Gardening Life File Folder Journal

On Tuesday, I spent a glorious October afternoon filming a few of my latest projects. I can't believe October is almost gone. It is by far my favorite time of the year to photograph. Everything is bathed in a rich, golden light.

Inspired by the golden colors of those fading October afternoons, I created a handmade journal from an old green hanging file folder. 

Gardening File Folder Journal

I cut the metal bars from the top and set them aside. With a couple folds, I created a flap for my journal and a tuck spot. I lay the metal bar against the flap and tore the edge to give it a distressed look. I don't have any distress inks right now, but I plan to ink it up in the future.

To decorate, I turned to the huge collection of images I cut out the night before. As part of fall cleaning in my garage studio, I went through years of collected information on flowers, garden plans, and outdoor decorating. Since most of this information can be found on the Internet, I only kept articles that were memorable, or vintage garden plans that I would be hard pressed to find on the Web. The rest I cut up to use for art. Out of these scraps and clippings from seed catalogs, this little file folder journal was born. 

On the front cover, I decoupaged magazine clippings and a crackle paint chip. I found a cute phrase from an article that said "Come see the garden!" I glued a pretty yellow butterfly above it. The flap holds a set of keys which lay over this peek-a-boo message. 

Peek-a-boo!

I wanted the file folder journal to serve several purposes. It had to be a place to journal about gardening, whether planning a dream garden in the winter or remembering past gardening experiences. I also wanted some graph paper where I could draw garden plans or add photos. I also added a signature of mixed media paper so I could do some sketching or maybe watercolors.

So for the second signature, I cut to size some graph paper and ledger paper. Since these were single sheets stacked rather than folded sheets, I had to figure out how to hold them together. I didn't want to use the gluing method to bind them, so instead I simply used a scrap of the mixed media paper and folded it in half to create a spine. This was sewn along with the papers right into the folder. 

I hot glued a kraft envelope to the back and added a small handmade notebook. I sewed it straight down the middle. It is also decorated with gardening images from magazines and seed catalogs. The cover was a beautiful calendar page that originally came from Lowe's when I was part of their gardening club a few years back. 

I am very pleased with how it turned out. I am also happy to share the video with you, in case you missed it. 

If you have any questions, let me know. 

Enjoy these golden afternoons while they last. :)

Junk Journal #1 ~ Common Threads

I'm pretty excited about my new junk journal. I've been carrying it around for days showing anyone who I think might be remotely interested...OK, well, everyone!

Will you look at my Junk Journal? ;) 

And of course, I made a video to share on my YouTube channel, which was a little more intimidating. Not to mention frustrating. I ran into technical problems with the audio and then a fire truck and ambulance in the background. So I added some music and sped up the video. Besides a few captions, I just let the journal speak for itself as I did with my face-to-face shares. Problem solved. Here's the video in case you missed it:




I wanted to share a few more details on how the junk journal was put together. I mentioned already in the video that I used Easy Twine Binding and reinforced the spine with gold duct tape. I used a combination of machine sewing and hot glue to create tuck spots, pockets, and just add a little visual interest. The sewing element is a big part of the inspiration behind title of my junk journal, "Common Threads."

One of my favorite things about this junk journal was finally finding a home for some vintage photos I had tucked away in a drawer. As a collage artist, I collect ephemera and have also started a collection of "found relatives." The photos in this junk journal range from the 40's through the 60's. When I created the layouts, I began to do a bit of storytelling in my mind. Isn't that what journaling and scrapbooking is all about?

Time Flies JJ layout with "Found Relatives" 

The spread above is one of my favorites in the book. There are a couple of faded photos of families and couples, but I really like the soldier and baby picture. Part of my story for those two is Daddy is off to war, but he always keeps his precious little baby girl close to his heart. She looks like she's gazing up at him in this layout.

The idea of "found relatives" also ties into the "Common Threads" theme in my junk journal. While I've never met any of these people personally, I am honoring their lives and existence in a creative way. We all share so many things in common: birth, marriage, family, war and peace. This journal, which eventually will contain some of my thoughts, stories and photos, is part of that common thread we share. Though I don't have children, hopefully someone will find this journal long after I'm gone and connect to the stories and photos within. At least that's my hope.

Here are a few more pictures from the junk journal. If you have any questions about techniques or materials used, please leave them in the comments section.

Another favorite page with Happy Mail treats. Thanks Kym Murphy for the purple butterfly tag. 

Plain yellow envelope decorated with cover of paper pack. The roses are very glittery. 

Victorian ladies and trim from Lynn L.

Thanks for looking!!!

Rainy Day Craft: Recycled Cardboard Matchbook Style Notepad

Today I headed over to my garage studio at my Dad's house. My hubby made a quick stop to work on his bike, so I started messing around with some of my supplies. I didn't stay long enough to heat up my griddle and work on encaustics, so I started poking around at some of my recycled scraps. Before you knew it, it started to pour, so I tried to stay busy until the rain let up.

