Paper Journals

I've learned a lot about journal making, since I started this fun journey. over 300 Journals made.... just a few!!

Electrical tape is actually a form of binding- way stronger than washi tape. Makes the whole notebook more durable, and last longer going in and out of bags.

 More Neutral colors, and some colored Duct tape bindings, the Metallic gold  binding is really fun, makes it more of a design choice, less about demanding function.

I've been making more secure journals by using a contact paper seal- I can use delicate handmade papers, that are like tissue paper in consistency. The Modge Podge seal was making them wrinkle, and sometimes changing the colors. But, when I use contact paper-they are protected from water damage, and I feel secure about that!

There are so many awesome metal details that I now use. The name plates and the corner protectors are old school, and still useful. Age Before Beauty? even if it false age?? Distress inks help me give the illusion of age, but maintain the sturdy reliability of new materials.

Some of my journals for sale: Journals for sale!!!!!

Some of my older posts about making your own journals: composition notebooks tutorial.

Journal your Love notes

I'm a pretty disorganized person, now that I have small children. They move things, and I take it from them, and I put it in a place that is "safe", and they can't reach... so the tops of my bookcases are just crammed with random things.

This is the cover of my actual Love Letter Journal.

 One precious thing that I haven't lost, is a notebook of  love letters. I started writing it to my husband before we were married. It's a precious little notebook, that I have written back and forth to him for 13 years. I used to write on a whim on a random Tuesday, but now I write around our anniversary, and on major holidays.

Since I love paper products so much, I do make him sweet little cards that are basic and say I love you. The heart felt love letters though, those all go in the journal. All in one location- and harder to lose and organize than a shoe box of cards.

If I'm blue, or overwhelmed; tired and discouraged... these love letters are there for me, even if the hubby is at work!

Creating a Table of Contents

I am a note-taker and a list writer, and sometimes I use the same notebook for everything. As a kid, I used a different notebook for every subject. I struggle to keep up with three different notebooks in addition to my planner. I even tried to keep separate memos on my phone for everything. My brain likes to see me writing things down. I'm not really sure why!

How do you keep everything separated? Well, there is a cool trick that students learn in Japan. They make a table of contents on the last page of a notebook. It's a way to conserve paper and resources, since every notebook gets used 100%.

You write as you need to through out your journal. No, skipping around, looking for lost notes. Then mark the page for each topic used, and use the reference in the back of the notebook.

I've left some really boring pictures to give you a general idea.

This is what the pages of my notebook now look like.

This is what my last page of my journal looks like.