Transitioing to a New Journal

I think I've already mentioned it (lol)  but, my little "daybook" journal is getting pretty full.  A date has been set for it's retirement (June).

This is what it looked like when I first started using it:

Pretty right? :) It was my first homemade notebook. ♥

This is what it looks like now.
It's a little beat up.

The edges of the cover are badly frayed (I ended up cutting off most of the corners because of this.) The butterfly "flew away" a few weeks ago- altho I know it's somewhere in my house >.> It has paint splotches on the back (from my not paying attention where I set it down).  And it bears tell tale signs of weekends spent at my bestie's & visits to my gentleman friend's place. I somehow managed to yank the ribbon COMPLETELY off at least twice!. It is also about four times as thick as it was when I started.

It's funny- as soon as I know when I will be switching to a new journal, it's like a floodgate is opened & suddenly I have TONS of things to write about or add to the current one! I have filled up more pages in the past two week than I did in the past two months! This phenomenon happened with at least the last 3 journals.

I have started working on pages in my princess journal. One of my little "rituals" when I start a new journal is to do the "things that make me smile" page & an "all about me" page.  It's a nice, positive way to start off a journal :)

Does anybody else have ways to break in a new journal?

April & Altered Book Backgrounds

Wow, April already? o.O Whoever is fast forwarding thru my year needs to stop it right now!

Anyway, here is March all filled up:

 

And April all ready to go:

I did my April calendar awhile ago & I didn't like it at first. Then, this week I added the green butterfly & it brightened up the page & now I quite like it :) 

Like I said last month- I can't add any more pages into my little overstuffed notebook so I am trying to work with the ones already in there. I used some of the scraps left over from making the notebook for the squares.

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I have also been working on prepping some backgrounds in my altered book journal.  I try to do a few pages whenever I get new paint- that way there will be a nice variety throughout the book :)

lime green acrylic sprayed (with a mini mister) over dried black acrylic

 layered acrylics

bubble wrap + acrylics

acrylics tinted w/ watercolours

For this spread, I mixed dark pink watercolours in with the pastel pink acrylic paint to brighten it up a bit :)

I have a vague idea of keeping this journal for sometime when I will be very busy (say.. the first year I have a FULL TIME teaching job maybe? lol)  That way I will have a book with lots of pretty, ready to go backgrounds (that I still did myself!)

Hope everyone's April is off to a good start!

Homemade Journals Preview

Hello there!

I am currently working on 3 very different journals.

The first one is my "everyday is Halloween"  journal.

It's the biggest journal I've made so far: about 8 x 12 inches..

This book's purpose is to be pretty! lol By that I mean, I am trying to making it so that it is visually interesting & well planned out. I am going to use coordinated papers- the Chillingsworth Manor paper pack (that a lovely friend sent me!) and a few from the Ravenhead Manor pack.

 It is to be my masterpiece :D

This book is probably going to be my next journal once I fill up the one I'm currently working in.
If the Halloweeny one is meant to be pretty- this one is meant to practical (altho, I think it is still pretty! lol). As I'm working on it, I've been making a little list of  problems I've had w/ my current notebook. For instance- I know I need more plain pages, especially black & white cardstock. I also need more pockets & more room to add in pages as I go along.

I decided I wanted to use one of my own drawings on the cover (which I don't think I've ever done before).

Does it look familar to you?
No?
okay, I'll give you a little clue:

ah sparkles! Pretty? Yes. Easy to photograph? not so much..

This last journal started out as a mistake (I'm telling you- great things come from crafty accidents).
Once I had gessoed & painted this cover, I realized it wasn't going to work for what I had wanted to use it for.
Still, it was pretty so I saved it & set it aside. I decided I'm going to use it as a mini-art journal on the theme of "courage" (something I need right now).

This is very different for me- I have always only worked in ONE journal at a time (not counting when I'm transitioning from one that's nearly completed). And they are fat journals, which are meant to last for at least a few months.. so yeah- very different for me.  I am also going to experiment a bit more in it.. after all- that's part of being courageous right? Getting out of your comfort zone.. ;)

December

Ah it's December.
Sad to say, December is not one of favourite months..

