Art Journals in Action

Last month our stamp club project was twinchies...2" x 2" works of art that we could incorporate onto the front covers of a journal made from a composition book.  The twinchies (which I didn't think to photograph yet) were fabulous...so much so that no one wanted to risk damaging them by adhering them to the front of a journal that would be tossed into a tote bag.  So I took one of mine since I had an extra and added it along with other pieces to create this fun cover. 

The red horse was cut from an IKEA postcard.  I included one of these in everyone's kit for the night.  Art is all around us if you just start looking, so whether its a cracker box, a frozen entree, or a magazine, take a few minutes to really look.  The phrase "live happier" came right from a magazine page.  I trimmed it down and sealed it with a piece of clear packaging tape, then mounted it onto blue cardstock.  Now that flimsy magazine page is sturdy enough to weather the storms I toss its way.

The "altered journal" came from words I stamped on different colors of cardstock, and the image of the art chick is from Zettiology. 

I used a punch to make colorful tabs for everyone.  Mine say Create, Appointments, Notes, Calendar, Travel, Food, Movies, Books, & TV.  This little girl is again from a magazine page that advertised detergent.  It had little blue dotted lines telling you what the stains were, so I simply trimmed the photo down and added my own notes, which of course would be colors of ink.

I stamped the phrases and added them around the page.  And as you'll see on the edge of this and all other tabbed pages, I wanted to give them strength.  I began by using a glue stick to adhere 2 pages together, then added the tab, and then ran a length of 3" masking tape, overlapping front & back of the edge.  On top of the masking tape I added decorative packaging tape with polka dots.  Too fabulous, yes?

This section of my book will include blogs & websites I want to check out, as well as notes to myself for class ideas or conventions I should investigate for teaching.

I know people are using their phones, etc for reminders these days, but I love the written page, so I devoted a section in my journal for appointments.  The watches were a magazine ad that I trimmed to fit and then added a transparency over the top that says TODAY.

My section for notes could have been my To Do List, or anything for that matter.  Just because these are the headings I came up with shouldn't keep you from choosing tabs that have more signifigance for you.

I included a section for monthly calendars and included a month-at-a-glance calendar for Nov & Dec of 2010 as well as one for each month of 2011.  Which means this section has 14 pages but that gives me plenty of space for making notes each month or even adding photos.

My travel section should probably have been much larger than the number of pages I allowed.  Goodness knows I'm always headed in a different direction.  Several of the pages behind this tab include stamped images as well as sections of maps, clip art of postcards, etc.  No matter what graphics I add to a page, the key is to leave room for my journaling.

The food section will be used in multiple ways.  I might jot notes about the restaurants where I ate the last 3 nights in a row, or perhaps I'll remind myself of some new tool I need for my incredible new kitchen.  The more I experiment with new recipes, the more I discover I don't have everything I need in the drawers and cabinets.  Tsk Tsk.

Sitting in the hospital Monday while hubby had his surgery, I made notes on this page, running my line all around the outline of hunky Tom Selleck.  Subsequent pages are also covered, but here's another shot from the TV section before I began using the book.

Clearly I subscribe to a lot of magazines, so I can tear out pages, trim down sections and make use of them in my book.  If you don't have magazines of your own, visit the local library.  We have a huge magazine rack and basket filled with donated magazines that are free at ours.  That's where I take all of mine when I'm through with them.  In fact, I have 18 on the back seat of my car right now to be donated today.

Books.  Have mercy.  Another section that could be a book of it's own.  I added the library pocket & tucked in a library card on the main page.  On subsequent pages I've already begun my notes on books I've read as well as a separate page for books yet to be read.  I can see myself adding extra pages in here.  Suggestions for that are easy.  Take plain white copy paper, fold the sheets in half and use a rubber band running down the fold and around the outside spine of the book. 

This is my movie section so of course I thought a popcorn bag was appropriate.  I gave all the girls one of these as well and showed them how to trim it down, fold it, tuck it, and create a pocket for ticket stubs. 

And finally, my little giraffe.  No relation to the art journal, but certainly a Happy Halloween for me!
I'll photograph my twinchies and post later this week so you can see the variety of talent.

Ya'll come back now, hear?