AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
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Last spring, I learned how to make a simple and quick journal using a regular office manilla file folder.
Each year, my office throws out tons of them because we throw out old files, folders and all to make room for the new year’s paperwork. I have been hoarding them for years, using them for all sorts of things from bookmarkers to scratch practice pads.
I found a tutorial on making these folders…there are hundreds of ways to decorate them, close them, create pockets, etc. I picked a very basic one to start. After I made two, I felt confident enough to make one for my partner in the LGT2 swap… @seeuudee…she had altered art in her swap notes.
Be prepared to enter a black hole if you google this…there are just so many styles and techniques…they are really fun to make, so give it a try and post your creations!
This is beautiful and I love the fabrics and papers you chose. Looks like a fun project!
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
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Thanks…believe it or not, it was all made from scraps from previous projects…I sort of wish I had saved the hummingbird paper which I salvaged from the inside of an envelope I got in a prior swap…there is someone here that is a Hummingbird Hoarder (aka @Lynx)…
She does a double file folder and then a fold out one…I made mine using the first tutorial but using only one file folder due to weight…my partner was international so I didn’t want to spend a fortune mailing.
1 Like
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
8
ha ha ha those are indeed scraps from a huge stack I bought years ago…I have a holiday one as well…I don’t think I ever need to buy paper again…ha ha ha
So smart, and such nice results! I appreciate the warning about the internet rabbit hole; it helped stop me before I went too far. I really thought, until I read and looked closer, that you had covered the folders with various fabrics and sewn them in place. Kind of like using the folders like interfacing between the fabrics. So many options. The cogs in my brain are starting to turn…
Lynx
(In a world where you can be anything, be kind.)
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Now that I deleted my Insta, I kinda feel like my name should be Hummingbird Hoarder! But, that’s a mouthful to say and verrrry long to type.
But, I digress… I really like these! Way to re-purpose those file folders. The paint sample card is super fun! I never would have thought to do something so simple but so fun! Cool project.
I have so many paint sample cards and was looking for things to make with them. Journal cards and bookmarks come to mind. But they are fun to stick into pockets - totally stealing this idea!
Have you heard of lap books? It’s a homeschooling activity using those manila file folders. Not as fancy as what you’ve made but our kids put together some real beauties when I was teaching them at home. I work in an office and every file folder I see makes me smile because I know it’s potential secret crafty life
What an awesome project! I wouldn’t have figured that it started with a manila folder if you didn’t let on. You managed to add so much interest to the journal. Nice!
Did you hand sew the fabric on the spine or do you have a long arm sewing machine?
I was trying to envision how much of the folders it would be easy to sew and what portions would be difficult! Really a fun and useful project!
We have THOUSANDS of these at work! My favorite are the ones that are almost completely filled up! The also go across our company (from branch to branch and back), so it’s super cool to see where it’s been!
But this…whhooooooo…this is completely different! I love this! and thanks for the warning - I will not allow myself to look now, but later? IT’S ON!
I’ve been working on shredding old files so I 100% understand this! I save many folders for us to reuse (just turn them inside out) but I filled a box with them and have been tossing the excess. I’ll have to take some home with me now to try this.
Thank you for the inspiration! I love how it looks.
AIMR
(Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)
19
All the stitching is done by machine…I just changed up straight with zig-zag. but if you have a machine with more stitches, you can do a lot of other things…
The way it is folded makes it really easy to sew
I like leaving some of the file folder showing and the tabs so that one can see its origins…
I want to experiment with cut outs in the pockets…
Something like this really does let you use up odd pieces of paper you have collected, ribbon scraps, bits of ric-rac…etc. The sky is the limit!
