COLLAGE SCRAP EXCHANGE

Recently I signed up for a Collage Scrap Exchange and was partnered with a very talented artist, Kiana Mosley. The idea is that we send each other paper scraps and combine these to make a collaborative collage. 

I thought I would share my page, and the background paper is one of my Gelli Plate prints. I made it with intention to cut it up but decided it made a good base for Kiana's beautiful and intricate paper cuts.  I have also included some of her gorgeous water colour paper scraps and I am lucky to have lots more left, which is good, because I think I will be doing lots more collage making. I am off to the Shetland Islands in April for a book making course and collage will be the theme - I know this is just the start of things to come!







And here is Kiana's collage.  She also used some of my Gelli plate printed paper for the waterfall and droplets. We both like nature and flowers and our collections to each other included these. I love the difference and the similarities.

Thank you for being my swap partner Kiana, it was great fun!!



JUNK JOURNAL - sharing Debs story

In previous Junk Journal posts I have made reference to one of the swap participants, Debs.  Not only did I love the way she came up with her ideas but the story behind it and so I took photos of her journal and invited Debs to tell all. 

So let's not waste time and with a big THANK YOU - it's over to Debs!

1.       So, Sandie’s junk journal challenge, should I do it, too busy really, work and getting ready to go on holiday and on top of that having to pick up my new passport in person from Peterborough due to lost photos……..well, I combined that trip to Peterborough with holiday shopping and whilst very pleased with the clothes and cosmetics I came away from that trip totally inspired by the packaging that all the things had come in. I loved the colours and the feel of the bags, so it was straight into my stash to have the fun of looking at papers and ephemera that all of us can describe in our craft spaces. Old photo mounts, paint chips, post cards from Ikea, an old A-Z of London, an old botanical book. Although this was a junk journal and I knew some of the pages would not come back to me I still couldn’t help but think of the journal as a whole and carry the colour theme through the pages, oranges, greys and blacks inspired by the shopping bag from Taking Shape.  (A brilliant shop for the slightly larger and curvaceous ladies, clothing with attitude and quality).

2.       How to use the papers and bags……decide on a size, and go for it.  A really useful tip that helped was to use the Ikea postcard as a template for the page size and take the postcard to the shopping bag and move it over the printed patterns and also over the folded part of the bag to see how to deconstruct the bag but keep the interesting features (technical term here now….keep the folded part in as a feature….the folded part is called the gusset!!!!)

3.       A page simply cut out from a No 7 gift bag leaving the black cord handles on. After the journal was finished these handles were too long so I just tied a knot into them. Onto the inside flap by the handles I attached a clear acrylic name badge holder with a brad. A place for hidden journaling.

4.       Opposite this I used an old photo mount, used paint chips to add colour and then distress inks blended in to the colour theme. Ink also enhanced the slight embossing on the photo mount.

5.       This page uses the shopping bag from taking shape, I even left the name on the gusset as I liked the expression. On the reverse I utilised an existing fold in the bag and tucked in an envelope and card for more hidden journaling. The card and envelope from my stash, a TKMaxx find. I also distressed inked the inside of the page but has to go really carefully as it was glossy paper and took ages to dry.

6.       An Ikea postcard mounted onto a Chanel No 5 hand-out. I had used photo glue and this reacted with the  glossy card giving an interesting texture in parts. Who can resist a quote “A drop of No5 and nothing else”!!!!

7.       I always have books that I have got from charity shops or car boots that tell a story in their design, can work as personal references to friends and places, or they work as background papers. This is simply a page from a botanical book with torn strips from the London A-Z.

8.       Almost the same on the reverse but instead of the street maps I used the index of street names.

9.   The reverse of the Ikea post card was distress inked and a line of chandeliers stamped across the top of the page. Overlaid on the top and affixed with glossy accents is part of the packaging from Tresor perfume, you can see where the bottle fitted into the acrylic and a chandelier printed onto it.

10 . Utilising part of the taking shape shopping bag and paint chips this page was created. I even used an existing hole in the bag (where the handles had been) to add a tag. This tag was created from the label from one of the items of clothing bought for my holiday!!! I covered the name and details with a piece of coordinating card.

11.   Another photo mount, left fairly plain as I liked the muddy greys and old grey writing.

12.   Using the A-Z as matting and layering.

So the pages were done, and interestingly I had passed half the night being inspired by Sandie’s challenge and thinking I didn’t really have the time. Amazing where thought and inspiration can take you. So what do I do for the covers, this part is really serendipity. I looked around by craft space and of course it was cluttered,  untidy and with evidence of good intentions to tidy up and sort out, i.e. Ikea cardboard cartons for packing. Way to go!!! Took my postcard template to one of the cartons, tried it out in different positions and even the existing  perforations created a spine, the hand holds created a view into the journal and the lines for labelling the box fell into an ideal place on the cover. The handles from the shopping bag were used to tie the journal up and a clothes price tag covered and coordinated as an embellishment to the cover.

