December Daily - Days 17 - 22

Day 19 has a pocket made from a window envelope. I added a tag with a
photo of the candy cane cookies I baked that day and journaled on the
back. Day 20 has a flip-up at the top made from a Christmas card I
received this year from an art friend. It was perfect! I added various
embellishments on the page and journaled on the back of the card.

 

Day 17 has a vellum pocket in which I placed a journaling card made
from a printable and tutorial on YouTube. The tree is very dimensional.
Day 18's page is a flip on which I added some washi tape and some Santa
tickets purchased years ago.

Here is the tree card from day 17 pulled out and journaling underneath.

Under the flip there's a journaling card I made from scraps
last year held on the page with a Santa paper clip, a little
journaling on the label and some washi tape on the right.

The vertical pocket on day 21 is a strip of scraps glued together (much
like a snippet roll). Inside the pocket I tucked the front of another 
Christmas card I received this year with some journaling.
Day 22 is a smaller page made from a striped notecard. I added several
embellishments - the sentiment is from the inside of the card I used 
page 20. I did a bit of journaling on the red tag.


We leave tomorrow for our family "destination Christmas" in New Orleans.
I will be taking notes about all the activities we do and plan to finish this 
when I return.

Merry Christmas everyone and I'll be back next year!

Collage Challenge - Last One for the Year!

 Here we are a Week 52 and the last weekly collage challenge of the year!  Hard to believe, and I've done every one! Some I have liked more than others but they have all been a great challenge and I'm convinced they've improved my collage skills. 

Week 52

Prompts:
1) something with holes (drywall tape, upper right; pink die cut border)
2) something that is heavy (elephant)
3) something stapled (staples on #2 sticker)
4) a sticker (butterflies, #2, "memories" word strip)
5) a book page or portion (in background)
Bonus: paint chip (yellow strip along left edge)


So there you have it --a big, chunky book of 52 collages!

I intend to continue in 2022. In fact, I am hosting the weekly challenge on my online art group. 

I hope some of you consider doing it as well. You can see more information on Margarete Miller's site.

You don't need to purchase the planner/book she sells as you can do it in any journal (handmade,

purchased, even loose-leaf papers).

Collage Challenge - Weeks 50 & 51

 Week 50

Prompts:

1) something that drips (honey)

2) something that represents a person (woman image from magazine)

3) a door (photo taken in Taos years ago)

4) musical instrument (guitar; keyboard)

5) paint or ink (background painted with metallic paint)

Bonus: a date (label with date)

I also added white "stitching" rubs and music paper to fill in the background.

Week 51

Prompts:

1) something underlined in red (dictionary words underlined)

2) a form or portion (across the top of the page)

3) a stitching pattern sedan, drawn or stamped (didn't use this)

4) portion of postcard, either side (along left edge)

5) washi tape (floral washi in 3 places)

Bonus: something that sits on a table (teacup)

I added a vintage playing card behind the teacup along with several

labels and stickers of postage stamps.

December Daily - Days 7 - 16

 I'm back with more of my December Daily pages.

Day 7

For Day 7 I made a pocket at the bottom, trimmed with some Christmas
twill ribbon to hold the photo card we sent this year. The right spread just
has a vintage German scrap Santa which I love and wanted to save.

Day 8

Day 8 is a double spread showcasing some of the art swaps I was
in for December. On the left at the top is the altered trading coin I 
made for a "winter/snowmen"-themed coin swap. At the bottom is
one that I received. When I receive the second one I will add it to 
the page. On the right is the junk journal page I made for another
swap. It's mainly made of scraps sewn together. The main element
is added to the front of the page as a side pocket; the tag inside
is a paint chip.

Day 9

The left page of the Day 9 spread is a Christmas notecard I had added in
the signature of the book. I added an old Heidi Swap journal card for the
date. On the right page I added a vellum pocket which I had received in
a recent swap from a friend. Inside the pocket I added a tag.

Days 10 & 11

For Day 10 I added an old Christmas card I received a few years ago. It
folds up to reveal some journaling about the day. The sparkly trees across
the top is a washi tape. On Day 11 my grand boys from Albuquerque
arrived and luckily the page was a lined paper so I could journal a lot
about what we did that day. I decorated with a piece of torn holly paper
and added the Grinch which was the top of a little candy holder I had
made for the boys.

