September | 2023 | Art Journals

Junk journal spread with pockets and tags

Inside flip-flop junk journal displaying pockets and tags.

One of the spreads in a junk journal I’ve made for a friend’s Christmas gift. I can’t stop making these now and have run out of people to make them for. My daughter suggested I begin selling them but I wouldn’t have a clue how to start. Plus I doubt there’s a market for them in the UK.

I recently sent our almost-here new granddaughter’s journal to her parents in Australia, along with a pretty crocheted cot blanket. Oh, and I also made another journal for her big brother so he wouldn’t feel left out. It’s full of pirates and creepy-crawlies… just the thing for a nine-year-old. I hope he enjoys ferreting out all the little hidden things.

Meanwhile, I’m working on another whimsical journal for me, I suppose. It’s got lots of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass elements in it, but it’s not just Alice.

Inside cover of my 'blue' journal showing quotes and pockets with tabs.

Inside the blue journal cover.

The overall theme of this one is ‘blue’. Although it’s not just blue. The Stamperia Alice Through the Looking Glass papers can be purchased at Amazon (affiliate link).

'Alice' spread with cut-outs of Tweedledum & Tweedledee, Humpty-Dumpty, the Mad Hatter, and Alice.

Alice spread in the blue journal.

Did I mention that making these is my latest addiction? I go to sleep thinking about what I can make the next day. I watch YouTube creators and eagerly copy and adapt their techniques. I consume videos about the best glues, for goodness sake. And I’m spending an awful lot of money on Etsy. The availability of printables and journal kits is simply too tempting. I even bought a new fancy-dancy printer.

One of the things I like doing is creating my own background papers. I start by collaging my paper scraps, and boy, do I have a lot of scraps. Let me share a photo of where I am working right now…

I know, what a complete mess…

I always clean it up at the end of the day, honestly. All the scraps go into a tin ready for my next session. I have to write here too and when doing that, it has to be tidy.

I’ve been reminded that I’m not the only member of the family spending time making useless things. My partner just brought this:

The Chestnut Man, made by my partner.

He loves the series, ‘The Chestnut Man’, that’s the only explanation I have.

Before I was interrupted by whatever that is, I was talking about the background papers I make with scraps. I collage them to a piece of cardstock, scan them for future use, and print it as often as I wish. Here’s one I made yesterday.

Collaged and stamped masterboard ready to scan, print, and cut up.

Background, ready for whatever I want to do with it.

This one has some collaged moths and also some stamped images as well. Journal makers and scrapbookers call this a ‘masterboard’. I wish they’d come up with some other name. Anyway, it can be used for tags, covering envelopes, journal covers or whatever.

Going to stop waffling now.

The cover of my first junk journal.

Note: This post contains links to Amazon from which I earn a small commission.

I made my first junk journal years and years ago. The cover image shown above has been repinned a multitude of times. Back then, they were made from scratch with, well, junk mail, old magazines, and scrap paper. And the basis of it was a cheap Paperchase notebook. Bits fell off when I pulled it from the shelf so I have had to glue parts down and add some scraps to fill in the gaps.

Anyway…

When my eldest son was small he had a book called ‘The Jolly Postman‘. It had lots of pockets and hidden letters hidden within the pages. My son loved it and treated it gently. It was passed down to my other two kids, who were less careful. But 35 years on and missing a few treasures, it now lives in Australia with my grandson.

My second grandchild is due in a few weeks (Oct 23) so I decided to make a journal for her mother along the lines of ‘The Jolly Postman’. She can add to it–photos and text, and one day can explore it (and the hidden treasures) with her little girl.

Here’s the cover with a wrap-around, lace-trimmed tuck spot, hidden paperclip, and a couple of cards from the Botanical Inspirations deck. You can probably guess the baby’s name by the general theme.

Pink rose-themed junk journal cover. — *Rose-themed journal*

I used scrapbook papers from Stamperia’s House of Roses pad, bits of lace, and rose washi tape.

Journal with pocket holding heart cards — *One of the inside pages with a pocket holding heart journaling cards.*

There are lots of spaces and places to add photos, text, and any other small mementos. Of course, it’s not suitable for a young child to play with but will be lovely for her to sit with her mother and explore all the details.

There's family photo gallery in the journal. — *I included lots of family photos that I’d printed out in sepia.*

Several inserts are made from envelopes and junk mail brochures. I trawled through my photos and selected a few to print out in ‘sticker’ size and pasted them into one spread in the journal. You can’t see them all in the image above. I then printed them out on photo paper, eight to a page, trimmed them, and popped them all into a pocket held in place with more hidden paper clips. The photos on the right are pasted onto a multiple-part tag that came off a jacket.

The book is a ‘flip journal’ so when you reach the end, you flip it over and there are more pages like an accordion book.

I really enjoyed making it and have been bitten by the junk journal bug again. More to come.

Art Journals

Playing with words and pictures

Monthly Archives: September 2023

Two Flip-Flop Junk Journals

Junk Journals Revisited