First Half Africa Journal Pages

I know there are a few of you, Dear Readers, who are interested in my travel journals.  For those of you, here is the first of two installments showing the journal pages.  For those of you who could care less, sorry!  Move on!

As always, I worked on my journal while I was traveling, trying to do each day as it came.  I didn't always manage that, depending on schedules, but I did it as close to the day as possible.  I like the immediacy I get in my writing when it's something that has just happened, not something I am writing about days later.

I get my journals from a wonderful bookmaker on Etsy.  Elvie Studio  makes wonderful little journals that are about 6.5 inches on a side and filled with lovely hotpress watercolor paper.  The covers are plain white paper and I always cover mine to match the trip they will record.  This time I found some fabric at the quilt shop that was perfect for an African journal.

I love to use my Pogo Printer for adding photos as I travel.  I've written about it before.  It's small and easy to pack and uses 2 x 3 inch paper that works like a sticker, with adhesive on the back so you just peel and stick.  So easy and so useful to journalers.

 I couldn't travel journal without my glue stick.  I save bit and pieces of this and that, the sort of thing travelers accumulate....receipts, business cards, pamphlets....and stick them into my journal as mementos.  I usually have a collection of tea bag wrappers, because I find the different teas I get around the world are interesting to remember.

 I also buy a few postcards and stick them into the journals.  If I am running out of room, I can tape in a postcard and write on the back, thereby adding a page and a photo.  It's an inexpensive way to expand the write-able area in my journal.

I'll bore you all with the second half of my journal pages soon.

Journals Update

I have finally finished a journal I started way back in, I think, 2009. I took a class at Art & Soul in Portland from D. J. Pettitt, in which we created journals or books that were painted and sewn with both paper and fabric. Now, in the best of times I am not what you would call a fabric person and I had never sewn paper to fabric before, but it was fun and the project just swept me along.

Most of the participants seemed to work in a soft, pastel sort of pallet, must as D.J. herself. That is not, obviously, my pallet.

As I was working on my covers and pages, it occurred to me that the colors and textures I was using were very reminiscent of Aboriginal art.

I realized that I had created a journal to hold all the photos I have been clipping for years of Aboriginal art. I, alas, have been very remiss in keeping the artists' names with their work, so I will not show a complete page with some one's art because I can not give proper credit. Slovenly as my record keeping might be, the finished journal pleases me greatly and I feel that I have created a little book that compliments to wonderful artwork featured inside.

I also have completed my little travel journal for my Hawaii trip. I didn't do any watercolors or illustrations while I was there, sloth that I was. I just (barely) managed to record the daily events and to collect some ephemera to jazz up my pages.

I used my Pogo printer a lot on this trip and added many photos, more than usual, to my journal.

It amazes me how each of my travel journals is very like the others, but also very different, as each trip is different from the others.

I've put this journal aside on my desk with the others. I am beginning to get a nice collection of them!

My journal for my upcoming trip to China is ready and waiting....

Prepping a New Travel Journal

I am a very lucky woman. My sister-in-law has given me a trip to Hawaii for Christmas! Not many people are given a whole state for a gift....we are leaving on February 7th. We will first stay in Honolulu for a few days and then head over to the Big Island (Hawaii for those of us who are Hawaii challenged). I always keep a journal when I travel and I will for on this trip too.
Since our departure is creeping up on us more quickly than I can believe, I decided that this was the weekend for getting the journal covers completed.

There is a very creative woman who creates blank watercolor journals and sells them on Etsy. I love the size of these little books (about 6 inches square) because they slip into my pocket or my purse, the covers are a nice quality of paper that takes paint well and the watercolor paper that she uses for the signatures is heavy and wonderful for sketches, water media and just for journaling. This will be my fifth travel journal I have made using L's little creations.

For this journal I decided to use Hawaiian quilt block designs for the front and back covers. I love the graphic quality of Hawaiian quilts and I thought they would translate well to a journal cover. I had a copy of Hawaiian quilting by Elizabeth Root in my stash and I liked many of the quilt block designs featured in the book. I opted for a hibiscus for the front cover and the anthurium design for the back.

I photocopied my chosen designs and resized the images to more closely fit the covers of my journal. Then I scribbled with a plain old pencil all over the back of the designs to create a sort of carbon paper to transfer the design to the covers. (Placing the design face up, with the pencil scribblings on the cover and then tracing over the design with pencil.)

Once I had the designs transferred to the journal covers I went over the pencil design with a ultra fine point Sharpie and then I used my Copic pens to add color.

When I was happy with the covers, I then gave them several coats of matte gel medium, applied with a small roller, to protect the covers and make them waterproof. I like having the covers to my journals waterproofed so I don't have to worry so much about slopping water (or tea or lattes!) around when I am journaling. I am, I'm sad to say, very messy.

I used a very thin wood veneer "paper" that I found at a scrapbook store for the inside of the covers. I cut the veneer to fit with my paper cutter and then used a permanent glue to affix them to the inside of the covers. I weighted them down while they dried as wood veneer has a tendency to curl and I wanted them, of course, to be flat.

Not the most elegant covers for a journal, but I am hardly the most elegant of journalers. I am pleased with the end result. Now for the fun part---taking the trip and creating the journal while I'm away. I'll add ticket stubs and ephemera that I collect on the trip and I will also probably add small photos that I will print with my Pogo printer. I love that printer and the fact that I can print out 2" by 3" sticker-backed photos while I'm traveling. By being able to add photos to my journal pages while I am still on the trip I have a completed journal when I return home....ready to bore my friends and family with my adventures!

Self Portrait Friday 24 hours late....again

My dear friend Gwen sent me a link to a fascinating little video about manipulating Pogo prints. I am having a great time trying different ideas and while I can't say I've gotten it down pat, I am making progress. Best of all, I'm having a great time!

(In case you haven't yet met Pogo printer by Polaroid, check it out!)

Photo Manipulation: Zink-PoGo from Frenky on Vimeo.