Day 12

Since the boys were still here and we did several activities, I again used
a double page spread. On the left I added part of an old card that had
hot chocolate on it and journaled about the special cups with chocolate spoons, 
mini-marshmallows and candy canes I had gifted them. On the right
I made a slanted pocket with a tag to journal about the gingerbread houses
they made (I cut out part of the box they came in for the tag).

Days 13 & 14

Day 13 was just an errand kind of day so added my "to Do" list and 
embellished with some washi tape, some little decorative tickets and
a paper and fabric "cluster" in the upper left corner. Day 14 has photos of 
the Christmas-themed junk journal page I received in a swap. It's so 
pretty! I also added two beautiful Victorian angel stickers I received
on the envelope with another swap.

Days 15 & 16

Day 15 is a pocket page I made from a very old piece of Basic Grey
paper and some cut-outs and border strips. I journaled on the tag
that I inserted.  Day 16 was a very quiet day but I had found some very old
Tim Holtz Christmas tags (remember that series that ran several years?). 
This one is from 2011 and is made with an alcohol ink resist. What better
way to showcase these tags than to insert them into my Dec. Daily?

I can't believe it's only 9 more days until Christmas! I'm glad I'm caught up on this journal 

for now.

Christmas Folio

This little folio (4"x 6") is made from a digital download I purchased last year. It never got

made until this year. Everything you see is from the digital kit except the baker's twine. 

Folio closed with baker's twine. The flap on the right wraps around the cover.

Inside the front cover is an envelope (left) with a small journal
for writing. This cover wraps around lined pages, held together
with the twine. See the "metal" page corners? They are actually paper.

This is inside the folio showing the envelope on the left. The right is the

cover of another journal made from file-folder-type pockets.

The file folders are glued back to back as pockets. Inside 

 these large pockets are large journaling cards.

Inside each spread there's a small pocket on the right side

that holds miscellaneous ephemera.

Second spread

Third spread

Fourth spread

Fifth spread

I love this little folio. I should be trying to use some of the ephemera, but I hate to change it!

December Daily - Days 1 - 6

 I'm working diligently in my December Daily.

On the left is the inside cover which I covered with
 scrapbook paper and added an old tag I had.
The right page is just a kind of intro. The title is cut
from a James Avery catalog and I sewed a strip of
scrapbook paper to the right edge.

On the back of the previous page (left) I added a gift card
holder that I bought this year especially for my journal. I also
added a few strips of washi tape.
On the right is my first day. I added a pocket at the bottom
as my background paper wasn't long enough. I had spent the
day decorating the house so added the "Deck the Halls"
journaling card to the background. In the pocket is a tag I made
from an old Adorn-it paper and watercolored.

Day 2 I wrapped a few gifts and luckily the paper had gift boxes
on it! I added a doily a tag with the number 2 and made the 
journaling spot from lined paper made into a gift box.
On the right I wrote about a "mystery gift"
memory from my childhood.

For day 3 (left) I used an old Heidi Swapp journaling card.
I embellished the page with a few stickers and a leftover red
fabric poinsettia. I used a small label to document that two of
my grandsons got their second vaccination that day.
Day 4 (right) was my son-in-law's birthday. I added a
Happy Birthday banner and presents. My oldest grandson
also had his first golf tournament that day so I added his
photo and a stamped label noting it.

Day 5 (left) I baked some Christmas cookies. I added a photo in a
die cut "Polaroid" frame and the recipe written on the back of a
tag. The tag is tucked behind a small retro image of a little
girl baking cookies.
On the right is day 6. It was a quiet day and I mostly did errands
which I listed on the journal card added to the page.

This is just an extra spread I decorated since I have several more
pages in the journal than I will need.
The left page is covered with a kraft-colored tissue paper. The
"title" is cut out from a James Avery catalog
 and the Santa sticker is vintage.
On the right page I typed up a 1980's memory of our
Christmas tree falling down in the middle of the night.

Collage Challenge - Weeks 48 & 49

 Can you believe there are only three of these to go?