I know, I know- there's Christmas & ♪♫ the most wonderful time of the year. ♪♫ meh..

Anyways, so no, I'm not making a December Daily. And my December calender is not exactly festive.. >.> but I like it :)

One of the few Christmasy things I DO like is Nightmare Before Christmas (in fact my Christmas stocking has Jack Skellington on it!) :)

So that is the inspiration for my calender this month.

It might not seem like a cheerful page to some people, but it makes me happy :D

I didn't want to ruin the effect with my usual bright calendar stickers.. so I made some special ones just for Dec.

 I'm especially proud of the smiling Jack in the second row.. I think it looks just like him! Not that he's a terribly complicated character to draw but still lol


My calender pages in my last notebook were all boring, half sheet grids stuck in the back of the book.  They were not pretty enough to be included in the journal proper so they were exiled back there >.>

But since I started following The Kathryn Wheel and have been making PRETTY calendar pages for my journal they are not banished to the back anymore.. Which is nice except I kept having to flip thru the pages to find where the calendars were because I can never remember..

So my brillant solution:

Hope everyone enjoys their December!

Starry Night Notebook

Ta-da! Another notebook! lol isn't it prettiful? :D


It's another one that is made out of a Hamburger Helper box (I just think they have good dimensions for books!). However, instead of covering this one with paper, I just painted the box itself.

The outside cover is painted with blue acrylic & then Yasutomo shimmery watercolours over it.

(The Yasutomo watercolours were sent to me by a wonderful Crafty Fairy Godmother! )

The closure is made from salvaged bits of chain from broken necklaces fed thru an eyelet. 

 

 

jump ring to act as a stopper

I got this idea for the closure from one of Kathy Orta's videos.

inside front cover

On the inside covers, I used leftover paper scraps (from making the pages) which I painted with Crayola watercolours with a bit of the shimmery Yasutomos over them. I used something like 5 shades of blue but the effect is very pretty!

 

I made a little library card style pocket out of some leftover cardstock (lots of recycling going on in this notebook!)

back inside cover... soo sparkly! O.O

 

side view

There are 3 signatures that are stitched into the the book. The outside of each signature is blue cardstock with white, mixed-media paper in the middles.

I drew little shimmery star designs on the first page of each signature.

I'm really happy with how this one came out (no pages stitched in upside down!!! First time ever!)

I think I am probably going put it up for sale in my Etsy shop... since I am rich in notebooks, but poor in cash.  Altho, if nobody ends up buying it, I'm sure I can find some use for it ;) hehe

Clouds, Hearts & Compulsive Doodling

Hello!

I've been making more notebooks :)

This is the first one I've made that has co-ordinating papers & a theme rather than just a random mix.

Another homemade notebook!!!

I make a simple little watercolour painting for the cover.
The clouds & hearts were inspired by my favourite washi tape.. which I have used all up, sadly.

decorated pocket pages

After I finished the notebook I decided to make some matching journaling cards & stickers to go with it... >.>

And then I decided to do my November calendar...

And some more stickers...

lol I'm wondering, am I the only one who gets these funny little fixations where they want to doodle the same thing over & over?

Last week I did 3 dozen "creepy cute" face stickers... and before that, it was butterflies >.>


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If case anyone's interested.. the notebook & matching goodies are for sale here --->Daybook Kit: Clouds & Hearts

and so are the stickers ---> Clouds & Hearts Stickers

:)

Another Homemade Notebook

Yes, I made another one. And I have plans for more >.>  It's a sickness I tell ya...

This one is made out of a Hamburger Helper box.. and I actually thought to take a few pics as I was working on it this time :)

spine after the pages have been stitched in

in between the signatures

adding the cover

ribbon markers added in the space between the signatures

lies flat!

And if that's not enough for you... here is a quick flip thru ;)