Reaching for the Moon

reaching for the moon. photo taken in my back yard.

Today...

I am reaching. Reaching for answers and inspiration and direction. 

I am loving a sweet message that arrived just when I needed it. (thank you, Marilyn)

I am finding inspiring souls who blog their truth.

I am trying to be patient about upcoming changes.

I am thankful for welcoming friends who say, "yes, come see me!"

I am thinking of a friend who is fighting one of the toughest battles possible.

I am feeling a little lost but very very blessed.

♥

How I Make Them

In the post "So, what are these books you make?", I talk about art journals; what they are and what you do with them. This time I am going to answer another question people ask me quite often, "How do you make them?"

I make several different kinds of journals. Most of them are bound one of two ways, either coptic stitched or wire-bound.

Coptic stitch is a form of bookbinding that attaches groups of pages, called signatures, to a front and back cover using waxed linen thread. Coptic stitch binding allows a book to lie open flat so you can create/write on each page with ease. It's a pretty binding technique and gives the book a real handmade look. Below is a close-up look at a coptic stitched journal.

coptic stitched journal

A wire-bound journal is made when several pages, along with a front and back cover, have holes punched uniformly along the edge and then a wire binding is inserted. Below is a picture of a wire-bound journal. (this Nancy Drew journal is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.)

wire-bound Nancy Drew journal

Inside the journals are blank pages I have added. These pages can be made from drawing paper, sketch paper, card stock, colored or patterned paper, canvas paper, water color paper, and ledger paper. Sometimes I will even include old paper and ephemera.

Most of the journals I make have covers from vintage novels or children's books. The children's books are probably my favorites to work with. Most of them are worn around the edges which to me shows how much they were read and loved. Imagine a book that's been around for 40+ years, telling stories, at bedtime by a parent or being read under the covers with a flashlight (I used to do that). I buy most of the books from used book sales or estate sales. Many are destined to wind up in the garbage because they are old or torn or written in or falling apart, I don't shy away from the extremely "used" books. I've used many that are falling apart when touched. I remove the covers, save the old pages for other projects, and insert the new blank pages. Sometimes I leave some or all of the original story pages in the book.

I like to think that I am giving the book a new life, a new purpose. I hope someone takes this new book and creates or writes all their dreams and thoughts in it...and maybe it will last another 40+ years to tell their story.
♥

So, what are these books you make?

I make handmade journals from old books, you can see some of them here. I sell them in my shop on Etsy. I like to call them "art journals" but really they are blank books, not just for art or journaling. I get a lot of questions about my handmade books. The most common question is "what do you do with an art journal?".

I like to explain it this way, an art journal is a blank book where you can write, draw, doodle, sketch, paint, or glue things on the pages. You can use it as a writing journal, a sketch book, a scrapbook, a travel journal; pretty much anything your heart desires. You can even add photos. It's  your place to create. It's your place to record your thoughts, your dreams, your daily lists, your life.

While the journals I make mostly have drawing paper, there is also sketch paper, canvas paper, water color paper, acrylic paper, card stock, and patterned/colored paper; depending on the particular journal. I've even made some with grid paper, ledger paper, and old ephemera.

The journal I am using now is one I made from a book called "Chocolate Days, Popsicle Weeks". I just love the title and it's my favorite journal I have made so far. Below are some photos of my journal to give you an idea of the different things you can do with your journal.

 the front cover

inside the front. all of my handmade journals have a new library card pocket, they do NOT all have a photo of me. :)

a view of the pages.

some days I write more than other days. the photos were added in between pages with washi tape.

the pages can get a little wavy when paint is added, but I like the texture and the not-so-flat pages.

 some days are documented with photos and simple doodles.

more pages, some with lots of writing, some without.

You can also do a Google image search on "art journal" and see lots of different, creative ideas. Some are very elaborate and look like individual works of art. Don't get intimidated, this book is for YOU to express yourself. Not to do what everyone else is doing.

I have a lot of fun with my art journal. I don't have any rules. I pretty much keep it in chronological order, but if I feel like painting I may skip forward to canvas paper or watercolor paper. Some days I don't have much to write so I may spend some time just coloring pages for backgrounds, either with paint or colored pencils. Other days I write 2 or 3 pages full of words with no art at all. The point is to be creative, be carefree, be yourself, and have fun. 

I hope you will start a journal, art or writing, with one of my books or someone else's. It's a great way to document your life and also spend some time on yourself. 

I'd love to hear from you about your journaling. Do you have an art journal, a daily writing journal, or some other way to document your days?

♥