3 in 1 Journal with Denim cover

I've made a 3 in 1 journal for next year - planner/diary/journal/art. It has weekly pages for using as a planner and writing in appointments.  It has some blank pages for writing down my thoughts or arting on and it has some gelli printed pages to use as starter backgrounds for arting on - painting, drawing, doodling, mixed media art journaling on.

If you would like to make one of your own here are some tips on how I made mine - when I made mine I never intended to create a tutorial for it so I do not have the best, detailed photos and there are many helpful videos out there so there was no point making a video either:

Watch these videos:

There was a very simple book stitching video but I can't find it now. Similiar to Rhomany's stitching in the video below but it involves 3 holes not 2....

Rhomany - Filofax Friday - DIY Filofax Inserts & Midori Refill Booklets Pt2

Make an easy art journal.

You will need 54 weeks on 27 pages (top left) - I had some days of the week stamps so I made a template and then photocopied it - leave enough room on the edge for trimming and washi taping. Pages in between - one side was gelli printed but blank on the other side (top right):

Each signature was made up of 15 pages (7 pages of weeks with alternate pages of gelli prints) and a cover made from a manilla folder - cut lengthwise and fold. My book is approximately 5 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches - paper sizes are different in Australia and the USA - so fold regular letter paper/A4 paper in half and go from there.

Here's the inside pages...I created holes in the signatures with a nail and a hammer two inches from the top and bottom leaving 4inches in between. I used embroidery thread to sew the signatures together as I had embroidery thread.

I trimmed my edges using a craft paper trimmer - a great tool I use all the time - keep the pages from moving with a clip.

 I made some home-made washi tape and sticked it to the sides of the pages because I love the colourful edge look (my tutorial coming up next week on the Cre8ive Klatch blog).

After I had made 6 signatures I used the tails of the embroidery thread to tie each signature to the next one.

Making the cover:

I used a denim skirt and cut it down to size and sewed the edges.

I gelli printed the cover just with normal acrylic paint - be generous with the paint as the material soaks it up.

I used a meat tenderiser/hammer and nail to make holes in the fabric - place it on a chopping board. I made 9 holes to stitch 3 signatures in not all 6 as it was going to be too hard.

I used embroidery thread to stitch the first, third and last signature to the material.  I started threading on the inside of the signature in the middle hole. You can start on the outside of the cover and some people add beads to the ends of their tails - I have heard that this makes writing in the journal difficult as the beads get in the way so I have left the spine nice and clean looking - see middle photo.

I found some wooden buttons in my old button box and sewed those on to tie the leather strap around to keep the journal together.

I made 3 journals and have sent two to my Besties. They are too much work to sell profitably but they are great fun to make for oneself or as a gift.

I love my new journal, made of items I already had (except the leather strap) and look forward to 2015 to start using it!

If you have questions then leave them in the comments and I will happily answer them.

Have fun!

PS I sell gelli print packages in my Etsy store if you need any and can make up a special batch just for you if you don't see what you like.  :D

May 2014 Recap

At the beginning of May I was getting ready for the art sale at Myattsfield Vineyard, then spent time rearranging some rooms in my house to create an art space for me to store my paintings and supplies in and to play in my art journal and catch up with the art journal challenges that I am doing this year.

Art sale at Myattsfield Vineyard:

Art Space:

Art Journaling:

Faces in the World Challenge: Top left is the drawing I sent to the first person out of three - top right is how it returned back to me - I could add more to it but love it how it is!
- Middle left (minus the crayon) is how Joyce's drawing arrived to me and the right is how I sent it on to Sandy.
- Bottom left is Sandy's face that came to me after Joyce had drawn on the face - I found the blue background to be a great challenge - the right pic is how I sent it back to Sandy.

Journal 52:

Documented Life Project:

Hope your month went well.

PS  Do you love creating gelli prints?  Want a place to discuss gelli printing?  To show off your work?  Share your ideas? Discuss the pros and cons of different paints/paper/plates/tools etc?  Get some great ideas on what to do with the thousands of prints you have created?

Then I would love you to join me at the Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts Facebook Group.

Journal 52 Gelli Print Mandala

Week 21: Making a Mandala

I used a round gelli print for my mandala base then used plates and cups as templates for circles, Sharpie Pen to colour in....

PS  Do you love creating gelli prints?  Want a place to discuss gelli printing?  To show off your work?  Share your ideas? Be inspired and inspire others? Discuss the pros and cons of different paints/paper/plates/tools etc?  Get some great ideas on what to do with the thousands of prints you have created?

Then I would love you to join me at the Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts Facebook Group.

Art Journaling and DLP and J52

I have this sort of love/hate relationship with art journaling.  On the one hand I love the freedom of it, the fact that I can do what I want and really no one can criticize it as it's not for public consumption.  On the other hand the freedom can be paralyzing - where to start, what to do next and how to pull it all together so it's a cohesive piece. I am my own worst critic at times.... I can't seem to get the layering thing like some people can.....

 And then there are the supplies....art journaling is mixed media at it's best
- journals
- paint - acrylic and watercolour,
- papers - lots of different sorts - old books, dictionaries, gelli prints
- glue/gel medium,
- stamps,
- stencils,
- gesso,
- inks,
- ephemera,
- sprays,
- pencils - normal, watercolour, Inktense,
- Gelatos (whatever they are!),
- rub-ons,
- pens - hard to get good ones that will write over all of the above!!!,
- brushes,
- scissors,
- punches,
- craft knife
- craft paper cutter - use mine all the time!

