With the recent global economic downturn making your own journal just makes sense. Not only do you save money, but you have the chance to create something unique so your handmade journal reflects who you really are. I’ve already written heaps of blog entries about Handmade Journals, but have been researching for more cool links about this topic for you recently. Have a look at these links & please add any of your favourites in the comment section so I can include them here.
Anyone Can Make One of These Journals
How to Create an Envelope Journal
Handmade Journal Covers
Making Your Own …read more

In case you missed it, please be sure to take a look at the final round-up for the fabric covered journal tutorial on Tangled Thread. This is one way to make your journal unique and original and something you will be sure to use. I hope you use this idea. Feel free to share your finished journal in the comments section below.
Heather
Photo used with permission from Stock.xchng

When I saw the blog entry Coffee Rings Make Great Table Art at Junk Creation I expected the art to look, well, ugly. I was pleasantly surprised that the tutorial link Peggy shared didn’t look too bad at all. In fact, the coffee rings would look pretty cool on a journal cover. You could even create the art for this in a café or at home. It wouldn’t cost much and the effect is kind of comforting, in a strange way.
What do you think? Please share any comments in the section below.
Heather
Photo is my own

Just in case you don’t regularly check out any of the other blogs in this Lifestyle Channel I’ve decided to share a few entries from Chloe at Tangled Thread. She has kindly written up and photographed an entire step by step tutorial on how to cover a notebook in fabric. You can’t go wrong. Here are the steps in order:
Intro
Step One
Step Two
Step Three
Step Four
Please take a moment to leave a comment on the Tangled Thread blog if you appreciated the tutorial. And feel free to leave any comments in the section below. I’m particularly interested if you have a cool …read more

Mary Emma Allen has some great thoughts on keeping a Quilting & Patchwork journal on her excellent blog. If you wanted to make a really memorable journal for this you could make your own & give it a gorgeous mini quilted cover.
Heather

Noreen from Hankering for Yarn wrote a comment on my Journals for Last Minute Christmas Gifts about handmade journals. I think this is an excellent idea. If you’ve got some extra time you can make a really personalised Christmas gift. Create a handmade journal that is unique and as individual as the person you plan to give it to. There are loads of excellent links & ideas in Noreen’s blog entry, but here are a couple of links on how to make your own paper:
One from Pioneer Thinking
This one even has history of making paper
Lots of photos in this one
Some …read more

Thanks to Mary Emma Allen of Quilting & Patchwork I’ve been taking a look at different ideas for covering journals. Sometimes you’ve picked up a notebook that you would just love if it wasn’t for the cover. One remedy is to cover it in something you do love, that way using the journal will feel good to you. I have blogged about this before, so just in case you haven’t seen some of the older links I’ve provided on the topic, make sure you also read Polymer Clay Journal Cover Tutorial & Covering Your Journal.
Lara Cameron has some great instructions …read more

I promised to let you know, in case you forgot, when Joshua Johnson updated his rubber covered journal with how to make the guts. Check it out if you’re at all interested in making your own journals. The instructions look very detailed and you shouldn’t have any trouble creating your own handmade journal after reading them.
Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and reach higher with hundreds of journal writing resources.
Life Journal Software

Joshua Johnson of Junk Creation promised me a journal cover made from rubber last week. Well, he promised a blog entry about it, at least. So, don’t miss this entry. Yes, indeed he has created a complete journal, of which the cover is made from recycled rubber. There are detailed instructions for the cover with more to come if you want to know how he made the inside of the journal, too. I’ll keep my eye on Junk Creation for that one and pass it on when the rest of the instructions are there.
Heather
Journaling Tools – Go deeper and …read more

I visited another craft fair at the Claremont Showgrounds yesterday. This one was the Craft, Quilt & Stitch Fair. I enjoyed the afternoon checking out craft supplies and other inspiration. While there I saw a demonstration for using the Zutter Bind-it-All machine. This machine perforates holes in your handmade journal creations. Another section binds the coil to finish. Very nifty little machine. The price did take me a bit by surprise, but I’m sure you could find one on ebay a bit cheaper. It gives professional binding to your handmade journals, if you like that kind of finish.
There were …read more