Inside My Very First Handmade Junk Journal

Here are glimpses of the bare pages of my junk journal. This journal consists of 3 signatures with 6 pages each. To see how the pages look with content, check my previous post.

I used pages from a Canon catalog that I got from a photography workshop I attended, so you’ll notice several pages with photos of lenses. I also used pages from a Montreal city guide – that’s where the map came from. Both of them were in my recycling bin already before I decided to use them.

Paper bags and pages from old books also found their way in my journal. Here they are stitched together to create the length I need.

On the right, I created a flap where I can insert ‘stuff’ in – like photos or journal pages or mementos.

This page is made from a security envelope. You know what they are, right? I’m sure you get a lot of those from the mail. I’ve collected them for a year now just because I discovered that some of the patterns inside are actually interesting. I was thinking of using them in my collages but Mary Ann’s idea of using them in journal pages is wonderful. I almost didn’t use this particular one because it was torn. But like I mentioned in my previous post, I’m trying to break away from my o.c. tendencies for perfection so I just let it happen. It does give character to the page.

Here’s Mica working on her journal cover. (Remember? She made one for herself.)

And here’s what the covers look like (made from fabric scraps). The left is mine and the right is Mica’s. Mica obviously went wilder than I did. I like it. I don’t have enclosures yet. I might just add a velcro on the flap or go with Mary Ann’s idea of a wrap- around tie. We’ll see. I don’t want to finalize it until I’m done filling up my journal because I want to see how bulky it will get.

I hope this has inspired you to make one. (And if you do, I’d love to see them.) Just the idea of working with materials that are bound to go in your recycling bin should get your creative juices flowing – lol! Imagine how you’ll be helping the earth and ‘creating’ at the same time.