MY JOURNALS

I love making journals from "Junk" mail, catalogues, old envellopes - I gesso or paint pages, stamp and paint the pages with templates, hand sew them together then have great fun, relaxation and "art therapy" using these journals as travel diaries, "Smash Books" or "Glue Books" and yearly diaries.

I first heard the words Smash books and Glue Books from a Lawendula Paper Swap friend Melodie and these links give more information.

About glue books, Smash Journals or Junk Journals....go to

www.bluebirdpaperie.blogspot.com - and search "Glue Books" or Mary Green's blog www.greenpaper.typepad.com

This one started life as a stapled catalogue ( 14cm x 21 cm) from a dress shop and I used all those bits and pieces that are too good to throw out so I keep them until ...

 

This next one started as an empty biscuit box cut to a small size ( 10 x 15 cms) as a little book to use on holiday, with words and images added from places we visited.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I make larger journals with strong manila folders ( 24.5 cm x 35 cms) - filling them with "junk" papers from my HUGE collection and adding ephemera and words in a weekly entry.

The next Journal was a collage and word diary type.

I attribute this idea to Nicole Austin at http://kinueko.blogspot.com.au/ (in 2011) so I tried it in 2012 and loved doing it.

I decorate the covers usually with scraps of papers then collage pieces of single ply from serviettes.

Below is my 2013 Journal/Diary - and this time I used mainly plain papers with some junk papers, and painted and stamped and decorated them with washi tape before I sewed it together. I am writing short weekly entries, sometimes in point form, this year.

 

 

 I do have separate "smash" journals happening at the same time - and am making smaller travel journals for our trips this year (17 cm x  24.5cms). These have been featured in an earlier post (2012).

As I love making these types of journals, let me know if you'd like one and we can talk about postage costs etc. depending on where you live.

I was inspired to write this blog by a lovely friend Jacqueline from Stockholm, whom I met on Marney K. Makridakis' Artella's Annual Mystery Muse Project for 2013 - and wanted to know how I make journals. I sent her a small journal from me - her mystery muse.

 

I have now enrolled in my first ever online art course called 21 SECRETS - and know that my year is going to be a very enjoyable one artistically as there are so many wonderful classes, with notes and videos included.

Christmas cards are now done...

I've been making my Christmas cards and today's the day I start to write them and post them too - especially the overseas ones!

 The card above features hand made paper, gold foil paper, a stamped sentiment and is finished with a button glued over ribbon.

These two cards below were made with hand made paper, recycled vintage sheet music and die cut trees. The handmade paper was made in Burnie, Tasmania, where a group of paper makers experiment with different fibres to make paper eg plants, cotton and even animal droppings from plant eating animals! Yes I've got some - and No - it doesn't smell!


Hand made blue paper made from denim fabric.

The handmade red paper made from towel offcuts from a towel factory.



The next cards are made using scrapbook papers, ribbons, embellishments and a stamped sentiment.

Christmas Greetings to my readers.

My Impressions of China

My trip to China in June-July this year - summer there - was - wonderful, adventurous, exciting, eye opening, thought provoking, humid and hot, wet and humid and hot, sun hats, umbrellas, squat toilets, marble hotel bathrooms, large screen TV's, marvellous plants, buildings, tumble down houses, mansions, traffic jams, car horns hooting, rubbish piled up in the streets, plane trees, ...China is surprising.
The ancient culture, the people's pride, magnificent landforms, vast distances, mammoth buildings and bridges, skyscrapers, Western influences, trading routes, inventions we can't do without, famous cuisine, simple lives of farmers ...so much more to say and see that I will probably go again - but in a cooler season.
Here are just a few of my favourite
things.


Looks like a cake - but it's flowers

Peace Hotel, Shanghai

Cake

Bright colours of fruits and vegetables.

Intricate designs on ancient buildings.

A great way to keep your cup of tea hot!

Art, Costumes, Pottery and colour.

Winter Crafts and Crocheting

Winter is fast approaching here in my part of Australia, after a remarkably lovely warm Autumn.

So it's time to be indoors, with...

A warming corner.

... some indoor activities - and I started one today!
Deleting out-of-focus photos in the computer - and - finding some I forgot I had!

Shop interior.

Granny squares everywhere!

These photos were taken last year in a shop in Adelaide, South Australia, in their Winter style display. I couldn't resist photographing all the beautiful crochet work. Is this Guerilla Crochet - I have seen Guerilla Knitting projects from Melbourne and around the world, and Beanie Festivals (Alice Springs) and scarf festivals.

Crocheted clothing is around this year and I have to admit that I did have a crocheted bikini in black nylon yarn when I was young and svelte! What have you crocheted that is unusual?

A finished rug for a new baby.

However I think I'll just keep to my beanies, baby and toddler jumpers and granny rugs when I'm crocheting and knitting for the time being.

Red crocheted beanie and flower for my 4 year old grandaughter.

Lovely knitted beanie for a new baby.

And pink for my great neice...

Blues for her brother.

Happy days to you all.