PaperArtsy: 2020 #11 Handmade Pocket Journal with ETS {by Autumn Clark}

2020 Topic 11: Calming Colours

Can you have a calming feast? Well I reckon Autumn has brought one for us. Just using the photos alone, there are so many fabulous ideas and plenty of inspiration to make your own soothing journal.
~ Keren

Hi everyone, it's Autumn Clark from SewPaperPaint with you today, and I'd like to share with you a great way to use up a day's worth of gelli prints by making a useful little pocket journal.

I decided to stitch together a few prints, mainly because I needed a new journal to work though some thoughts and I was sure that our calming colors topic would be a perfect place to start! Using light colors for your prints give a great backdrop for handwriting and layering, so lets get to the details.

I simply cannot put this journal down! I've been adding new thoughts daily and look forward each day to revisiting it. The concept is easy to replicate. I picked out the thinnest cardstock in my stash and cut it in half, then used my 8x10" gelli plate with a beautiful array of PaperArtsy Fresco Chalk Finish Acrylics in Taupe, Blush, Concrete, Hint of Mint, Sage and Waterfall and made a batch of two-sided prints.

This palette conjures the essence of escape for me! My half-page cardstock pieces were about the same size as a particular book I use to brayer off my paint during the gel printing process. I love using a book for this purpose so I can incorporate the text, as well as the color, into my finished work, in this case as full pages in my journal.

I kept some prints with solid color and also used several stencils and masks to get a variety of patterns/textures. Those include PS095, PS106, PS108, PS092, PM006 and PM007.

I carefully decided on the order of my prints, mixing in the book pages, then used the three-hole pamphlet stitch to group them all together. There are many advantages of this stitch for a journal. 1. The pages all lay flat when opened. 2. The stitching can easily be removed if pages need to be added or taken away. 3. It is incredibly simple to achieve, but the result is quite a strong binding.

As if gel printing and playing in paints isn't fun enough, the best part is adding the stamping, journaling and ephemera.

I focused on PaperArtsy Eclectica³ {Tracy Scott} Collection ETC39, ETC31, ETC27 and ETC25, all over-sized insects and flowers, perfect to make a big impact on a small journal.

I have always loved making art from "junk", so turning my least loved cardstock, an old book and a few drops of paint into a journal I can treasure brings me so much joy.

I have found that journaling even the most mundane thought can clear my mind to make room for more important things. I find myself picking up one of my bottles of Frescos and finger painting here and there and love that I can continue to build layers and interest as I go.

This will not be the last of this type of journal for me! In fact, I am inspired to continue in this size and colorway and make a group of these journals to use as inserts in an even larger journal. Perhaps this lofty goal will encourage me to continue with daily journal entries and promote better mental health, and in return more creativity. Do you find that you are more creative when you've actively reducing stress in your life? I think it may true for us all and hope you will try this process for yourself. I just know you will find the practice a rewarding one.