Some More Journal Progress

 The journal is coming along, but there is still a lot to be done. Slow going but fun. The first signature is almost done. There will be two signatures in this journal. One of the journal pages photographed is made with the most beautiful wallpaper. I purchased several rolls of this paper on ebay - it is made in England and is just stunning. I will be using more of it in this journal.  Sorry for the shadows on the photos - it is a really rainy day and the lighting is not the best.

A Little Progress

Working on the Junk Journal

I have been working on my junk journal this weekend and created a few more pages and some pockets. I stenciled several of the pages using Vintage Photo and Weathered Wood Distress Inks and collaged another page. I sewed on one of the pockets - I need a lot more practice to be able to sew straight. The journal page with the Eiffel Tower image was made with a napkin. It is taking me awhile but I am having fun working on this project.

 Making A Junk Journal

I have always wanted to make a junk journal but was a little intimidated by the process. Lately I have been watching a lot of talented ladies on YouTube making junk journals and they are really inspiring. I decided to jump in and try making a journal. I started it a few weeks ago. I made the cover and back out of an old piece of embroidered linen that has been in my closet for ages. I had to put some lace on the back because the embroidered design did not reach all the way around. The inside of the journal is lined with a piece of wallpaper from a sample book. I love the design. That was the least intimidating part of this process so far. What to put in the journal and how to decorate pages is a little bit challenging. Listening to the fabulous artists who make these journals on YouTube, I am learning there is no right or wrong way to make a journal - the key is to just do it. Don't overthink it. That's what trips me up. I tend to overthink things. I hope I can get out of my own way and go nuts with the glue stick collaging things. I did manage to make one collage page and that is as far as I have gotten with the project.

Bagging It

I am still playing with decorative napkins, adhering them with the cling wrap technique. These are two bags I made recently. I am not very good at tying nice looking bows so I used my bow-easy to make the bows on the front of each bag. I punched two holes in each bag and fed the seam binding through to the back. Then I had to figure out how to secure the seam binding without gluing it so the gift recipient could easily open the bag. I purchased some beads at Michael's in the kids section - I think they are called "pony" beads. I fed the two ends of the seam binding through the beads and that worked.

Charming

I have been spending time making charms lately.  They are so easy to make. I use charm blanks, pop in different crafty materials and top them with either an epoxy or glass cabochon. I purchased the charms and cabochons on Amazon.

These charms were made with stickers (strawberry, cupcake and heart), napkins (two larger florals and star), and nail stickers (butterfly, small flower and red and green candy)

These are my favorite. The top row was made with stickers. The cloud and rainbow almost look 3D in person. Really cool. The bottom row was made with rub-ons. These are Easter rub-ons I have had for a long time. Super cute!

These were made with scrapbook paper

This is a card I made with a napkin from the Target dollar spot.  I love how soft and pretty that floral napkin is.

This is another tag I made using a paper napkin as a background. 

Tags and Charms

I just discovered a technique that has been around for awhile but is new to me and now I am hooked. The tags pictured below are all made using the paper napkin and cling wrap technique. I am now on the hunt for decorative paper napkins and Tuesday Morning seems to be a great source for them. The butterfly charms on two of the tags were made using butterfly nail art stickers and charm blanks with glass cabochons on top. I love how these turned out. Two of the tags have the caulk embellishments I started making four or five years ago. I also have a few card bases made using paper napkins and will be making cards with them soon.

April and May are busy card making months for me with my sister's birthday, my sister-in-law's birthday, my Dad's birthday and Mother's Day. Here is the Mother's Day card I made and the card I made for my Dad's birthday.

I used my Cricut Joy to make these. I really love using the pen feature which you can see on the interior of the Mother's Day card. I will be using it a lot more because my handwriting leaves a lot to be desired!  I am finding that it takes me longer to make cards than it used to. I guess it is like anything else, the more you do it, the more proficient you get.

My dining room table = hot mess. Maybe when things return to a little bit of normalcy I will clean it up. I definitely will clean it up if my Mom comes over or really anyone. With the whole stay at home business I have thrown caution to the wind, spread out and just let creativity take over.

I did manage to make another card. It is pretty dimensional, but it is difficult for me to make a flat card. Card surfaces to me just feel like they need dimensional embellishment. That was not the case when I first started card making. Flat was good then. Maybe I need a twelve step program to get back to non-dimensionality (is that even a thing?).  All I know is that I have to be just as creative to figure out how to mail a card like this. Usually, I just end up hand delivering dimensional cards :)

I looked at the date of my last post on this blog. Wow - 2014. Amazing to me that it has been six years since my last post. I guess the adage - life gets in the way is the best explanation for the time lapse. Now that many of us are sheltering in place because of the coronavirus, it kind of forces a slower pace. It seems that way to me anyway. It has been about three years since I have really been creative - again life getting in the way and all that. I did not realize how much I missed it until I started doing it again. Maybe Loretta - my grandmother - is giving me a little nudge from above to get back to me. Anyway, I finished a wood project and a birthday card. They were both made with the Cricut Joy.  This little machine is great especially for crafters who don't have much space to spread out and create.

Maybe it won't be another 6 years until I post again :)