Shabby Chic Junk Journal

This may just be my favorite junk journal that I've ever made. I made it with a particular friend in mind who recently finished her doctoral program -- and I'm giving it to her today. So, I had to take lots of photos -- and even put them into a video. So, to see all of the photos, you'll need to watch the video. But some of my favorite spreads are featured below.

Click to watch the video.

I only purchased one digital kit for this journal -- called Flower Show from Screech Owl Studios. Everything else came from my stash, from a shabby chic swap I participated in, and I downloaded free images from Pixabay.

Here are a couple pics of the front cover. I wrapped the cover with fabric from my HUGE fabric stash. And the two main printables on the cover were from the Flower Show kit. The journal closure is beautiful overdyed sari silk ribbon. But my favorite part of the cover is the metal "cherish" embellishment. I received it as part of a swap and had actually forgotten about it. I was going through some piles of JJ stuff, and discovered it. It was the perfect addition to place on top of the crocheted lace trim.

One of my favorite embellishments for junk journals is miniature ephemera -- the mini tags and mini postcards. It's rare if one of my JJs doesn't include them. I've also shrunk down images of sheet music, letters with vintage script, and other collage pieces.

More fabric on the inside of the covers. The stuffed pocket on the inside of the front cover, above left, also came from the shabby chic swap. The colors paired so nicely with the rose image overlaid on wood that I printed on card stock as a cover for the first signature. This image was from Pixabay.

The page on the left is from the digital kit, Flower Show, from Screech Owl Studios. And on the right, some beautifully avocado-dyed paper. I can't take credit for it -- bought on Etsy. It's a nice addition to the shabby chic feel. (Yes, avocado skins result in a pink paper when used for dying.)

And, just as I like mini postcards and tags, I like them combined with full-size postcards and tags.

The music and floral background paper on the right is from Tsunami Rose. I had purchased it previously and had this already printed. It was the perfect backdrop for die-cut butterflies and tag.

The paper on the left was also from Pixabay. I think I changed the color to better fit the journal.

While I was making this journal I discovered "waterfalls", made from layered flip-ups. This one has some nice affirmations and reminders printed on the layers.

Also about the time I was making this JJ, I bought the Tim Holtz die for cutting the multi-slot tuck spot. So, it's full of mini tags and mini postcards. And the vintage music paper fit in nicely.

You're probably starting to see a theme here: mini tags, mini postcards, and pages with flowers overlaid on a wood background. This one is also from Pixabay. I made the tag on the right. It's a standard manila tag -- but by die cutting the bottom, collaging some images, and adding a sari silk ribbon, it totally fits with the shabby chic theme.

The glassine envelope and vintage roses printable were part of the shabby chic swap.

This is the center of the second signature. I changed the coloring of this spread to tone it down for the journal. NOTE: I did this in MS Word as I made this journal a month or so before I bought Photoshop Elements. But it worked! And the die-cut tuck spot folds over to the next page as you can see below.

While I was making this journal, I watched a video tutorial for making a combo belly band/book mark. Two long pieces of card stock are glued at the top and bottom so it slips over a page. I added an eyelet to the bottom and attached a charm with a bulb pin. (Too bad I didn't capture it in the photo.)

And inside the back cover is this faux policy envelope. It opens like a book as you can see below.

Well, I am pretty sure my friend will like this journal. I wouldn't ever be able to recreate it because there were so many unique items from swaps that I added to it. But I know I'll be doing shabby chic JJs again in the future.