Americana Junk Journal

I recently finished another junk journal. Since I love all things Americana, that is the
 theme I chose for this JJ.  It is available HERE in my Etsy shop.

I put three signatures into this JJ, each with 12 sheets. That means there are 144 pages.

I started decorating the cover and wasn't happy with how it was looking. I knew I had a stack of cross-stitch projects that had never been framed or otherwise "finished". I was so happy to find one that fit the size of the journal perfectly.

I found this cute Uncle Sam printable on Pinterest. So I printed it out on card stock, cut up the pieces, and put it together with small brads. So fun.

Isn't this red paper gorgeous? It was hand-dyed, but not by me. Bought on Etsy. But it has so much more character than a simple piece of red card stock or paper.

I love how this envelope turned out. I made the envelope using an 8X8 inch piece of card stock by Tim Holtz. Then I fashioned the two corner tuck spots by cutting the freedom rectangle on the diagonal. Then added goodies to the resulting pocket.

This is the center of the first signature. The vintage printables are tuck spots, but I didn't tuck anything into them.

This spread is dedicated to the US flag. 

The end of the first signature.

The start of the second signature.

Gorgeous tea-dyed paper, along with blue dyed paper.

The end of the second signature and the start of the third. Love the Lady Liberty image. I had fun with the policy-envelope style pocket on the left. Just unwrap the string to open it up.

Added some cut-outs from a Graphics 45 paper.

The pocket on the left has a clear plastic window. What you see is a tag that can be removed.

I love these vintage photos.

The center of the third signature.

The end of the third signature and the inside back cover.

Junk Journal Printables

I have begun making my own printables for my junk journals. I use images that are either in the public domain or may be used for commercial use. My printables may be downloaded, printed, and included in junk journals. Click the image to enlarge it, and then save. (On PCs, right click the enlarged image and choose Save Image As...

Bohemian Tags

Christmas Journaling Cards

Halloween Bingo Cards

Bohemian Journaling Cards

Bohemian Background Pages

Vintage Lace Background Pages

Miscellaneous Collages

Handmade Travel-Themed Album and Junk Journal

I haven't shared any finished quilts lately because I have been totally obsessed with making junk journals. Making these journals is a lot like making quilts -- only with paper and glue, rather than fabric and thread.

I'd never even heard of them a couple months ago. And since then I've made several: two bee and bee hive themed; two Alice in Wonderland themed; two vintage sewing themed; two mini junk journals (one bee themed and one butterfly themed) and one travel themed. Whew!

I'm sharing the travel album and journal in this blog post as part of a Frilly and Funkie "planes, trains, and automobiles" challenge mentioned in this blog post.

Here are photos of this fun project (which will be a birthday gift for a friend who will be traveling to Israel later this year). 

 This album / journal is made from 3-1/2 X 8 inch tags that I cut with my Brother Scan n Cut. The front cover is decorated with travel-related images.

Inside the front cover is a pocket where I've added some tags. But when this is put to use by the recipient, I expect that she will use this pocket to store ephemera from her trip. The tag sticker at the bottom is for her to perhaps add a description of her trip -- such as the dates of her trip and the main places she visited. On the right side is another chipboard tag that will be perfect for adding a favorite photo from the trip.

When the tag (page) is turned, there is a double pocket for more memorabilia from the trip. And on the right side, is a 10-page signature of tea-dyed papers, providing 40 pages for journaling about the trip. 

Behind the mini-journal, is a large tag with room for photos.

The large tag flips up to reveal more space for photos.

And one more flip-up to remind us that travel is a good thing.

I hope my friend likes her travel album/journal to memorialize her fun trip later this year.