Not Today Journal Tutorial
Several years ago, back when I was still married, my niece (8 years old at the time) asked me "why I never smile". Boy was that a wake up call!
I'll admit, things weren't going well and I of course wasn't all that happy but having your happiness, or lack of, pointed out to you by a child was a huge smack in the face.
Since that faithful day, I've made major life changes and it's become my personal mission to have more fun in my everyday life. As a whole, I can say without a doubt, I've made huge improvements (ask anyone who's known me before and after my divorce).
I still take things pretty seriously about 80% of the time, that's just me, and though I know how to play and have fun I sometimes forget there's more to life than just working and "adulting".
So, inspired by my lack of wanting to "adult" lately I decided to fun-up my To Do List. Boring lists mean boring results and far less effort and enthusiasm. Now I can jot down all those things I need to do AND all those things I want to do to keep things more balanced.
This spiffy little journal is exactly what I needed (aka: a reminder that life's not always serious and I shouldn't be either). Hope you enjoy it as much as I'm going to love using it.
1. Gather up 10-20 paper lunch bags and an empty cereal box.
2. Cut the bottoms of all the paper bags off.
3. Cut both sides off each bag so you have 2 flat "pages". Set aside.
4. Use one of your paper bag pages to determine the size of your cover.
5. Cut your cereal box cover out, making sure to leave a 1/4"-1/2" (depending on how many pages you're using) binding area. Example: Front cover 4x8", Binding 1/4x8", Back cover 4x8".
6. Spread a thin layer of gesso over the cover and let dry.
7. Gather up your paints. I chose: citrus and teal
8. Gather up your spray inks. I chose: fuchsia, blue and green
9. Spray each of your colors over the cover anyway you choose.
10. Uncap one of your sprays and shake the lid over the cover. This creates bigger droplets and gives your art another layer.
11. Spread a little bit of one of your paint colors onto a piece of wax paper. Before it dries, flip it paint down onto your cover and softly rub the back of the wax paper in random strokes. Move your paper to another spot and repeat. This creates more layers.
12. Repeat step 11 one more time using a different color.
13. Use objects (I chose an old cork and a toilet paper roll) to create accent marks in various places around the cover.
14. Spray or "wax paint" another layer or two if you'd like.
15. Create your title, while your cover is drying. I wrote mine on cardstock with Sharpie, making sure to use different letters for the look I wanted. Then I cut out each letter and added more Sharpie around the edges before gluing in a semi chaotic pattern.
16. For my pages, I glued two little clips to the inside top since this is a To Do List and I want to be able to throw away pages I finish.
17. Draw in your checklist. I kept mine simple and just used more Sharpie.
What you'll need:
10-20 small paper bags
Cereal box
Sissors/Paper trimmer
Glue
Acrylic paints
Paint brush(s)
Sharpie
Cardstock
Random objects (for patterns)
Small clips
Wax paper
Happy Crafting,
Misty
If you loved this free tutorial look into booking one of my creative workshops.
