As a change of pace I created six small journals, each designed more for writing than adding items. The journals are bound together with cloth and then have lace added over the cloth. There are a few small pieces of ephemera included in each journal, and also on the pocket. Definitely girly with flower, butterfly and dragonfly themes!
Another thing people have told me is that big junk journals can feel intimidating, so i have created a line of starter journals to overcome this. Each has thirty pages plus a card cover with tuck spots and a selection of tags on paperclips to use as book marks. The covers are varied, but the pages are a mixture of plain and patterned paper. You can paste photos, write or draw on the pages, and when they are full, easily add more pages! the rings are 1.25″ so you have plenty of room to add paper and make the journal entirely your own.
When I am at craft fairs I am always asked for plain journals, so have created a line of minimalist journals. Each cover is made of Kraft card stock and has a white laser cut shape attached to the front. The cover was then laminated to help it withstand being carried in a pocket or backpack. The set of books are further secured by an elastic band that closes the journal. The laser cut shapes include mandalas, leaves and flowers. Inside there are elastic threads to hold the three plain notebooks, plus one small folder with a journaling card that can be used or removed as desired.
With the summer here, I wanted to create easily transportable tins of ephemera to add to a journal while the owner is away on vacation. I created many options, including travel, beach, bees, and sunflowers. Then I added Alice in Wonderland, Van Gogh, the moon, butterflies, angels and roses. So far I have yet to get them into my Etsy shop, but here are photos of the tins I have made. Each tin contains about 30 small items, and you can peel off the stickers used for the cover and inside the tin as well – to use while on the go. The beach tin contains journalling cards, a mini notebook, stickers, words, charms, tags, and small pieces of ephemera to stick down part way and then tuck other items beneath.
I recently learned that embellished ephemera was a thing. Having consciously moved away from making journals with dangling threads and randomly placed bits of ribbon and lace, I’d moved towards creating ephemera as places to write and store precious ideas. As looked around a noticed a new – to me – concept. This was pieces of embellished ephemera, items that are more elaborately decorated than other pieces in the book. They can be used as a bookmark, or attached to the spine as an external ornament.
While still wanting to stay true to my clean design esthetic, I have to admit the idea of layering multiple items and using mixed media to create a key piece has surprising appeal. With this thought in mind I scoured my paper closet and found my packets of vellum. I used it to print paler versions of the tags I had already printed, potentially to use as a light overlay. In real life I found that if not completely accurately aligned, this gives a slightly unsettling effect, so am now thinking about layering them over blank tags for an ethereal effect.
Then I dug into my boxes of buttons, ribbons, and bits and craft supplies to see what else I might have that I could use. I was astonished (but really shouldn’t have been!) to discover so many potential options, including Washi tape, baker’s twine, strings of beads, and spools of different kinds of ribbon.
So what did I create in my first foray into making these pieces of embellished ephemera? It was harder than I expected not to fall into a design rut, and to try to think afresh as I began to work. Ultimately I made three tags, one flower themed, one sea themed, and one butterfly themed.
Flower embellished ephemera tag
This tag evolved mostly from a flower and butterfly tag I had previously printed and cut out. I overlaid it with a floral vellum layer, and backed it with a card in a similar color palette. Over the top I laid a sentiment, pink pearls and a heart charm to back up the sentiment.
Sea embellished ephemera tag
This tag evolved from a watery scene with a fish on it. I overlaid it with a vellum design showing a shell, then added Washi tape across the lower edge of that paper. On top is another underwater scene. The final elements are green and white baker’s twine tied in a double bow and a starfish charm.
Butterfly embellished ephemera tag
This tag came together mostly by finding items in the beige and brown color range to create a calm tag. It begins with paper with French script on it, followed by a tag with cream and brown elements. I topped it with a butterfly print on vellum and a sentiment. the final pieces are pale gold ribbon and a butterfly charm.
I can see how easy it would be to create dozens of very similar pieces of embellished ephemera, so need to challenge myself to come up with different formats and sizes. Beyond that, I’m pleased with these three tags!