This is why I make junk journals for myself and to sell to others

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Sometimes I am asked why I make junk journals for myself and to sell to others. There are many reasons. First, I enjoy the process of creating antique-looking art. Second, I enjoy working with the old paper and ephemera that I find at thrift stores and upcycling them into new art that can be used and treasured again. And third, I love to leave a record of my daily life for my child and eventually my grandchildren.

This last reason is the most important to me. I would love to have even a page of ephemera or a couple of words my grandmothers had saved about their lives. Many people tell me that they do not journal because they are overwhelmed by opening a journal to an empty white page . They do not know where to start or what to say.

But junk journals nowadays have all kinds of clever places to store tickets, menus, and other bits of our lives that our children’s children will find fascinating. Taping in a photo and writing a few words about the gathering is invaluable to future generations who may not remember how relatives looked when they were young and cute. In addition, today’s junk journals have small spaces (called tucks and tags) to write our thoughts and experiences in a condensed form. All of this makes it less intimidating than opening a journal to a big blank page. I hope the next time you think about buying yourself or a special person a unique keepsake gift you will think about giving them a handmade junk journal to try. I think you will surprise yourself how much you like it and/or how much your friend will thank you for introducing them into the world of saving their history. All of these journals are for sale in my Etsy store (https://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography)

Some photographs from Assisi, Italy

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Here are some flowers, doors and windows from my trip to Assisi, Italy. It is such a beautiful place in the Spring.

Hope they bring you joy. Any of them can be ordered in my Etsy shop;https://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography?ref=si_shop Happy Spring!

Little Golden books junk journals

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I have started to make vintage Little Golden books into junk journals. I have always loved these books from my childhood and I have a collection of some that are not in great shape. So to give them new life I have made them into 2 ring junk journals with all of the story pages interspersed with papers to write on . These are all for sale in my Etsy store;https://www.etsy.com/shop/LDphotography I hope to make a few more.

Thanks for looking.

Handmade Christmas journal; Santa’s gifts

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Happy Christmas, I am getting in the mood early as it takes time to make these Christmas journals for the holiday. Here is one of my favorite ones; Santa with Christmas gifts. I made this journal with lots of places to write or attach photographs. I will put up photos for you to enjoy. You can purchase this journal in my etsy shop; it is listed under journals. SOLD but I take custom orders just DM me

Christmas charms, lace and ribbon dangle

Thanks for taking the time to look at my work. Happy Holidays.

Free tutorial; how to cover a journal with wallpaper samples

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I have discovered that it is so easy and it looks so professional to cover an alter book journal or any journal with wallpaper samples. The kind that I am using in this tutorial is a thicker wallpaper that I sell in my etsy store. I thought that it would be helpful to share how I do these covers. I start with the book or the journal that I want to cover.

Here is all that I need to make this cover

Then I cut the wallpaper exactly to the size of the book, leaving a little on the sides in case of mistake.

I cover both sides and the spine with double stick tape

I carefully apply the wallpaper first to the front, then the spine and finally the back of the book

I cut the extra paper off with an exacto knife

Then add the accent photo or embellishments

There you go, it only takes less than a half an hour and the journal or book is covered and you can do whatever you desire to finish off your cover decoration.

I hope this helps. Here are some other journals that I have used this technique to cover.

Mermaid journal

Well, good luck with making your covers with this versatile and easy substrate. Happy creating.

flower bookmarks

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I thought I might make some lovely flower bookmarks. I added a ribbon and a pearl and rhinestone embellishment at the top of each one. I think they will make a lovely extra gift if you are giving someone special a book. They also can be used as a secret santa gift, Bible study bookmarks or a stocking stuffer. I will be using them as tags in my journals. I am selling them in sets of 8 in my etsy store.

The backs of the bookmarks has information about the flower on the front

Thanks for looking at these bookmarks. I will probably be adding more to my etsy shop as time goes on.

My Mermaid altered book junk journal Sold

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I have to admit, I love to create mermaid journals. There is something seductive about the idea of maidens of the sea swimming around just out of reach. They are beautiful and graceful mythical creatures that fill my imagination. So here is another altered book junk journal that I just listed in my etsy store. I just sold it.

Here are some photos of this lovely journal that I have filled with sparkling gemstones and lots of tucks and tags for you to fill in with memories.

page folds out to reveal a tuck spot and a tag
another fold out page

I hope you have enjoyed these photos of my mermaid junk journal. Perhaps they have given you some ideas about how to create your own. It is for sale in my Etsy store. Take care.

Steampunk Lady travel journal

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I just finished this steampunk journal from a vintage altered book. I love the illustratration which came from a paper kit called Lady Vagabond. I added lots of tags, pockets, trifolds, handmade envelops and many items from my streampunk stash. I particularly liked how the cover turned out. I used modeling paste and a stencil to make the background. Then I sprayed it with purple, blue and pink paint. I added the metal gears and other steampunk items and then added the lady with her telescope sitting on a trunk. You can purchase this in my etsy store. Sold but I take custom orders , just DM me.

I added lots of places to put photos and ephemera from a trip.

This is a flip out page with a pocket in the top of the page
This is another flip out page with a pocket on top
The green page flips up so you can write under it

Thanks for looking at this post. You can purchase mixed media journal in my esty store.