Making Travel Journals

MY ARTY TRAVEL JOURNALS

I belong to a couple of online art groups and have been asked many times how I make my journals, what my documenting process is and what supplies I take with me - so, with some photos, I hope to explain, and hopefully, encourage you to make one too!

I've been documenting my important travels for  nearly thirty years and I myself am in awe of the changes over the years -

from tidy and neat and text only like this 

.. .gradually adding collage to writing pages 

... to creating whole collage pages

and ...
to the now preferred style of hand made junk journal style brimming over with flaps, envelopes, tickets and brochures, and completed with writing, doodling, collage and washi tapes.

WHAT I TAKE WITH ME:
My essential supplies are the journal, and a tin or pencil case containing scissors (if traveling by plane they'll be in my checked luggage or if I have only 'carry on' then I'll buy a pair of scissors at a discount store when I arrive.  I have also just used torn images). A couple of favourite writing pens, a few Pitt and/or Posca pens in favourite colours, or one or two black fine liners, a white pen (love Signo) and a glue stick and a small ruler all in a small carry bag.
SIZE:
My preferred size is made by using A4 pages or smaller, with a cover of heavy card a little larger. This is a nice size to carry around and easy to work in.
PROCESS:
I collect found papers or junk papers, travel brochures of the destination, scrapbook papers I like, hand painted pages, hand decorated and/or painted or Gelli printed or the papers that I have underneath other projects - all sizes - small and  large are used then assemble them in an order pleasing to me with a mixture of sizes, weights to give me interest when opening a new page.

 

 Various papers, envelopes, words and last picture above is of assembled pages for a signature.

Pages and cards are added with washi tape or glued on a narrow page as I assemble the journal.

Envelopes make pockets or pages.

ASSEMBLING THE JOURNAL
15 pages make 30 pages when folded. (This is a good size to work with - but my recent one had two signatures for a 6 week trip).
I then sew this signature using the basic pamphlet stitch (lots of tutorials online - I like the 5 hole version for stability) into a cardboard cover measuring about 1 - 2 cm larger all around than the A4 pages the book is made from. I usually collage the cover with travel words or maps as I go.

I prepare the pages before I travel by decorating them with washi tape edges, random words, gesso some pages, use left over paint on some,  rubber stamp some, collage postage stamps or scraps of paper or brochure words and pictures eg 'holiday adventures", "take time", "enjoy". Some words and pictures I keep in an envelope stuck inside the back cover to use later.
I attach pages 'on the go' too with washi tape or even strips of paper. Envelopes can be added and are glued in - glue stick is perfect!

I sometimes create an arty piece - like this collaged and drawn postcard - that I add or have a page for doodling in the journal eg these flowers on the inside of an envelope page.

Pitt pen flowers.

When on my travels I can work in the journal on a plane or train or during the day/ night in accommodation ranging from a tent to a caravan to a ship and of course a hotel or house.

I range from just jotting down words of impressions to historical information to documenting my daily thoughts, activities or  ponderings,  depending on the time available.
I add pages creating a flap or a fold out of zig zag pages. I add pages or postcards next  to the spine or sometimes I'll glue a postcard on to a narrow page.

TIME:
I try to work in my journal daily and for at least an hour but that is not always possible so I'll adjust my expectations according to the time available - or get up early - or stay up late! I often travel with my husband and I need less sleep than he does. I thoroughly enjoy this process. I delight in recycling and reusing and finding a place for souvenir brochures, postcards and bookmarks. Questions very welcome - and you might like to check out other previous posts with my journals too. I'd even love to make you one so just email me re postage costs etc.

Junk Journals, Travel Journals and My Prize!

A while ago I mentioned that I had won a competition with a poem about one of my favourite craft projects from Bronwyn's blog - 365 days of craft - a blog detailing daily projects she completed for 365 days in 2011.
She is a such a creative young woman and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting her. Her 365 day project is inspiring and to be admired. On her blog she has them all listed in month and day order. Check it out - you're sure to find something you'd like to do too.

My prize - a brand new Brother Sewing machine! Look out grandaughters - your summer wardrobe is coming up!

Bronwyn creates, recycles, up cycles and invents - and I thought she'd be interested in my Junk Journals and Altered books so out they came. She even took photos and blogged about them!
I think she has found something else to try.

And now - some of the inside pages from my Travel Journal on my recent cruise to New Zealand. I love collecting brochures, tickets, information ... and always take my glue stick, scissors and some pens so I can while away some time, especially during the cruising days.

