Journals N' Stuff

So, it came down to the doing instead of the looking. The creating, the mess, the lost sleep, the paper everywhere. Torn between the clean surface and no visual clutter and the need (no, the compulsion) to cover that surface with creative flotsam & jetsam. And many days that's what appears on my craft table. I find things and stuff and bits that catch my eye. "I can use that", "that's pretty" or "I'll eat one more chocolate because I need the foil for my project!"
The drawers are full and I pull out the little pieces and touch them and fold them, or smooth them-like we did as children with the foil on the big Easter eggs. Carefully pushing the wrinkles out to the edge. Smooth.
When I was growing up in the UK, we saved all the finds in a scrapbook: not the carefully planned and color colo rcordinated scrapbooks of today but construction paper books, big and ready for little hands to Sellotape(Scotch Tape) the treasures in. Chunky, bulgy pages. Today it's called a Smash Book. The same thing, just a new "go-round". Or is it a Junque Journal? Either way, anything goes.  I have been inspired by Jennibellie, love her use of materials and her tutorials are great. She inspires and the rest of us follow! So...here is what I have been working on. A journal that will evolve.
I began by gathering card stock from my stash. Nice and heavy and lovely pictures. Some will remain as backgrounds, some will be covered, painted, collaged etc.

I scored and folded. Added some water color paper to create signatures. Added greeting cards that I could not part with. And poked holes (carefully)

to bind.

I don't have a binding maching so have 3 hole punched the hand bound signatures. They will all fit on loose leaf rings and my thought is that I can add more as I wish.

Jennibellie loves to add dangles and beads to her journals and you will notice these when you watch (and listen) to her tutorials. Tactile. So..... I added a few trinkets of my own.

and then, I was on the internet again (!) and found this tutorial and just had to make some of these too!

Hope you like what you see and perhaps it has given you ideas to create your own junque journal or scrapbook or smash book. I'll show you how the pages evolve.