Travelling and Junk Journals
My love of traveling - both overseas, and in Australia is enhanced by my love of documenting these travels in photographs, and in my own hand-made Junk Journals. I make a journal specifically for a forthcoming trip - using favourite saved papers, envelopes, Travel Brochure pages and lined and blank papers, some painted papers and then I sew these together into a cover. I edge some pages with Washi Tape, add newspaper/magazine words, estimate locations and add some travel brochure pictures to various pages. I use a mixture of of sizes of papers - some narrower so that I can add tags, tickets, cards etc., some made into envelopes and flaps and some envelopes as pages. Then I'm ready to go, with a glue stick, a small pair of scissors, some washi tape and a few favourite pens and markers.
OVERSEAS
I usually make my Travel Journals with folded A4 papers and a slightly larger cover. Easy to carry around and work in!
I work in my journal every day that I'm away - in a train, in waiting areas, airports, and at our accommodation. It becomes a travel diary as well, where I document the events of each day.
TASMANIA
We recently went on a Caravan Trip for 3 weeks in Tasmania and that entailed another Journal, and working in it as we traveled there via the Melbourne to Devonport ferry.
I had quite a few small pieces of leftover paper on my desk and couldn't resist making a mini arty journal - just for little pieces and some doodling. A tiny size that fitted in my handbag for those waiting times.
LOCAL WORKSHOPS
I tentatively approached our local library with the journals one day and was thrilled to be offered the job of teaching two workshops for teens, during the Easter School Holiday Program. This entailed lots of preparation and collection of supplies, but the 31 teens who participated completed great sewn hand - made journals that they'll be able to use for photographs, drawing, writing, collageing, collecting or many other purposes. It was great to see their enthusiasm and pride in completing a journal.
Sue! Thank you so much for your kind words on my post - you have motivated me to get busy and keep up!
ReplyDeleteYour journal work is fabulous and I love such detail - and your watercolor paintings too! xo
What lovely memories you've captured here, what exciting trips. Brave lady teaching 31 youths but I bet they enjoyed it. Enjoyed catching up with your beautiful postcards too, so colorful!
ReplyDeleteHallo Sue, I just thought, I have to come and visit you on your blog to see how you were doing. I have written an e-mail to you and have not received an answer. So I was a little worried. But it seems that you are well and travelling all over the world. That's why I had written to you initially as Franka-Maria from our Paper Swap had told me that you had planned to come to Germany and meet her. I wanted to invite you to come to Berlin and stay with us. However, I think you have already completed your journey to Europe as far as I can see from your posts. What a pity! I would have liked to meet you in person. Maybe another time? Or maybe you are planning to come back again? Anyway, I wish you all the best, lots of health and creativity and many happy trips around the world! Have a nice weekend! Manu
ReplyDeleteThank you Manu! It is nice to read your message ...and yes I have finished my German travels. Next time I will visit! Maybe you can come to Australia. I used the Berlin postcard you sent me for the Paper Swap in my journal. Can you find it?
ReplyDeleteTravel journals are the very reason I got into mixed media in the first place, Sue. I'm really good at collecting things and photographing but useless at trying to do something about them while away. (I also love television news of wherever I go, especially politics, even if I don't understand the language.) So I end up bringing home so much paper material and then just pasting them in a regimented boring style when I come hoe.
ReplyDeleteIncidentally, the day you posted this was my husband's birthday and the flight having gotten cancelled the day before due to fog, we went to Wellington to celebrate in the big smokes of Wellington on his birthday, (rather than the day before when the weather was supposed to be better.) And it rained and rained and rained so we spent several hours holed up in a lovely Italian restaurant instead of going to any number of galleries, book stores, art or camera supply shops we had hoped to. And we love it.
It's lovely to make your acquaintance, Sue.
Lovely to meet you here Meg too! I used to bring home loads of papers and they just stayed in boxes for years, I find that the discipline of doing the journals on the spot is more meaningful, prevents loads of papers coming home and helps me process my journey.
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