I've made a 3 in 1 journal for next year - planner/diary/journal/art. It has weekly pages for using as a planner and writing in appointments. It has some blank pages for writing down my thoughts or arting on and it has some gelli printed pages to use as starter backgrounds for arting on - painting, drawing, doodling, mixed media art journaling on.
If you would like to make one of your own here are some tips on how I made mine - when I made mine I never intended to create a tutorial for it so I do not have the best, detailed photos and there are many helpful videos out there so there was no point making a video either:
Watch these videos:
There was a very simple book stitching video but I can't find it now. Similiar to Rhomany's stitching in the video below but it involves 3 holes not 2....
Rhomany - Filofax Friday - DIY Filofax Inserts & Midori Refill Booklets Pt2
Make an easy art journal.
You will need 54 weeks on 27 pages (top left) - I had some days of the week stamps so I made a template and then photocopied it - leave enough room on the edge for trimming and washi taping. Pages in between - one side was gelli printed but blank on the other side (top right):
Each signature was made up of 15 pages (7 pages of weeks with alternate pages of gelli prints) and a cover made from a manilla folder - cut lengthwise and fold. My book is approximately 5 1/2 inches wide by 8 inches - paper sizes are different in Australia and the USA - so fold regular letter paper/A4 paper in half and go from there.
Here's the inside pages...I created holes in the signatures with a nail and a hammer two inches from the top and bottom leaving 4inches in between. I used embroidery thread to sew the signatures together as I had embroidery thread.
I trimmed my edges using a craft paper trimmer - a great tool I use all the time - keep the pages from moving with a clip.
I made some home-made washi tape and sticked it to the sides of the pages because I love the colourful edge look (my tutorial coming up next week on the
Cre8ive Klatch blog).
After I had made 6 signatures I used the tails of the embroidery thread to tie each signature to the next one.
Making the cover:
I used a denim skirt and cut it down to size and sewed the edges.
I gelli printed the cover just with normal acrylic paint - be generous with the paint as the material soaks it up.
I used a meat tenderiser/hammer and nail to make holes in the fabric - place it on a chopping board. I made 9 holes to stitch 3 signatures in not all 6 as it was going to be too hard.
I used embroidery thread to stitch the first, third and last signature to the material. I started threading on the inside of the signature in the middle hole. You can start on the outside of the cover and some people add beads to the ends of their tails - I have heard that this makes writing in the journal difficult as the beads get in the way so I have left the spine nice and clean looking - see middle photo.
I found some wooden buttons in my old button box and sewed those on to tie the leather strap around to keep the journal together.
I made 3 journals and have sent two to my
Besties. They are too much work to sell profitably but they are great fun to make for oneself or as a gift.
I love my new journal, made of items I already had (except the leather strap) and look forward to 2015 to start using it!
If you have questions then leave them in the comments and I will happily answer them.
Have fun!
PS I sell gelli print packages in my Etsy store if you need any and can make up a special batch just for you if you don't see what you like. :D