So thanks Sandie for this challenge.
Debs

I think you will agree that Debs certainly got her inspiration from this packaging and it was also a lesson for me.  I am someone who saves interesting paper and card for projects and perhaps in future I will use what I have to hand instead, as I love the way this journal came together and the story attached.  

When it came to making up the journals for the swap I had a small dilemma as Debs had gauged the size of her cover by her postcard.  The instructions asked for pages up to 6 x 8 inches and this meant some of the swapped pages would be too big.  I wanted to keep Debs cover so I used the back of it to extend the length and added a new back replacement.  I know Debs liked the detail of this packaging, and the 'hand hold' now left space for a tab to be added for a title.  I punched holes in the journal and used a thick ribbon to secure, adding the original handle from the shopping bag and tag as a  detail.  I hope Debs likes the result....
  

The  journals have now been returned to the swap participants and if you took part I do hope you like your package when it arrives.  And I wonder which of Debs pages you will find in your journal?!  



Thanks for popping by, for taking part, and again to Debs for sharing her thoughts and ideas.   It has been fun! 

JUNK JOURNAL SWAP - PART 4

It is beginning to feel like Christmas here....  no, not because that time of year is fast approaching but because happy mail is arriving!  Each day I wait excitedly to see if the postman will deliver another Junk Journal and word has spread because 3 packages are on their way from US.  I'm happy clapping here!

I am having great fun with this Swap and some of the comments I received have really added something special:

'I've really enjoyed the process of creating something that doesn't need to feel 'perfect' - it's been liberating!  

'Thanks so much for the little nudge I needed to start feeling creative again' 

'I was so inspired that I've already made myself another one'. 

All this from the same person!   And there have been other lovely comments and gestures too.  Let me show you another package that arrived.......

 

 

I mentioned lovely gestures.  Well this surprise package came from a friend who is not taking part in the Swap!  She had made the most delightful little velum packages with 

French Sugar Paper and stamps tucked inside.  And there was a wonderful assortment of papers and folded card.....  'is this the kind of thing you're looking for?' she asked!!  Well, it takes another paperlover to know that this is EXACTLY what I was looking for, and so a HUGE thank you to Angela!!   The journals will be even fatter and more interesting for your contribution.

 

In my last post I decorated pages and pockets with Dylusion Spray Inks.  This time I have been getting messy with paint and stamping.  I  have a pile of books that I keep for upcycling and altering so I often tear pages of text and cover them with Gesso or a light coat of paint or ink.  Afterwards I use it as a background or as part of a collage, or decorate it in someway.

For a long time I have been planning to experiment with making my own stamps so I decided to keep to the theme of upcycling and I cut some scraps of mountboard, covered it with wet glue, and added string.  It was a bit messy to do as the string kept lifting and uncurling, but perseverance won. 

 

And here is the result.  I liked the effect when I tried it so I made another using thicker string and a more loose design.  I have lots more ideas which I will be trying out when I have more time.....

But meanwhile here are some more pages I have made for the Junk Journal Swap.  My pile is growing, and once the journals have all arrived I will spend a happy couple of days swapping pages and making up journals to post back.  Sending Happy mail is as good as receiving!!

I am also including scraps.  These die cut negatives make wonderful additions to a page as strips or cut into individual letters to create words.....

 

And do you remember this background paper I showed in my previous post?

 

 

Well here is a page that I made from it......

 

 

It is ready now for someone to add their own ideas, or maybe just leave it as it is.  Because soon this page, a long with the others, will be packaged up and posted.  It is too late this time to take part in the Swap although this has been such fun that I will be planning others.  Let me know if you want me to keep you posted about this.  Meanwhile if you missed previous posts and would like to catch up here are the links:

 

 Paperlove

'Come Join our Junk Journal Swap'

Junk Journal Swap - Part 1

Junk Journal Swap - Part 2

Junk Journal Swap - Part 3

 

Last time I mentioned that my friend Deb is taking part in the Swap and will be sharing the story about what inspired her journal.  She has been on holiday but like a trooper she has come home and done her part so now it is over to me to put into a post.  So watch this space because Debs is someone who always inspires me and she has a wicked sense of humour! 

 

But first, the 5th of the month is approaching and that means it will be time for my monthly neme '5 in 5'.  I  also have photos of my Summer Scavenger Hunt to share so I hope to catch up with you again soon and thank you for visiting.  And thank you too, to everyone who has taken part in this Junk Journal Swap - I am loving every minute of it! 

JUNK JOURNAL SWAP - PART 3

Last time I showed ways of making pockets, using envelopes and other stationary.  This time I will show how to decorate some of your pages using quick and easy techniques using Dylusion spray inks.  But first here's another pocket, using a 12x12 sheet of paper.

First, fold your sheet into half.  Turn and fold into thirds as shown below. 

Turn each corner in.

With corners turned, fold in the sides.

 

 

Now,  fold under, in half.  You have a pocket each side and a nice sturdy page.

 

  In addition, you could add double sided tape and secure the two halves

 to form another pocket in between, with top or side opening.

