besottment by paper relics

My Journaling Staples: Volume 2

Since this post about my journaling staples back in 2010 seems to be really popular at the moment, I decided to do an updated version. I hope you find it helpful!

Left hand side from top:

• New and old letters... I use old paper/cardboard anagram sets (from the 1800's and early 1900's), Alpha Stickers - (my favourites are still ones by Jenni Bowlin in assorted styles). I also use a vintage label maker and words cut out from 1800's children's primers.
• Vintage labels from estate sales and ebay, my collection has grown since 2010!
• Finger Pointing rubber stamp from Besotted Brand.
• Fashion magazines from the 1800's. I love working with original images, not photo copies. If you came to my studio and saw how many issues of 1800's magazines I had you would think I was crazy.
• Die cut shapes from my Sizzix machine , I love the Crests and Banner.
• Paper punched shapes - still loving the Martha Stewart pointed circle and Stampin' up curly label.

Right hand side from top:

• Assorted tags - I love these, and these.
• Victorian scrap from the 1800's from etsy and ebay.
• Pretty Tape - I love striped japanese masking tape that I get from various places - you can find it almost anywhere now (but I still prefer the MT brand, it sticks the best). I still love stripes the best, but use polka dots quite a bit now too.
• Cupcake liners and coffee filters - dyed in pinks, browns and creams
• White paper doilies - I get them new at the craft store, on Amazon or search for vintage ones on ebay
• Vintage gold seals from etsy or ebay
• Gold starburst stickers 
• Gold star stickers

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• Moleskine notebook  (cahier style, lined).
• Old paper. Always, old paper. I have tons and offer some on occasion (email me if interested).
• My fave marker, that I used in this spread is a rose red Copic marker
• Quotes - quotes are a journaling staple for me all the time - I use the Nostalgic Musings iPhone app to find what I want quickly while working.

Here are some close ups:

The original post from July 2010 is recreated below so you can see my Journaling staples from then (and how much has remained the same).

Moleskine notebook

Left hand side clockwise from top:

• Alpha Stickers - my favourites are these Jenni Bowlin Circle Alpha Stickers in assorted colors
• Pretty Tape - I love striped japanese masking tape.
• Cupcake liners and coffee filters - dyed in pinks, browns and creams
• White paper doilies - I get them at the craft store, or search for vintage ones on ebay

Right Hand side clockwise from top:

• Vintage labels from estate sales and ebay
• Die cut shapes from my Sizzix machine , I love the Crests and Banner
• Old paper - I have tons and offer some on occasion (email me if interested).
• More pretty striped tape
• Vintage gold seals
• Martha Stewart pointed circle paper punched shapes
• Stampin' up curly label paper punched shapes
• Gold starburst stickers

What are your journaling staples?

Journaling: Quote I Love May 2013

I stumbled upon this quote recently - and I love it. It actually is part of a poem Neil Gaiman wrote called Instructions. You can read the poem in it's entirety HERE. 

I added it to the start of this journal page - not sure what I am going to with the rest of the page yet though. Maybe write about what the quote means to me (as I once suggested HERE).

The thing I love about quotes is that they can mean something different to everyone. This one speaks very loudly to me in a way I am sure Neil Gaiman would not have thought. But that is how quotes are for me. I always apply them to my own context.

What quote(s) have you come across recently?

Don't forget my iPhone app, Nostalgic Musings, is full of some wonderful quotes if you are ever in need of some!

Evolution of a Journal Spread May 2013 Volume 1

Here is a spread I started working on the other night. I thought that it might be fun to show you step by step how I create it. Please keep in mind that I am not sure where it is going, but it should be a fun project for me to share.

I am working in my usual Ruled Moleskine journal. I added some of my favourite old paper on top.  I then used a mixture of Gesso and Golden's Fresco Cream glaze (Golden brand acrylic paint in Titan Buff would work too) and lightly painted over the pages. When I say a mixture - I do not mix them prior - just squirt of bit of each on the page and blend while I cover the spread.