Week 48

Prompts

1) mushroom (four fussy cuts)

2) illustration from a children's book (little boy with bowl of fruit from

a vintage book)

3) a zig zag (patterned paper)

4) dried leaf or flower (two dried leaves that I added with matte medium, 

under and over)

5) something loud (motorcycle)

Bonus: quote (vellum quote at top of page)

Week 49

Prompts:

1) something that plugs into wall (retro stove image)

2) something aqua (patterned paper on right; security envelope liner

on top left)

3) something written in non-dominant hand (didn't use this)

4) a label (several labels on page)

5) rubber stamping (No 3 at top)

Bonus: a coupon (two coupons at bottom of page)

December Daily 2021

I've gotten the base pages and cover finished for this year's December Daily. I used Eileen Hull's Sizzix travelers notebook die to die cut chipboard for the covers.

On the front cover I used up my stash of chipboard numbers, glueing them onto the chipboard and then painting white. The "title" is an old journaling card covered by a star die cut with Stickles. I tied baker's twine around, adding a bell and a vellum tag on which I put the date.

The spine and back cover are Christmas scrapbook paper as are all the pages within. I folded them to fit and inserted under the elastics of the spine. I like this method as the pages can be moved around depending on the day and what I want to decorate with. I can also add or remove some as desired.   

I love doing the December Dailies. I think this might be my sixth year of doing these.  I often don't have much to document on the pages but I add photos, poems, lists of fav Christmas movies or songs, or record special memories of Christmases past. It is fun to look through past years' books and reminisce.

 December I'm ready!

Collage Challenge - Weeks 46 & 47

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving, ate lots of turkey and spent time with family and friends! I am scheduling this to post while we are out of town celebrating with two of our daughters and families. 

These are the two past weeks' challenges.

Week 46

Prompts:

1) animal with long ears (bunny)

2) something that starts with M (music, mountains)

3) something that came in mail (order for holiday stamps from PO)

4) a leaf or leaves (leaves upper left and middle right)

5) bubbles (magazine image bottom of page)

Bonus: a watch or clock (watch, upper right; clock, middle)

Week 47

Prompts:

1) something mechanical (image middle of bottom of page)

2) schematic (diagram to right of colored pencils, mostly obscured)

3) something smooth (teapot, colored pencils)

4) piece of newspaper (Chinese newspaper - can you believe that's the

only one I have!)

5) handwriting (copy of vintage letter - lower right edge of page)

Bonus: polka dots (two polka dot papers)

This page just didn't mesh as well as I like. I added several labels and tickets to flesh it out, 

but it's still not a fav.

Envelope Journal

I made this journal from four large envelopes and one smaller envelope. It was a tutorial here. (It's a bit complicated to detail here so go to the tutorial if interested in seeing the construction.)

Cover

Cover open

Closeup of envelope above with large card

Inside

Inside page with tuck spot and tag (left) and small envelope
pocket flip (right)

Closeup of small envelope pocket with small journaling card

This was a birthday gift for a friend and I hope she enjoys it. I thought she could use it for journaling about the holidays, or adding photos, or even holding special holiday recipes.

November Vintage Junk Journal Page Swap

The theme for this month's vintage junk journal page is "windows." I had seen a lovely watercolor image of an old window but knew I couldn't do it justice in watercolor so I adapted it to this.

The background is crackle paste through a brick stencil on a base of book page. When dry I spritzed it with a few brown ink sprays and swiped on some Vintage Photo Distress Ink.  I cut the window from a slightly shimmery silver-gray cardstock topped with a piece of acetate with silver Sharpie lines for the window panes. I sandwiched two small pieces of lace between for the curtains.  The window frame is brown cardstock. I cut a window box from red metal which I embossed and then added scrunched up green fiber for leaves and tiny paper flowers.

On the back I stenciled ink through the same brick stencil and added a collaged pocket made from a window envelope. I adhered a window/floral image, cut from an old postcard,  behind the window.

I made a tag from another old postcard to  place inside the pocket and added a lace topper with a little wooden house and window.

I hope the recipient likes it!

 

Mini Folio

This little folio measures 4" high by 5" wide and the base is made with one 12" x 12" card stock. I used various papers from a 6" x 6" paper pad to decorate and make pockets scraps of ivory cards sock for the tiny tags. This idea came from Melinda  Pylant's video tutorial here. I changed it up slightly either because I didn't have enough paper or I made a mistake!

Front of closed folio

Top flap opened

Top piece of above flap opened

Bottom flap flips down

Center piece has two flaps that open, one to right and one to left, to reveal pockets with tags

Back of folded folio with another pocket and card

For such a small folio, this has an amazing amount of pockets, 

tags and little cards for journaling or photos and would be a cute gift or happy mail.