Saturday, August 15, 2009

something I made

a journal for a friend who is outreach and education director on a working organic farm



some inside pages








I covered chipboard with paper outside and in to make the covers.
For the inside pages, I copied parts of pages from books, hand stamped, and hand drew pictures. All designed pages are acid free. I added about 10 pages in the back that are not archival and therefore can be used for notes and ripped out.
Once everything was created, I lined up the pages, stacked them inside the covers and held all in place with clothespins. Next, I drilled 3 holes through which I fed strips of leather to tie the journal together.



from the front (left)







the back (right)

This was a fun project. I am enamored of making journals, have made some in the past. It's safe to say this was a learning experience. But all in all, although not perfect, I think this journal turned out rather well.
See my post about the farm (and the cutest little piggy snouts) here.
PS: For the cover I used patterned paper which I embellished by stamping and hand drawing designs.
Go check out this post from AlpHa Buttonpusher. It's a tutorial!
photos by me ©2009

19 comments:

  1. What a thoughtful and beautiful gift for your friend!! I am sure she will adore it...

    Hugs,
    Lynn♥


    ~Let FREEDOM Ring!~

    ReplyDelete
  2. THAT IS AWESOME!!!!!!
    Now I have to find some tutorials and learn to make them too lol, I always loved that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a beautiful journal! I love journals but don't tend to actually use them because my writing is so horrible. But that doesn't stop me from collecting them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. thanks for visiting my blog! :)

    this is LOVELY!!! i also love making journals... i really should make them more often..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh, but you can do more than write in them! You can put pictures in them, notes and cards form other people, scraps and snippets of this and that, tickets, a pressed flower...
    Even if you don't like your writing, it's special because it's you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Me again! I'm trying to find my more creative side and be able to use a journal for other than writing. For now I just get nervous and am afraid I'll mess it up. But, your post today has inspired me to try again so I'm going to get out one of my journals and just let my imagination go!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, that is so pretty. How creative you are to make something so beautiful. I love the colors and design of the paper.

    Judy

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love it! And the colors are wonderful and calming.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautifully designed! I absolutely love it!

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is beautiful! What a lucky friend to receive such a thoughtful handmade gift.

    ReplyDelete
  11. That's beautiful!! Love the butterflies.

    ReplyDelete
  12. This journaly is stunning! All the details you put into it just add that extra magic. Really, really lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Beautifully done! First, what a thoughtful gift. And then, the journal looks so pretty. I lok forward to seeing what else you create.

    ReplyDelete
  14. This looks awesome!!! Gotta love paper crafts :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love hand made journals too! I've made a few in my day, although now I write everything on the computer!!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. re: moss terrariums. i made sure there was a bunch of gravel in the bottom for drainage & a bit of charcoal (the kind for fish tank filters) to keep the smell down / clean the water. i added a bit of water & have opened the jars when there's condensation. i keep them out of direct sunlight (easy since i don't really get direct sun). otherwise, i just keep the jars closed & the moss seems healthy.

    they're only 2 weeks old though, so we'll see how they fare!

    ReplyDelete
  17. That's beautiful! You're such a good friend!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make my day! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!