Mini Junk Journal Project with Guest Artist Lindsay Ostrom

“When I think about why I journal now, it’s more of, why wouldn’t I? I journal on my lunch break, in the car while waiting for an appointment, and every night when I come home. Ideas pop into my head during my day-to-day routine and it seems that I cannot sleep until I get them out onto the paper.”

~Lindsay Ostrom from the pages of Art Journaling Summer 2014

Today we have a very special treat for our wonderful blog followers! The incredibly talented Lindsay Ostrom, who has been featured in a number of Stampington publications such as Somerset Studio, Art Quilting Studio, and Somerset Apprentice, has agreed to share an exclusive project with us. If you happened to have read Lindsay’s article in Art Journaling, then like me, you probably fell head-over-heels in love with her colorful and clever Junk Journal. After gushing in an email about how much I enjoyed her article and artwork, Lindsay agreed to create a mini junk journal just for us. So get your crafting supplies ready, and please join me in giving Lindsay a warm Somerset Place welcome.

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Today I want to walk you through the process of creating one of my Junk Journals, like the one featured in the 2014 Art Journaling magazine. I usually start by coming up with an idea in my head and sometimes a theme. For this project, my theme was fortune cookie messages. You know when you go to a Chinese place and you get a really good fortune in your cookie, and then you pray that it comes true? Kind of like that.

Mini Junk Journal Material List:

–Paper Ephemera

–Pieces of Fabric

–Ribbons

–Envelopes

–Paper Cutting Tools

–Paper Binding Rings

–Adhesive

–Black Journaling Pen

–White Journaling Pen

–Acrylic Paint Markers

Mini Junk Journal Project Tutorial:

Step 1 – First collect bits and pieces of “junk” to use in your journal. I love to combine paper and fabrics so for this one I chose a lot of old papers, ledger pads, book paper, manila folders, envelopes, receipt books, etc. I like to pull everything out to see what strikes my fancy at the moment. Everything else gets put away and I only use what I have selected.

Step 2 – Next, start assembling your pages. I never really know where I am going with my own pages until I lay them out. I just start pulling bits and pieces together. I hardly ever cut and rarely use a paper cutter. I love to fold and tear, and to create pockets with lots of nooks and crannies.

I rarely ever decide on a certain number of pages when I begin a book. I just make them until I feel satisfied. I knew for this project I wanted a shorter/smaller book and the pages just started appearing.

Step 3 – I save cardboard boxes for my covers, but you can use whatever sturdy material you want. Personally, I love cardboard because you can tear back a bit of the outer paper to expose the rippled corrugated inners. You can easily cut it with scissors or a craft knife. The only tricky part is sewing bits and pieces onto it.

Step 4 – I have about 5 layers of fabric, lace, and doily here. It was a bit tough, but with a slow and steady foot, it will all sew together nicely. Like I said, I love to use fabrics with paper, and sewing is a must. Adhesives just never seem to do what I want, and I know that if I use a sewing machine, things tend to be more securely attached.

Step 5 – When I start working in a journal, I usually haven’t completed the front and back covers yet. With this journal however, I embellished the cover at the same time as the pages in order to give you all a better idea of what a completed book will look like.

Step 6 – Once you have your pages just right and you’ve sewn everything into place, you can start to assemble them into a journal. I usually sort the pages in the order of how I want them to appear in the journal, but I never seem to stick to it. Silly, I know.

Step 7 – Next, using a large punch (I used a Cropadile), start punching holes in the pages. Once the cover is done, you can use it as a template for the other pages. Don’t be afraid to punch some pages so that they sit higher and lower than the others. It will make your book look more interesting.

Step 8 – You can use any type of binding you like. Sometimes I take mine to the local printer and have them spiral bound. If you own your own binding machine, you can do it yourself. For this journal, I chose to use just a simple “O” ring.

Step 9 – Lay the book out in front of you, and then slide the rings through the front and back cover, leaving them open in the middle. This is the easiest way to add pages. You can add one to the front and one to the back until you get to the center. That way the hinge on the rings is in the back. You can also tie bits of fabric, lace, and fibers onto the rings to disguise them. Step 10 – Next, close the rings and take a look at your completed book. So pretty, right? I love just flipping through the pages and seeing what I created out of “junk.”

Here is the cover in all its glory!

I usually make a pouch out of junk for each book. That way I can carry them around with me and they don’t get dirty. I can also toss in bits and pieces that I want to use in the book later on when I am journaling. In this pouch, for example, I am saving some fortune cookie messages. I used scraps of fabric as well as upholstery swatches from furniture stores to make this pouch, but that’s a project for another day!

 

Step 10 – Embellishing the pages of your junk journal is the next step. I usually do this over a period of time, but I will do two pages for this project. Being an ex-scrapbooker, I like to do a two page spread that is somehow tied together. In this case it’s circles.

Step 11 – For this book I decided to use fabric instead of paper on the pages, and to adhere it, I used Mod Podge instead of sewing thread. You can use any adhesive you like. I broke one of my cardinal rules because I felt there was enough sewing on the page already, and the Mod Podge dries quick and clear.

Step 12 – Pick a fabric that has a circle pattern on it, and then cut into the edge of the circle and cut out a ring. You can use both the ring and the left-over circle. When you glue or sew the ring into your book you won’t even see the cutout line.

Step 13 – I incorporated fortune cookie messages with my own special take on them. I added some journaling, drawing, and coloring around messages that hold a particularly important meaning to me.  You can use the envelopes and pockets to hide some of the more personal messages.

Want to see more? I hope so! This mini-journal isn’t finished yet. I have just begun. I hope to finish it in time for the next installment of Art Journaling. Hopefully this project has inspired you to create your own Junk Journal. You can even make it a party. Invite your friends over and have everyone bring their own bits of junk and swap. Until next time!

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Thanks Lindsay for sharing such a wonderful project. With the holiday season fast approaching, this is the perfect time to start making art journals. Keep track of special moments, write down how your feeling, and strive to be creative as often as you can inside the pages of your very own junk journal.

 

More about Lindsey Ostrom:

To learn more about Lindsey, the self-titled Creator of Cuteness, and see more of her amazing work visit her blog.