Small Journals made while waiting

I’ve been making journals & books while waiting for election results, holiday food to cook, and finales of shows.

These paper bag journals were inspired by the Paper Outpost on YouTube. I glued 2 lunch bags together, covered with stenciled paper, and filled with the typical junk papers.

I had ordered some paper way back at the beginning of SIP, and it arrived protected in this corrugated sheet. Hmmm, what can I make with that? I covered thick card stock and scored it to make a wide spine. Inside I added kraft paper, water color paper and only a few sheets of scrapbook paper.

It is approximately 6” x 6”, so easy to cut paper to size.

I have more on the very messy craft desk - stay tuned.

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These are just lovely! All of that virgin paper just waiting to be journaled in!

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So cool! I’m loving the map pages and those stenciled covers.

I really need to learn book binding…

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I love all the papers. they look great.

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It’s easy. I mostly use a 3-hole stitch called the pamphlet stitch. Look on YT for tutorials.

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Oh wow! All of these are fabulous! They are so calming.

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I received some book binding supplies for my birthday that I need to put to good use—- where do you collect your “junk papers” from?

I love these.

Junk paper is everywhere! Junk mail, catalogs, magazines, maps, ends of paper pads from school/work, painted book pages, your kids’ homework, stuff saved from road trips and vacations, brochures, and more.

I live in San Francisco so I grab foreign newspapers and cooking magazines from different markets, menus, free tourist maps and brochures.

If you have a friend who works in an office (or you work in an office), save security envelopes, ledger paper, graph paper, blue prints. If you know an interior decorator, ask them for samples books of wall paper - but you can sometimes buy these at hardware stores (or they might give them to you free.)

If there is a free or $1 bin at your library, look there. If you know a teacher, ask them for leftovers.

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These are fabulous!

In pre-COVID days, garage sales often had various paper items that could be salvaged for journals like these. Outdated calendars, writing pads and old stationery, etc.

Printers used to get lots of paper sample books. Those are good, too. Product packaging can sometimes work.

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Really cool! These turned out great!

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Excellent! I know I still have some papers (and possibly some journals) from you in my stash! I really aughta dig in. These are lovely.

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I am a notebook junkie, so I LOVE these. I also love that you even used the cardboard that the paper came protected by. Very clever and crafty.

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The map pages are great!

Beautiful books!

The pink speckly paper in photo #2 is from our first masterboard swap, @kbrison made it. I love that stuff!