 

 So let's look at other ways of making pockets and decorated pages.  In my last post here 

I showed a page made from a card envelope.  You will be familiar with these if you buy books online.  As I had to reduce the height of the page I had to reseal it.  I decided to add a strip from a file folder so I glued this inside, and folded the excess up and over.

 

I used double sided tape on the two outer edges,  leaving the top open to form

an additional pocket.  The side of the page provides larger storage space.

 

I then used Dylusions ink spray to add some colour to the pocket.

I may add more detail or leave this for the recipient.

 

I love spray ink as they are quick and easy to use, and they make an immediate impact.  I always cover my work surface with plastic covering and use a large sheet of paper to collect the excess ink as it is sprayed.  Interesting patterns and colours form and later I will cut up this sheet and use it as pages in the journal, or as decoration. 

 

Here's some pages from a book. 

You can see some of the sheet of paper and the colour starting to form.

 

This time I sprayed a window envelope.  I then turned it face down onto the sheet of paper and because the ink does not absorb into the cellophane it was transferred.  Can you see the imprint?!  A quick wipe with kitchen roll left the window clear. 

 

 

A quick spray on the reverse means I have a colourful page.  The wrinkles soon dry out!

At the top of the photo you can see another envelope that I used to mop up some of the excess ink.  You will see this again in a moment.

 

 

Next I took a sheet of adhesive labels and sprayed those. 

Can you see how colourful this  background sheet is becoming?

 

 

And remember the envelope I used to 'mop up' some of the ink? 

Well there it is with some of those adhesive labels.  I could have added more ink or

colour but I quite liked the subtle effect.  Sometimes it is good to rest the eye.

 

 

And on the reverse I stuck more labels.  Once more, I may come

back and add some more decoration, or leave it for someone else.

 

 
So that's it for now.  Next time I will show you more of my pages and ways I have decorated them, and Deb, who is taking part in the Swap, will be sharing the story about what inspired her journal.  So I hope to catch up with you soon and thank you for visiting.  By the way:

There is still time to join in the Junk Journal Swap!!

You can find more about it here.  

 

JUNK JOURNAL SWAP - PART 2

Hi!  I am back with some ideas about how to prepare pages for a Junk Journal.  In this post  I shared ideas about the different papers and materials that can be used to make pages. And today we will focus on envelopes and ways of folding paper and card as we are looking at how to make pockets, wallets, and ways to conceal or contain things such as journaling, tickets, tags etc.. 

 

I will try not to be too photo heavy, though sometimes a picture can say more than words and also show an example.  Here is some of the envelopes and stationary that I used:

 

Some pockets will be left for the recipient to decorate as they choose, so it was a simple case of choosing a top or side opening.  Where necessary I cut the envelope to fit the journal cover and stuck down any open or cut sides, leaving just the pocket opening.  With the example below I decided to reveal the inside of the envelope as I like the blue design.  This also shows how I formed the sides when resizing an envelope.  In this example I slit the sides and opened the envelope.  I cut away some of the excess paper leaving a small lip which was glued, so that when the page was folded it made a neat edge.  I stuck the other side with tape, leaving the top of the pocket open.  And to conceal a join in the original construction of the envelope, I added a strip of decorative tape across the bottom.... see picture below.

 

Here's the finished pocket ready to be put into the journal. 

It can be decorated later by me or the recipient.

 

 

Windows make a nice addition as they show a glimpse of the contents. 

 

 

I upturned the envelope and covered the print.

 

 

A magazine cutting neatens the back of this used envelope and adds interest. 

It also folds inside the envelope, strengthening and tidying the original flap.

 

 

Next I chose a lunch bag and cut it in half. 

 

 

It was too wide to fit the cover so I trimmed it and sealed the edge with decorative tape.  Inside I stuck the gusset with tape to make it more firm.  The finished page provides 2 pockets, one inside the bag and one inside the folded base. 

 

With the top of the lunch bag I simply stapled the cut edge.  Sometimes simple closures add effect, don't you think?  This is a side opening and the handles would have made the page too wide, so I stapled these onto the page each side. The gusset allows a wide pocket opening so I added a length of string which can be tied to keep the contents secure. 

Next came a greetings card.  This one was quick and easy
with two strips of double sided tape to form a top opening pocket.

 

 

 

 Remember the file at the top of the page?  Well I cut it to size and opened it up.

 

 

This just needed double sided tape to make a nice strong pocket page.

 

 

 

 And if you buy books from Amazon, or online, I'm sure you have some of these!  They
make good strong pages and I cut the envelope to the right width.  The cut edge will form
the pocket opening.  I then had to reduce the height of the page, so I measured one side
and folded the excess, gluing it inside to make a nice strong edge.  Next time I will
show an addition that I added to this page.  I hope some of these ideas are useful.

 

 

I have started to receive journals and my excitement is growing as fast as my collection of pages!  What's more, I was so inspired by the story behind Deb's journal that I have invited her to tell us more and this will come later in the week.  I'll be back meanwhile with another post, this time showing some quick and easy page decoration.   Thank you for visiting.

 

There is still time to join in the Junk Journal Swap!!

You can find more about it here.