Documented Life Project - Week 21 Challenge - Add embroidery or embroidery floss to your page.

Week 17 Challenge - Photograph or draw your favorite shoes.

Journal 52 - Week 20 Prompt: Book Inspired

 Week 19 Prompt: Photography

So if you need me I'll be upstairs in my art space....

Gelli Print Hand for Journal52

Journal 52 - Week 18 - Creative Hands


I found a gelli print I liked and cut it out and glued it down to my journal then added the white and gold paint and the lyrics from Jewel's Hands song.

Hands by Jewel

If I could tell the world just one thing
It would be that we're all OK
And not to worry 'cause worry is wasteful
And useless in times like these
I won't be made useless
I won't be idle with despair
I will gather myself around my faith
For light does the darkness most fear
My hands are small, I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
Poverty stole your golden shoes
It didn't steal your laughter
And heartache came to visit me
But I knew it wasn't ever after
We'll fight, not out of spite
For someone must stand up for what's right
'Cause where there's a man who has no voice
There ours shall go singing
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
I am never broken
In the end only kindness matters
In the end only kindness matters
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
I will get down on my knees, and I will pray
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
My hands are small I know
But they're not yours, they are my own
But they're not yours, they are my own
And I am never broken
We are never broken
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's mind
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's heart
We are God's eyes
God's hands
God's eyes
We are God's hands
We are God's hands

PS  Do you love creating gelli prints?  Want a place to discuss gelli printing?  To show off your work?  Share your ideas? Discuss the pros and cons of different paints/paper/plates/tools etc?  Get some great ideas on what to do with the thousands of prints you have created?

Then I would love you to join me at the Gelatin Printing Enthusiasts Facebook Group.

DLP and Journal 52

I did some quick art journaling this afternoon:

Documented Life Project - Week 14 - Write your name and embellish it.

Gelli print with glued on letters....

---

Journal 52 - Week 13: How Does Your Garden Grow? 

 

Gelli print, Sharpie pen because my paint pens won't work, gelli print flowers.

 

 

Oh dear, I can tell how tired I am as I could have added a lot more details and embellishments to these, oh well, at least I have done them this week.

How's your art journaling going?

Art Journal Challenges

Documented Life Project:

Week Eight - Add a flap to your flap.  I used an envelope that was sent to me with 'happy, art mail' in it and the quote was from another bundle of 'happy, art mail'.

 Week Nine - Collage something you recycled. I recycled the gelli print and the butterflies I created from some 'happy, art mail' that I've received.

Journal 52 - Week 8 - Found Poetry

This Week’s Prompt: Found Poetry

"For this week’s prompt, we will explore found poetry. Whether you decide to write a haiku or a sonnet or a freestyle poem – all depends on what you can find to make poetry out of!"

I created a Haiku out of magazine words.

The truth about love,

Paradise, blossomed, savoured

Not so naughty sex.

bahahahahahahahahaha.......


Nothing brilliant here as I've been concentrating on my gelli plate printing and my girls this month.

Love Letters - Journal 52

Journal 52 Week 6 Prompt: The Lost Art of Love Letters 

Short and sweet and for my husband.... 

Created using gelli prints, paint pens, stamps and ink.

Gelli Prints for Journal 52

Journal 52 Week 5 Prompt: Abstract Art Inspiration

I had an awesome time yesterday playing with my gelli plate and creating some great prints by scrunching up wax paper, laying it on the plate, removing and then pressing my page on.

 Here are some of the other prints I created:

And here's on of the pieces of wax paper:

I'm thinking of creating more of these but on a larger scale!!!

January 2014 Recap

Here's a recap of what happened in January 2014....

Works in Progress....

Journal 52....

The Documented Life Project....

Gelli printing makes me happy...

Bushfire in the neighbouring suburbs destroys 56 houses but over 400 are saved....thank you to the volunteer firemen, helitac pilots, police and the community who rallied around those who were devasted by their losses....

Hot, Hot, Hot!

How was your month?

Challenges Combined

Today I combined the Documented Life Project and the Journal52 challenges.

For the Documented Life Project we had to create a doodle border and for Journal52 we had to create a character....so here she is.

I referred to my LifeBook 2011 classes where I learnt how to draw girls - I used watercolour paper, graphite pencil, watercolour pencil, Caran D'Ache neocolor II watercolour crayons, acrylic paints, gold paint pen and used a gelli print page for the dress and the border!!!

It was great fun as I hadn't created a girl for a couple of months.

DLP Week 3 and J52 Week 2

The Documented Life Project Week 3 prompt was to add an envelope from our mailbox.  When this envelope arrived I was very excited because it was blue and had some great stamps and a postmark. It has two layers of gelli prints on it - a warm colour texture layer then a cool colour stencil print.

Journal52 prompt for Week 2 was Somewhere, A Simple Place....  I had trouble deciding where that place could be so have created this artwork using tissue paper and gesso.....it's finished but not finished.....

Up, Up and Away

Up, Up and Away was the week 1 prompt for Journal52.

I used gelli prints, background wash, alphabet stamps, photo of me, gold paint pen, washi tape....

 

 I've decided to do some art journaling this year and will exhibit my acrylic and mixed media paintings at local art shows.  Hmmm I think I may even paint a hot air balloon.....