Creating a Journal

Okay, this is for my colour swap pal Samantha (click on her name or her blog). I sent her the above journal which I made myself. Firstly I noted that she loved blues, greens and yellows hence the colour scheme, so I went hunting. I mainly used basic grey scrap booking paper with a mix of others that matched. I then bought a pen the same colour as the main green and also bought piped ribbon to match (sorry the technical terms escape me).



THE PROCESS

1. Get a hinged wooden book designed for use in crafts such as decoupage or folk art.
2. Pull the journal to pieces, cut your main background paper to size and then paint the edges of the journal in gold folk art to match the hinges.
3. Design a feature piece. The butterfly is what I call my Doodle art. I penciled in the outline of a butterfly onto a softly patterned piece of paper. From there it is free drawn. I just did whatever came to me and mirrored it on the other side. Then I drew in the background trees.

4. Take main feature artwork and attach to first border background. Using green pen draw carefully around the outside of the artwork. Attach to second border.
5. Place piped ribbon in position and attach to the back of the second border. Do this top and bottom of the feature artwork.
6. With a paper piercer (or a thick needle) make three holes at even intervals under the bottom piped ribbon. Thread embroidery thread through the whole and tape to the back of the art work. On the front loop the thread around the ribbon to hold it more secure. Leave enough length on the front to attach the charms.
7. Prepare the main background paper. Place jaq paper (not sure how to spell it but it is double sided sticky paper) on the back in preparation for attaching to the journal. I added a little strip of blue to the front for a bit more colour.
8. Using Jaq paper attach the artwork on the main background piece, line up the embroidery thread where you will attach the charms and pierce the paper.
9. Attach the charms by threading the embroidery thread through the charm and into the holes in the paper. Tape the ends of the on the back of the paper. (NOTE if you tape the thread upwards it decreases the chance of being pulled out by accident).
10. Once paint is dry on the journal stick down the art work and other papers.
11. Take a paper piercer, find the holes where the small hinge screws go and pierce the paper. For the holes where the large screws go cut around the inside with a small knife (all this is done after the paper has been stuck down).
12. I also stuck down some ribbon as a last thought on the inside join of the cover were the hinges go. I was lucky that the small hinge screws would go through the ribbon. In order to help I did pierce the ribbon before I attempted to attach the hinges.
13. SAMANTHA is done in cut out cardboard letters that I painted in blue. Once the paint was dry I added crystal effects (a liquid that dries in 3-D to produce a glassy effect). I then glued each letter down.
14. On the inside of the journal I stuck down the same paper I used to draw my artwork on and then added parchment paper for the pages.
15. With it all finished I shipped it off to Samantha who absolutely loves it which I am very happy about.