Free to Fly Journal Tutorial

Upcycling is fantastic in so many ways. Not only does it lower waste going into our landfills but it also challenges us to see things differently which gives us unlimited freedom of imagination and creativity. After receiving an Amazon package in the mail my interest was immediately snagged by the box. Though I’m sure whatever came in it was important and had been greatly anticipated I can no longer remember what it even was. All I saw was the cardboard box and unlimited possibilities. My new project began within minutes, my sense of challenge and excitement growing with each passing minute.

Since the box already had a book like design I decided to stick with that and create a beautiful nature inspired journal. Now, two of my favorite colors are blue and green so naturally those became my color pallet. I began with smearing modeling paste over the cover to create a fun dimensional texture. While that dried I began work on the pages, using heavy-weight cardstock I cut about 10 of them to fit inside my journal and now the fun began. Can I just say I love Ranger Inks and Tim Holtz! I used Broken China, Tea Dye and Peeled Paint distress inks to bring some color and life into each of my pages. After distressing to my little heart’s content I spritzed them all down with water to add layers and contrast. Don’t worry if your pages wrinkle or bend. You can flatten them back out or leave them for added “age” like I did. As finishing touches I used my trusty sharpie to doodle and add quotes to some of the pages; on others I embellished with chipboard butterflies and doilies.

With that all taken care of I returned my attention to the cover. I used Aqua, Turquoise and Spanish Olive acrylic paints randomly spread together until I got the desired results. To speed things along I used my blow dryer (a handy multi-use tool no crafter should ever be without) then sealed everything and again turned the blow dryer on it. Once it was 100% dry I pulled out my old sewing machine and stitched several of the pages together to create pockets then added some lovely stitching around the cover. And finally my favorite step of all…digging through my trinket box! Yes, I have a whole box and thanks to my favorite store, Tinkertopia in Tacoma it just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I, of course lost several minutes as I explored the contents of tiny treasures before pulling out several trinkets that screamed for my attention and adhered them to the cover using Alene’s Tacky glue and Loctite.

Now here it is for your enjoyment and inspiration. Hope it inspires you to take a second look at something ordinary and let your imagination soar.

Happy Crafting,

Misty

If you loved this free tutorial look into booking one of my creative workshops.