MY JOURNAL JOURNEY.

I have long since admired these handmade journal type books, but never done anything about them. Bobs mentioned art journals recently and it got me to thinking about one again. At the moment, I'm getting nowhere fast with scrapping and cardmaking so this afternoon, I decided to make a book. As the creative juices don't need to flow just yet, it shouldn't cause me too many problems.

I want an A5 size book and plenty of pages. I decided that printer paper was too thin for all the glue and paint that may end up on them, so I thought watercolour paper would be good. Ummm...too thick. So, I have myself a lovely A4 sketch pad. Lovely thickish paper with a super finish and I thought this would be perfect. So, I undid the ring binding and made myself 5 signatures of 4 sheets..giving me 40 pages in all. That should keep me going for a while. I'm going to leave the holes in the paper and then cut, tear or leave them as I feel like. Seeing as the book will be a tad 'scruffy' - because to ME, art journals are supposed to be scruffy, I thought this would work.

I shall bind my book in the same way that I did the domino books but with a few extra bits for strength and aesthetics.

So, as I make the book and fill it, I'm going to share it with you. If you're not interested, then just don't read this thread.

Here's the start: boring yes, but if I'm going to do it, then I need to start from the beginning. Trying to decide whether to just do it on here or if it's worth blogging about or not. Probably not.

What's left of the sketch pad:


The Signatures:


In a way, it's a shame that I'm not ready to journal, because with my frame of mind at the moment, I already have my first page in my head. It will have lemons and lollypops on it. Can you guess why???
In fact, even if I'm in a brill mood when I start my journaling, I may still do that page as a reminder of how I was feeling when I started it.

Don't panic though...this thread will not be doom and gloom. This is a creation in progress.

I will LOVE reading this thread, Lou! Good luck with the journal: so looking forward to seeing how it evolves.

Lynda

Look forward to seeing it progress Lou, be interesting to see something a bit different.

Well you know two people who will be avidly watching this thread, don't you? And one of those isn't even here tonight but on a beach in her tent somewhere, but I can vouch for her interest nonetheless!!

I'm interested in seeing this come together Lou. I've made myself a journal but decided it's too small, it's only A5.
I want mine to be of random topics of whatever I'm thinking about or that comes to mind.
You might just spur me on to get on with mine, I think I'll switch to 8x8, one of those posh pig albums would be fine I reckon.

Well, I've finished binding the pages.

When the book was bound, I put a load of glue along the spine and just pegged it together while it dried. This will keep the signatures together a bit. Then:

The first strengthener. A strip of paper the width of the spine, just stuck in between each piece of tape. Leave to dry.



The second strengthener is another strip of paper, stuck across the whole spine. Leave to dry.



For the third and final strengthener, I raided my first aid box and pinched a bandage. Stick the bandage along the spine and again, clamp with some bulldog clips or something and leave to dry. When it's dry, trim it back a little.



The final touch for the spine is a little cloth 'topper' for the top and bottom of the spine. Just like in a 'real' book. I cut a little bit of card, wound embroidery thread around it and stuck it on. You could even stick a bit of ribbon on here to use as a bookmark if you wanted.



My PVA glue was a little worse for wear, so the glue I used is Art Glitter glue. Industrial strength and dries clear. Perfect.

So, that's my pages and spine all finished. I'll leave that to dry thoroughly overnight while I do my covers now. I've got some 12 x 12 7Gypsies bookboards, so I've cut one of those down to make my covers and outer spine.

I am trying to decide whether to use ready printed paper, (in which case, I'd need a couple of sheets of 12 x 12 to allow for the wrap) or an A3 sheet of white paper I've got and decorate it myself. I like the idea of using ready printed as it's easy and it's what I've always done before, but I am tempted to use the white. I can use my distress inks, paint, stamping...all sorts. But....I think I'd like my covers to be a 'bit tidy' and then just slosh stuff onto the actual pages. Hmmmm...I'll have to think about it.

Anybody guess about the lemons and lollypops??

Lorraine wrote:
Anybody guess about the lemons and lollypops??

Food ??? Childhood memories ?? School ???

I also will watch this thread with great interest, and thanks for the tutorial
on the way.
I have so many things I want to make/have a go at - where do I scrounge the time from ??

Very interesting and clever Lorraine, looking forward to seeing more of this too.

That's got me puzzled, I thought of the American saying when life gives you lemons make lemonade, but lollipops? My boy lollipop as there's a boy on the way,I don't know.
Love the pics and great guide to bookmaking, will be following with interest.

What's this about "just like a real book"? What you've made IS a real book - or at least that's what we were taught at college.

Lynda

lemons for stuff about your mum (u mentioned she looked like she sucks lemons)...and lollipops for the sweetie called Mia...am i correct....and whoa there..what are the signatures???? you do move fast/

will watch this space

OK, so it's all finished.

I decided to put end papers in the book too, so they were slipped onto the front and back, under the tapes and bandage and stuck down by about 5mm of glue on that edge.





The next step was putting the covers together. I originally had a spine made from the same board as the covers, but thought it a little thick and I wanted to 'round' the spine, so I used a strip of card, but stuck it to an extra piece of paper for more strength.



I covered the book in some 7gypsies paper that I'd had for ages. I'm not sure whether to add more to it or just leave it as it is.