I've been on a bookbinding kick lately. I've enjoyed art journaling for many years, but never really worked on making my own sketchbooks, journals or notepads. I think it's time to change that! I've been adding ideas to my Pinterest boards on bookbinding and album making (including beloved mini's). There's a lot of overlap, so I feel they're a little disorganized, but I digress. Between Pinterest eye candy and some inspiring YouTube tuts, I was anxious to begin my own DIY journal projects.

Bicycle Box ~ Recycled Cardboard Journal Fodder

Since I'm just getting started, I have very few actual bookbinding materials or tools. I'm also trying to keep things green by using up packaging I already have. My husband has ordered a couple different bicycles in the past several months as he works on motorized bicycles (his outlet for creativity). We were getting rid of the cardboard boxes, but then I started admiring some of the graphics on them. I also thought, "hey, I'm looking at a goldmine of corrugated cardboard for altering, encaustics, etc." I didn't save all of it, but I gathered up a considerable stack of cardboard for future projects.

I saw a couple empty boxes in the corner of the garage for some of the tools Shannan bought. I picked up a grinder box and decided to peel away the shiny surface and expose the corrugated cardboard on both sides. I ended up with a nice strip of bendable, flexible cardboard that I knew would be perfect for a little booklet.

I've been smitten with several designs for matchbook notebooks. I've seen them using anything from paint chip samples to cereal boxes for covers, as well as decorative cardstock. Since I was in a garage, which is half Shannan's man cave, I wasn't in a frilly, scrappy mood.

I pulled out a couple vintage books from my supply shelf. An early 20th century French primer and a mid-century short story anthology. Lots of beautiful words and aged paper. I tried to choose pages that had quite a bit of blank space on them, mostly choosing pages at the end of a chapter.

I don't mind that there are still words. This is a rough notebook/sketchbook

I bent my corrugated cardboard strip into a matchbook style. Obviously it's much larger than a matchbook. I began with a strip of cardboard measuring 4.25" x 11.25". I folded my papers just as I would to make signatures, but then I used a straight edge and exacto knife to trim the edges. I eyeballed measurements, placed paper next to cover, and then remade my cuts until it fit properly. I liked the way the torn pages create a bit of interest and deckled edge.

Now a matchbook notepad requires either stapling or a sewing machine. I had neither in the garage, so I began thinking ways of how to bind my paper. If I had thought this part through, I would have left my paper in folded signatures rather than cut them into individual sheets. But I was winging it! So.....

Out came a baggy of rusty goodness. A good while ago, I experimented with aging and rusting techniques. I've used a few objects here and there, including this bulletin board project. I picked through the pile of rusty treasures and saw some of my favorite pieces - rusted paper clips.

I considered making some kind of attachment on the front and using the paper clip as a closure, but it didn't seem to gel. Eventually, I decided on attaching a paper clip on each side of the back cover, holding the scrap vintage paper securely in place. I mean, hey, it's just an experiment. I didn't stress over perfection (OK, maybe a little).

The DIY rusty paper clips leave a little residue. I don't mind a bit,
but if that bothers you, you could seal them. 

Next I picked up a rusty rhinestone setting. Well, it had more of a verdigris finish, but it was nicely distressed. I pushed it in the middle of the flap and quite liked it. Of course it was poking out the other side...not so good! I grabbed a hammer and flattened it out on the back. There, that's better. I was happy to see the rhinestone setting stayed secure. It was my first time using them, and I'm sure there are proper tools for that craft, but I was...you guess it, experimenting.

I chose to add 3 more rhinestone settings. I liked the grommet look. It really was looking like something you might find in a garage. Rough, rustic, and a wee bit steampunkish. I hammered the other three settings flat. Now, I still was puzzled how to make the closure.

My vintage rhinestone setting stash, all nice and shiny. I don't do these,
just thought they'd come in handy for something!

I wrapped a good-sized rubber band around the cover. I dug through the rusty bits again and found a half-rusted washer. Perfect! I looped the rubber band end around the washer, and then re-looped it around the cover. I tucked the rubber band in the paper clips to secure it.

I dug into that magic ziplock bag again and found a piece of rusty, distressed chain. It had a hook on either side. I cut a small hole in a diamond shape and ran the chain through.

The I pulled the rubber band and washer down in a V-shape and hooked the chain ends on the washer. I tested it. One hook needed adjusting (pulled out slightly with a pair of needlenose pliers) so it would unhook more easily.

DONE! 

This little experiment took about 10 or 15 minutes, and I felt a little bit like Tinkerbell trying to invent something out of nothing.

I don't know how long the corrugated cover will last, but it wasn't that much work. My wheels are turning thinking of ways to alter the cardboard, possibly sealing it to make it more durable, and maybe adding some extra layers of cardboard for strength. But overall, I'm really pleased with it.

A couple more pics:

Feel free to pin this on Pinterest or share on Facebook.

Follow me on Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/cre8tivcurrents

"Like" my art page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sandra-L-Martin/1382689195298995

Subscribe to my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVF0XxXrOH3ZVNHoCZ8GxMw