's not all bug free.). I'm not sweating in the heat. I've heard that some folks like the whole experience of "being at one" with nature when they garden in the traditional sense. They are welcome to it.

Scrapbooking Without Supplies

In the three or four years prior to starting this blog, I was very much into virtual scrapbooking. It was a relatively environmentally friendly hobby, quite in contrast to the ultra expensive, material-laden, and ultimately wasteful version of scrapbooking that was all the rage in the early 2000s.

Two pages from a digital scrapbook that I made after a Mediterranean cruise...

Digital scrapbooking allow you to scatter various embellishments over your pages just as you would with physical scrapbooking; they're just not tactile "things" with actual texture and substance. Words and text – in various fonts – can be added anywhere, photos can be sized and arranged and creatively edged without cutting, and there is virtually no end to the types of paper you can select for the background.

As a bonus, you can also use any one of your own photos as the background "paper" (see example at left), which you wouldn't be able to do easily with physical scrapbooking.

After completion, your work can be printed out or left as an electronic file. I don't know what today's preferred apps might be for digital scrapbooking (it might simply still be called a photobook service), but I used Shutterfly back in the day for at least two of my books. (Wait for a sale before printing and you can usually get up to 50% off no matter what resource you use.)

With digital scrapbooking, there is no mess, no need to hoard supplies, and you can indulge your creative efforts without lugging around huge boxes. (There are still scrapbooking events – conventions – that crafters can attend, although they are not as popular or prevalent as they were in their heyday.) And unless you print out every book you make, you also don't need to find a spare room in your house to store the actual scrapbooks that no one will want in thirty years.

---

Check out crafty classes at Creativebug! [affiliate link]

---

Journaling

Which leads us to the topic of my most recent post, journaling. Whether a junk journal like what's been occupying my time, or an art journal, or a travel journal, or just a day to day diary journal, journaling is usually considered a sustainable hobby.

Harvestng Spoonflower packing slips and cards for my jumbo junk journal...

At the bare minimum, all you need is something to write on and something to write with. With junk journals, art journals and travel journals, you just populate the pages with appropriate ephemera, none of which you need to buy... it's kind of like scrapbooking the way it was done in the "old days". In the sense that these types of journals encourage reuse of things that might otherwise be thrown away, they would definitely qualify as being environmentally friendly. (Natasha at Treasure Books has a video showing how she embellished an entire journal using just an old magazine. Just yesterday, I harvested two images out of an Avon catalogue for my journal.)

Project JJJ Update

Speaking of, for those of you curious about my progress on the JJJ project, you can do a virtual flip through of it (of the first signature, in any case) in PDF format here.

 

Reading, Writing & Stimulating Conversation

This last section is sort of a personal aside. I have always enjoyed reading and writing and it suddenly occurred to me that they are quite sustainable activities to enjoy: they cost virtually nothing.

During my ongoing search for quotable quotes for my junk journal, I came upon a bunch relating to introverts. It may not surprise you to learn that I am a die hard introvert who always plans her escape from large gatherings before arriving at them. Introverts are not automatically shy nor socially inept, they just find being in large groups of people draining and need time alone to re-energize. (I regularly tell people that there are only a handful of individuals in this entire world with whom I can spend more than five hours at a time.) Anyway, it turns out that reading and writing are – no surprise here – popular hobbies for introverts.

The third item in the heading above may appear to you to be an outlier for introverts, but yes, we love one on one conversations. In point of fact, that entire heading is taken from my first real resume. In lieu of extensive work experience, we were told to list some hobbies. I quite correctly assumed that the description of "stimulating" would attract attention and invite questions.

Courtesy of BrainyQuote.com...

Did you know that questions are the lifeblood of conversations? And that truly listening to the other person – and not interrupting – leads to the ability to ask questions that keep a conversation going like a good natured table tennis match?

I was at a fair sized gathering last month and had conversations with five people whom I had never met before. Out of the five, one was truly a great conversationalist, another was good. The remaining three... well, let's just say that I don't know if they ended up learning anything about me after our talk, beyond what little I offered up myself. (I know stuff about them, because I asked.) I went home and wrote in my journal, "I love a great conversation, but most people don't know how to have one."

In the big scheme of things, learning and mastering the give and take of meaningful conversation is a rewarding and sustainable hobby for everyone. What do you think?

'Til next...

Jumbo Junk Journal [Pt 1]: Gathering the "Junk"

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 Natasha 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 Natasha'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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

---

Watch live classes for FREE at CreativeLive! [affiliate link]

---

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.

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".

That size wasn't just pulled out of a hat. I had already purchased the notebook ($1.75) that I would continue to use for my daily handwriting exercise, as it was my plan to incorporate it into the junk journal. The notebook's dimensions therefore dictated the size of the journal pages.

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.)

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.

I found a pair of decorative edging scissors in my craft supplies that allowed me to cut wavy patterns on pages and various ephemera. (I'm pretty sure it came from Dollar Tree.)

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.

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

I had two ribbons in my sewing stash that ended up being used on several of my journal pages. One was the leftover remnant from my origami coin purses (the wide yellow one shown here) and the other was a crochet type ribbon that I had purchased for a project that never got used.

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.)

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.

---

Check out crafty classes at Creativebug! [affiliate link]

---

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.

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...