For years I've been subscribing to a very expensive magazine called The World of Interiors. I rarely splurge on things like this, but I'm addicted to this magazine and I have STACKS AND STACKS of them! It has wonderful, inspiring photos and thick, gorgeous, glossy pages. When it's time to declutter, I save my favorite issues and turn the rest into art journals. For some reason because these art journals are recycled, I feel more at ease going CRAZY in them. I fill them with tons of color, experiment with all kinds of paint techniques and have no guilt about "wasting" pages. It's liberating! I thought you might want to know how I make them so here it is. Remember to find ways to re-use and recycle and to always MAKE YOUR MARK!
Just a few of my journals
Americana Acrylics are the best because they're matte and don't cause the pages to stick together!
Watch how to make them here!
STUFF I USED
Drill
Magazines with thick paper (National Geographic works, too)
Ribbon
Citri Solv (Natural Cleaner)
HERE'S HOW
1. & 2. Mark and cut your magazine in half with a band saw
*I prefer a band saw to a jigsaw because it's easier to control the magazine
3. & 4. Drill holes at the binding 1" from each edge and then thread and tie ribbon in a bow or knot
*This keeps the pages from falling out
5. Coat each page in Citri Solv to dissolve the ink a little
6. While wet, close the journal and let sit for about 20 minutes
*When you open the journal your pages will look mottled and marbled!
7. When the pages are dry I like to stamp them with Art Foamies using Americana Acrylic Paints
*Americana Acrylics dry matte so they're perfect for glossy pages (no stick)
8. & 9. I create ombre effects by blending paint on the Stamp Buddy and then carefully pressing my Art Foamies into the mixture
10. Next I embellish the pages any way I want
11. & 12. Go crazy with different Art Foamies designs and paint away!
Don't forget to paint your covers, too.
