Sunday, December 4, 2011

My Christmas Junque Journal

Not too long ago I posted a Holiday Junque Journal that I made for a gift.  Well, I loved it so much I had to have one for myself.  Please note, this post is picture heavy.  I really wanted to try and capture the feeling of the book.  I created a tutorial on how to assemble this book here.  I have also now made a video tour of my completed book if you want to take a peek. 




I actually started this book last week, with the intention to enter it into Simon Says Stamp and Show some tickets challenge.  I did not get enough done to feel comfortable posting.  I lucked out though as this week the challenge was to show some stars.  The compass rose on the paper is in starry form.  I love the symbolism of the compass; direction.  I added some star rub ons and a really great piece of journal jewelry that was star themed to drive the theme home.  I do love stars as you may have guessed. :)  The book has a wonderful sound to it because of the little bells too.  Just the perfect amount of movement and jingle. 




I actually colored the entire book blue to go with the star theme too.  I did not like how the stain looked on the binding, so I simply went over everything with a brown tones.  Now there are under currents of blue, which I love.  A happy mistake. 


There are tons of pockets inside to tuck in lists, receipts and holiday ephemera I find along the way.



The pockets were made by simply folding a rectangle of paper in half and taping around the edges with tissue tape.  My loyal followers know...I am totally addicted to tissue tape.




I scored a few packs of recipe cards at a big box store for a buck a pack. They make for great pages in my little book.



I used holiday rub ons throughout this project too.  I am like a child like fascination with them.


Perhaps it will help me to have a countdown calendar this year....


Like my last book, I also added a bit of old ledger book paper for lists.  On the first page here, I glued on a bit of snowflake ribbon.



I really love the addition of envelopes throughout the book.  The polka dot one above was handmade by someone else, I embellished it. 


I adore the postal theme too, perhaps this is where my love of envies started. 



I used an opaque spray ink on this air mail envelope called tin type, love the flat color.


I use the envelops to tuck in bits of paper and ephemera for later work as well.  I really love some of the reproduction vintage stuff you can get these days.



In the last four sections I used Tim's adage tickets as the label, I thought this was a cute idea.  It was inspired by lasts week's ticket challenge as I had mentioned earlier.



Tim's seasonal paper stash came in quite handy too.


I used the tiny attacher to simply staple on the ticket.  Looks good and it is a sturdy way of connecting this feature as it will take some wear and tear.


The brown envie here was sent to me.  I folded it and cut it up to make a double pocket.  Recycling plus art!



This last pocket is hinged with tissue tape.  This is a very easy way to add a pocket into your projects!




The dream label was a mistake from my dream jar.  I added the tickets to the label, but did not like them for my jar.  Another up cycle for me. 

I look forward to continuing to work on this book.  This is really just a template for lots more play and fun.  I did manage to take a few pictures of me assembling the book.  Many of you commented and emailed requests to show you how to put this together when I posted last time.  The pics are not great due to the crumby lighting in the basement, but I do plan to post a tutorial soon.  My little gift to you for the holiday! 

That is all for now.  I think I am going off to a holiday bazaar to get some more Christmas spirit.

Cheers,

Rhea



25 comments:

  1. Wow, this is awesome! Thanks for sharing.

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  2. What a fantastic journal! Thanks for posting it. I've been collecting stuff for my own but still haven't assembled it. I hope it turns out as nice as yours.

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  3. Really beautiful, SG! Will be looking forward to the tutorial....OD

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  4. Hey Rhea, you have done again a fabulous job of creating your Christmas Journal. I believe that you Do have the Spirit. Keep it up, your work work is marvelous I love it.

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  5. Love your journal Rhea. Thanks for posting all the pictures as we really get a feel for what it looks like.

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  6. Looks amazing! I never saw junk look this good. :) Love it!

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  7. Oh Rhea I adore this journal. That cover is amazing and the inside . . . ! Thanks for joining the challenge at Simon Says Stamp & Show.

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  8. Rhea,
    Thanks for posting all the pages. Your "junk" is amazing! Thanks for sharing.
    Gail Bales
    Gail in Oklahoma

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  9. What a fantastic journal! I love all the little pockets.

    -- Sarah, visiting from Artists in Blogland

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  10. Awesome! I totally want to do one now. :-) I use to keep a holiday journal from the Sunday before Thanksgiving to the weekend after New Years, but had abandoned that effort when I divorced. This is just the type of think I would utilize for that month & a half. :-) Thanks for sharing.
    T~

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  11. OMG... this is beyond lovely... I loved all the little pockets and bits... very creative and so beautifully done xx

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  12. This is so lovely, and gives me many ideas. Thanks so much for sharing!

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  13. Wonderful book. Thank you for sharing all the photos. It looks like so much fun to make and to own..Donna

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  14. Your book is full of delights and Christmas joy. Love it.

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  15. You have a real knack for these journals, Rhea! Gorgeous! I love the envelopes you used, and that you recycled things from other projects. Fantastic!

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  16. I love your book! And I'm looking forward to seeing the tutorial, too! It's beautiful.

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  17. Wow, what a super project this is! Love everything about it - especially the compass/stars and the lovely sepia tones on the cover. So happy you joined in the fun with us this week at Simon Says Stamp and Show!

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  18. Wow, very nice project thanks for sharing. Glad to see you used some of the supplies from Altered Art Addicts! You really have a great talent for turning many different pieces into a master piece.

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  19. Ohhhhh Rhea your journal is fabulous! No wonder you wanted one for yourself!!! Who wouldn't !!!
    now off to see more of what your up to!
    hugs Lynn

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  20. one of the best i've ever seen, awesome. xoxo

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  21. Fabulous work...you've inspired me to try the same! Merry Christmas to you and yours

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All the comments and feedback you leave affirms my creative spirit on a very deep level. I am grateful for your time and readership!