Altered Journal

ETA: Oh my goodness, I was featured at both Scrap for Help and Shopping Our Stash!  I'm so honored--thanks, ladies!

Fair warning: this is a photo-heavy post!

I've been wanting to start an art journal for some time now.  It just seems like a fun, freestyle form of self-expression.  Since autumn is a very inspiring time of year for me, I decided to alter a pocket-sized sketch book to create an "I Love Fall" art journal.

Supplies: Earthbound sketch book by Cachet; woodgrain paper by My Mind's Eye; text paper by Echo Park; die cut paper by Graphic 45; stickers by Simple Stories; rub ons by Hambly; buttons by October Afternoon; star beads by Darice; sea glass beads by Jeff Plath of Glass River Beads; ink by Tsukineko; glitter & pearlescent paint by Ranger; matte white & metalic green paints by Deco Art; Apple Barrel orange paint by Plaid Industries; sewing thread by Singer; recycled elements: assorted yarn scraps & corrugated cardboard from an old box.

I'm entering this altered journal in three challenges:

1. Scrap for Help--October Challenge--use recycled materials, including string/fibers
2. Berry71Bleu--October Challenge--mixed media
3. Shopping Our Stash--Challenge 74--use a jar

First, I gathered the recycled materials (pictured above) that I planned to use in my project.  As you can see from the photo, the sketch book that I used is made with recycled paper.  I also used a piece of corrugated cardboard torn from an old box.  The odds and ends of leftover yarn were given to me by a friend who has a knitting business.

Then I gathered the wet media that I planned to use.  I chose two colors of matte acrylic paint, one color of metallic acrylic paint, three bottles of Liquid Pearls, and one bottle of Stickles.  I began my project by dry brushing some white acrylic paint onto the cover of my journal.

Next, I used a technique called string printing, which seemed like a natural fit for Scrap for Help's string challenge.  I mixed together metallic green paint, blue Liquid Pearls, and white Liquid Pearls.  I dipped an arm's length of sewing thread in this mixture, then let the string fall in random swirls atop the journal cover.  I left a little bit of the thread hanging off the right-hand edge of the journal cover.

I placed a piece of scrap cardboard over the journal cover and held it down with my left hand.  I grasped the end of the thread with my right hand and pulled it out.

After I removed the cardboard from the journal cover, this is how the string print looked.

I repeated the string printing technique three more times, varying the placement of the thread.

For the next step in my process, I tore the top sheet off a scrap of corrugated cardboard to expose the inner ribs.  I brushed a mixture of red Liquid Pearls, white Liquid Pearls, and orange paint onto the cardboard.  Then I randomly squirted swirls of red Liquid Pearls and globs of purple Stickles onto the cardboard. 

I used my paint-covered piece of cardboard to stamp on the journal cover, and the photo above shows how this looks.  I love the interplay of the different layers, textures, and colors.

Once the paint was dry, I went on to add some buttons, beads, yarn, and paper elements.  It almost seemed a shame to cover up so much of the paint work that I had done, but I left quite a bit of it showing around the edges of the journal.

Here's my jar, which fits the theme of the Shopping Our Stash challenge.  Simple Stories often has these jar stickers in their collections.  As far as I'm concerned they could have one or two in EVERY collection that they put out!

The sentiment stickers also come from Simple Stories.

As you can see from the above photo, I also used paint to enhance my papers.  The edges of the woodgrain paper are dry brushed with the same mixture that I used for the string printing.  The torn die cut paper is dabbed with the same mixture that I had brushed onto the corrugated cardboard.

Now let's talk about how I used the different types of yarn.  As you see from the photo above, I stitched down a row of sea glass beads with a strand of the dark green yarn.

I threaded the buttons with a single strand of the the light green yarn.  I love the way it curls--this reminds me of pumpkin vines.

The crowning feature of the journal is this mass of rainbow yarn.  First I knotted individual pieces of yarn around the spiral binding of the journal.  Then, for a finishing touch,  I wove a longer piece of the same rainbow yarn in and out of the metal spirals, adding a few star beads.

To me, the decorations on this journal symbolize everything that is great about autumn, from the bright colors of falling leaves to the excitement of bonfires on cold, starlit nights.  I can't wait to start filling the pages of this new art journal!

Thanks for stopping by today and sticking with me throughout this long post.