I knew I wanted to do a spread about my heart and my mind, and thought that these reporduction 1800's changeable portraits of ladies that I had been gifted ages ago would be fun to incorporate. 

The letters "My Mind" are from my collection of vintage and antique anagram sets.

The Heart card, that I typed "My Heart" on with my old typewriter (from the early 1900's), I found on etsy from a shop called INKKIT. It is cute, it opens up like a card. I outlined it in black pen and a rose red Copic marker .

I punched a hole using my Crop-A-Dile through the page and the heart card and tied it closed with red and white baker's twine.

Lastly I added a small piece of polka dotted pretty tape along the seam, where some of the old paper was torn.

Stay tuned for the next volume in the evoltuion of this journal spread soon!

Journaling: Advice on Where to Start

I get a lot of emails asking me where to start with journaling, or wondering which of my e-courses is the best to start with. I thought I would address these inquires in a post with some resources, links and thoughts to help one get started. I hope you find it helpful!

My first bit of advice to you is to just try! You do not have to share it with anyone, or even keep it (although I suggest putting it out of sight for sometime rather than tossing it!). Just try a spread and see where it takes you. The one thing I have learned is even when I create a spread and am not happy with it at the time - when I look back at it months or years later, the things I was unhappy with do not even show themselves, all I see is the memory and part of myself that I recorded at that moment.

Below are some things to help you try...

Guest Posts

I have written some guest posts for Carolyn Rubenstein and I think the following would be helpful (you can see the full list of articles HERE):

The Power of Quotes A great place to get started - I answer the question - "how do you know what to journal about" (and checkout my iPhone app for quotes!)

How to Cultivate Your Own Style A post about how to find your own journaling style.

Overcoming your Journaling Fears To help those that let fear keep them from starting.

Tutorials

Right now there are 3 tutorials I have blogged, all of them a fun place to get your journaling juices flowing. Check them out below:

Little Frame	Quick + Easy Journaling Bit	Mini Souvenir Journal

Miscellaneous Tips and Tricks

I have a category on my blog for tips and tricks, but below are the best to check out as a new journaler:

Pens and Bleeding Issues

Journaling Question & Answer

My Journaling Staples

My E-Courses

Out of all the e-courses I offer, there are two I recommend most to the novice journaler (although both can benefit seasoned journalers as well):

Nostalgic Musings (for journaling) and To the Letter (for lettering)

Nostalgic Musings offers the following which is helpful to beginners:

- A tips and resources PDF
- Two Journal Spread Step by Step PDFs
(these walkthroughs are especially good if you are sacred of facing a blank page)
- Images that you can print to use in the two step by step spreads - the same images I used in mine.
- 4 Journaling prompts and 4 mini prompts, along with my spreads of the same prompts - photographed, and videos showing how I create them.
- A post on different types of journals
- A post on my favourite markers
- And more, see the full list (and sign up) HERE, the above is just what I think is best for beginners.

To the Letter offers the following which is helpful to beginners:

This e-course can help you with your lettering, offering the following:

- video of me lettering and a walkthrough of how I letter
- my thoughts and advice on lettering
- Video tour of my practice books
- a couple fun exercises to get you practicing 
- books I recommend to help you
- Sign up HERE.

You can see all the e-course I offer by clicking HERE.

Seek Inspiration

There are a lot of wonderful art journalers out there. Start a Pinterest board with images that inspire you. HERE is my Inspiring Journals board.

Bookmark or follow your favourite art journalers blogs and visit them often.

Feel free to peek into my Journal Gallery , or if you want to see all the journal spreads I have posted on the blog over the years, take a peek HERE.

But most of all... enjoy it! No matter what, enjoy the process of creating and documenting.

POPSUGAR Feature: Seattle Souvenir Journal

Look at this fun post over on POPSUGAR about how to display travel souvenirs. There are some great ideas, and I am honored to have my Seattle Souvenir journal (made out of vintage envelopes) featured.

You can see my Seattle journal in full HERE - and if you want to see it full of memories and ephemera (as in the photo below) you can HERE.