Fairytale/Nursery Rhyme Journal - Part 1

 Hi There

I always have crafty ideas going around in my head, and of course, they're about what I can create next. I have been collecting some of my childhood favourite book pages and decided I want to have them all together.

 My idea is that one day, my boys will have this book and it will show them some of my favourite Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales. I remember mum singing and reading to my younger sister and me when we were little.  I hope it brings back memories for them of their Gran...

 I nearly always make a cover first, then make the pages. I was working out what to use, as in my previous post I had a small book cover. This time I wanted something a little softer in mind. I received a parcel this morning in a cardboard box, which was perfect for my project.

Of course, it is way too big, but I can fix that. These boxes have a great quote on them...... This is one of the main online craft shops in Australia. I tend to purchase here and a few other faves which I have listed in my sidebar for you......

Once I opened it up, I could see a book cover. It has a ready-made spine at about the size I was wanting for this journal. Any packaging is gold in the Junk Journaling world.

I first cut all the extra tabs down the sides, using my large metal ruler and cutting blade. The spine piece down the centre was 3 inches, so that didn't need to be altered. I used my large cutting mat to line it up straight, and the ruler and pencil to measure it to approx 9 x 11 inches, which is quite a good size. I used the lines on my mat to get it straight enough. I am not a perfectionist, but you do you :)

Now you can see it will be my journal cover with a spine already. I had a rough idea of how big some of the pages I pulled out of the kids' books are to give me a measurement for the cover. The lace runner I found at a local thrift shop this week and thought I might use some of it also.

As the cardboard is just corrugated, I always reinforce the spine edges with tape. Use what you have: chipboard, cereal box, etc. I ran out of brown packaging tape, so I just used wide sticky tape. 

Going around the edges is a good idea too, as it will be protected from wear and tear when used. So, the base is done and now have a think about what you want your journal to be?

Do you have a theme in mind, like a colour or a topic? Being kids themed, I wanted it soft and more pastel. To cover and protect it, I was thinking fabric and trims. You can also use paper, napkins, wallpaper, scrapbook paper, etc.

 I went through some of my fabrics and found this pretty lemon floral one. I used a piece of sheet under it to give a bit more body as I was adding it over the cardboard and wanted it a bit sturdier. I used a glue stick to keep them together on the cover, while I sewed around the edges. Let any glue dry first, so your machine needle doesn't get ruined. I have a separate needle for fabric as the paper tends to blunt it. You can also just use a good wet glue and paint over with a brush so it doesn't seep through. 

I then wanted a bit more strength on the spine, so I added a small print right around the back and front. To finish it off, I glued down some butterfly trim that I had. 

On the inside, over the cardboard, I measured two nice pieces of thick cardstock and sewed the edges. I then roughly measured the pocket size and sewed it onto the paper before gluing it down in place. I added a little trim to the top. I put the cover under some heavy books for a while, as this flattens the cardboard and any buckling from the wet glue. You can add your binding now, or wait for Part 2, where I will be making the signatures.

I decided I wanted to have three separate bindings instead of wrapping the elastic around the cover. Since it was only cardboard, I didn't want it to get all squashed. Your pages will need to be a bit shorter for this method.

I used some paper to make a template and my Cropdodile (eyelet setter) to make the holes and set the eyelets. You can use just a normal hole punch. The one I have will punch anything.

To hold your pages in, I find either elastic, ribbon, sari silk or lace are good, as they won't tear.

 I finished it off by threading some pretty sari silk through the eyelets and tying some bows to make it pretty.

On the front and back edges, I only added a bit of Ric Rac, and I wanted it to have a title, so I made it from a book page and decorated it a bit with some die cuts. 

I hope you are following along and making your own JJ. I find once I start, all sorts of ideas pop up.

Stay tuned for Part 2 as we collect our papers and make our signatures to go in our journal,

Thanks for stopping by, and go have some Moments Yo Create.......

Hugz Kerri x