A place fro those brochures and words and pictures I can't leave behind!

With our Autumn weather now here it's been time to look at Un Finished Projects from last year - now that the very hot weather is over. I finished this crochet rug, of four 50 x 50 cms squares, making quite a nice sized rug for cool weather to have on a couch. This one will be given to our overseas visitor to take back home as a souvernir of Australia - and me!

Lovely bright colours in very large Granny Squares.

Journals and more Journals

I have been having the nicest time this month ...
 - sorting papers and making the stash into journals - two for me as Travel Journals for 2012, some for friends and maybe some for Etsy - still to be decided.
 

My two Travel Journals for 2012

Decorated covers


- decorating the covers of two altered books using molding paste pushed through lacy curtain fabric and painted

 - preparing painted pages and starting collaging a page which I will work on further 

Ready for an Autumn collage

- making weekly journal pages influenced by Nicole, one of my Lawendula's Paper Swap friends. Nicole pastes down various pieces of coloured paper and writes over the top. Her pages are amazing!

Background prepared

A rotated view - does anyone know how to turn it around - it keeps jumping back even though I alter it in my photo folder!

   - and entering a blog competition hosted by Bronwyn - AND - WINNING - A Brother Sewing machine and a $50 voucher, courtesy of Lincraft! How lucky am I?
Browyn set herself the task of creating an item every day for 2011 and blogged about it. If you open the "Home" tab on her blog page you will discover paper and fabric and wood crafts - many recycled clothing ideas and many easy-to-do projects.
What a great creative year lies ahead for me! I hope for you, dear reader too.

Wandering around

This is my second attempt! Very cleaverly & frustratingly, I "LOST" my original post - and can't find it anywhere. But the positive is that I've practisesed posting again. Recently I've been housebound with a torn ligament in my foot, so it has been a great excuse to tidy my room and search out some unfinished projects. I've had great fun completing some "10 minute collages" - done by leafing through a magazine or two, tearing/cutting out things /words that appeal and then just placing & gluing them down quickly.It is quite liberating as it's so spontaneous - and great fun! Here's one in my Junk Journal (started last year in a Ro Bruhn workshop). It's interesting to look at them some time after they're done and see what your subconscious was thinking then.

I've also been visited by my two beautiful grandaughters (6 and nearly 3) and I'd promised them we'd do painting during the school holidays. So on  a lovely sunny 40 C day, the easel was set up on our deck shaded by gum trees and we all painted. I was able to get some covers ready for future notebooks, to go in my "present drawer", and they loved painting the papers and themselves.
I've also been blog hopping and found this interesting idea at Art and Inspiration. It's a Pay It Forward activity and decided I too would like to participate.The idea is to promise something handmade to the FIRST 5 people who leave a comment here (and want to play along). To be eligible, you too must repost this offering something handmade by you to 5 other people. The rules are that it must be handmade by you and it must be sent to your 5 people some time in 2011.

So - I promise to send the first five people (who want to play along) leaving a comment here, a hand-made-by-me gift - soon, but remember you have to do it too. It sounded like a fun thing to do and as I love "snail mail" and "surprises" - and the film "Pay it Forward" - I'm following Tammy's idea too. Hopefully it will be a great way to meet other like minded people.

My Junk Journal.

The two covers - just begun.

I recently attended a Junk Journal Workshop day at Ro Bruhn's place. I had a wonderful day - playing with paint and stamps, chatting and laughing with fellow workshop members and relaxing & enjoying gourmet morning tea and lunch, cooked and served by Ro's husband Steve. A delicious spread.

I had been collecting interesting papers and envellopes for a quite while in preparation - I can't throw anything out now I've caught the "bug" and so I arrived at Ro's with a huge box full. I used mount board for covers and decorated these with gel medium applied through a piece of lace curtain.

This gave interesting texture and I painted it when dried. I will do more work on it as I think it looks a bit plain so far- maybe it needs more colour and some outlining or collages or ... 

Two signatures joined together

Front of one signature

I painted and stamped manila folders (signature covers) and assembled the papers in an interesting way and sewed these into two signatures. My journal still has lots of work for me to complete as I still have to sew the signatures to the spine of the covers. I loved some of the serendipity designs that happened during this work and as you can see - anything goes when using colours and stamps.

Painted page and some "Junk" pages.

One double page spread begun with a 10 minute Spontaneous Collage