Here's the end tabs, fitting in nicely and the spine that has been 'rounded' to give it a better shape.



So, that's it. The book making is finished and it's just a case of decorating the pages as and when.

I'm not so sure I'm very good at this 'scruffy' stuff though, lol. I'm not used to working in such a random manner. So, here's my title page.



So, there you are. Not a detailed tutorial as such, but any missing bits you can find or I can tell/show you in more detail.
Goaty, a signature is a group of pages. This one is made up of 5. 4 sheets of A4 folded in half is 1 signature.

Well I think it's really great. Love the title page.
BUT you haven't explained the lemons and lollypops.

OK.
Well, miserable people suck on lemons, and lollypops are sucked too, so my idea for my page is...LIFE SUCKS!!!
I would also have the 'life... lemons.....lemonade' saying on it somewhere too. It just seemed to suit my recent mood.

Oh Lorraine - I hate this 'life sucks' mood you are in. It sucked for us for
a year or so, but now we have come through that and hope things will brighten for you
very soon. You being so sad makes me feel sad.

And me too Lorraine - life really doesn't suck, you know, you are just having a bad spell, which we all have. I dare not stop and feel low or sad at the moment or I might never get up again!!! We are all here for you, just to show you life doesn't suck - and if you PM me with your mobile number I can now send texts (had lessons and got a new little phone) so can text you to show how it doesn't really suck at all!!! Come on, bright side up. xxxx

OK, lovely ladies. I'm alright. Honestly, that was meant as a joke (obviously not very funny) and I don't want to turn this into a doom and gloom thread. Yes, I've got things on my mind, and so have a lot of other people, and if I did that page it would only be a reminder of how I WAS feeling. I want it to be a cheerful journal, well, most pages anyway, lol.

Don't feel sad for me. Please!!!! Either of you.

What do you think of the finished book, Patty? Honest opinions though.

I know you used a smiley, but you still 'sound' so serious.

I love your book. To see you put it all together is great and love the
title page.

WOW!!!! this is fab and just what i wanted.... Bobs got me looking into these last week and I deffo want to do one, but Im stuck at the book making part. Gonna read this again later in detail and I presume you wont mind if I copy it. You are so clever.

I will definitely be folllowing this thread. I love your book already and in my opinion, half the reason you get mojoless (anybody i mean) is HAVING to do stuff ie scrap this picture, use that paper, do it this size or on this theme/colour. What i like about these journals is that they are a place to play - anything goes.

as to your horrible onion saying, which I was hoping would be gone by now, why not replace it with a link saying ' heres my lovely art journal' or something.

I mean even if life did suck (and it doesnt), then you wont possibly feel any better whislt being confronted by that nasty saying all the time. what about 'whether you think you can or whether you think you cant, you are certainly right' or something similarly empowering. This forum is supposed to make you feel better, not worse!

The finished article is great Lou, clever indeed.

Your bookmaking is superb, Lou! Wish mine turned out like that (not that I suspect I shall ever make any more). Your random title page is fine - I can sympathise, as I was never, ever any good at random. I've worked hard at it and now it's rarely a problem, so keep on at it!

Lynda

Looks like a lot of hard work, will wait to see the decorated pages now.

Honest opinion you asked for? I have rarely seen anything better, and believe me, some of my "superior crafters" friends make some pretty fabby things too, but this one takes the biscuit! I love it and cannot wait to see it all coming together. Who knows, if I could learn how to make such a book I might even get round to doing one myself ... but don't hold your breath just at the moment! And by the way, I still cannot text you!!!!! (Hint Hint!)

I'm sad to see you down too, but I also think you should do a life sucks page if that's where you are right now, or have been, as I think crafting, particularly scrapping should reflect all of life. It might even be quite theraputic.
The book is gorgeous anyway.

Oh dear, looks way too difficult for me... I am stuck at the bit where it says 'I have finished binding the pages' !!! binding the pages? how?

Wow, you'd be an asset to any bookbinders repairers out there. I know if I tried it'd look bad. I do want to make an art journal but the book will probably be ready made or made with a bind it all. I understood the sucky bit but didn't discover this thread until today

Don't panic, Maria: I don't think Lou will be doing a tutorial on book-making! This is the way a "real" book is made: it's a fascinating process and we did it at college, but I'm not sure I will ever make another one. Most of us can survive quite happily on book-rings and the Bind-it-all!

Lynda

Sorry, Maria. This wasn't a tute..as such but close, lol.

Go to the domino book tute and these pages are bound in exactly the same way. Just extra holes. It's very simple, honestly - just in and out with your needle and thread.

I could do a proper step by step tute if you wanted, no prob (well, more time than usual, lol) but between the dom' tute and the pictures here, you should be able to do it.

Page two of my journal. A bit 'dark' this one, so I really must try and 'pretty' them up a bit.

I sprayed the page with walnut stain ink, sloshed some cream acrylic paint on, stuck bits of text on and then added a bit of crackle paint. A bit of PVA was brushed on some parts to gloss the odd bit up then sprayed a bit of glimmer mist on which you can't see. I printed a bird, cut it out and used it as a mask with black distress ink.

I want to see it IRL and proabbly stroke it, hey get off no I won't put that white jacket on, leave me alone, I don't need an injection....