I've been working on a set of four of these type journals and I am not quite done with them yet but I am at a point where I can stop and take a good look at them. The first one is always a prototype where I make my choices and mistakes until I decide how I want to do them all. So I will always keep the first one of each themed set that I make.
These are modified traveler's journals. Not the standard traveler's size but they are soft side wrap around fabric journals. The pages are 4-1/2" x 6-3/4" and there are three signatures to each book. The covers are made of faux suede, leather, ostrich and heavy upholstery material. Oh I learned so much making these. I am not finished with them yet. You can see I got the first stitches a little crookedy but that's O.K. I'm keeping it.
What took so long was designing them and deciding what to put into them. And for everything I did like in mine, I had to make three more similar or of the same type for the other journals. This is what it looks like all folded up.
I was moving right along after sewing in all the signatures in all the books. Then I wanted a certain bead for the closure. I had to stop and go to the craft store and I found what I liked but when I got home they would not fit on the natural polished hemp that I used so I had to ream all the wooden beads out with a tiny drill - by hand. WHEW!
Seems like it took forever to drill them out... then, I decided I wanted a heavier bead for the other string. So that also took me a while. I had to drag out my polymer clay and molds, bake the clay and let it cool, paint it and when it was dry I put it on the closure strings.
It feels like it took me forever to get the one book to this stage when I've really only been working on it solid for a little over a week now, most of the time was drying time. I had planned out parts of it in my head for several weeks before I even started.
Then, I had to write down each step so the other books would have all the things in them too that I liked. So many steps! I got to use all my craft supplies on these! Stamping, embossing, rivets, sewing fabrics, fibers, spraying, polymer clay charms, painting, decoupage, washi tape.
But I think it was worth it. This is my favorite page so far. I'm not trying to produce finished journal pages here, just a start for a place to stash memories and bright dabs of color. Personally, I don't write in a journal but I do like to decorate and create artwork so I added little touches to the pages like hand painted flowers (to be shown later) and pop up primroses.
I am in love with these books. It would be very, very hard to part with them if I wasn't keeping one for my very own. Can't wait to show some pretty pages when I get time to take more pictures.
These are modified traveler's journals. Not the standard traveler's size but they are soft side wrap around fabric journals. The pages are 4-1/2" x 6-3/4" and there are three signatures to each book. The covers are made of faux suede, leather, ostrich and heavy upholstery material. Oh I learned so much making these. I am not finished with them yet. You can see I got the first stitches a little crookedy but that's O.K. I'm keeping it.
What took so long was designing them and deciding what to put into them. And for everything I did like in mine, I had to make three more similar or of the same type for the other journals. This is what it looks like all folded up.
I was moving right along after sewing in all the signatures in all the books. Then I wanted a certain bead for the closure. I had to stop and go to the craft store and I found what I liked but when I got home they would not fit on the natural polished hemp that I used so I had to ream all the wooden beads out with a tiny drill - by hand. WHEW!
Seems like it took forever to drill them out... then, I decided I wanted a heavier bead for the other string. So that also took me a while. I had to drag out my polymer clay and molds, bake the clay and let it cool, paint it and when it was dry I put it on the closure strings.
It feels like it took me forever to get the one book to this stage when I've really only been working on it solid for a little over a week now, most of the time was drying time. I had planned out parts of it in my head for several weeks before I even started.
Then, I had to write down each step so the other books would have all the things in them too that I liked. So many steps! I got to use all my craft supplies on these! Stamping, embossing, rivets, sewing fabrics, fibers, spraying, polymer clay charms, painting, decoupage, washi tape.
But I think it was worth it. This is my favorite page so far. I'm not trying to produce finished journal pages here, just a start for a place to stash memories and bright dabs of color. Personally, I don't write in a journal but I do like to decorate and create artwork so I added little touches to the pages like hand painted flowers (to be shown later) and pop up primroses.
I am in love with these books. It would be very, very hard to part with them if I wasn't keeping one for my very own. Can't wait to show some pretty pages when I get time to take more pictures.
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