I love looking through magazines for inspiration. Some of my favourites are Somerset Studio, Somerset Art Journaling, Sew Somerset, and Daphne’s Diary. I also love reading gardening magazines and the Australian Country Craft magazines. I am very lucky to have a wonderful mum who also loves to read magazines and passes them on to me after she has finished with them. Once I have read the magazines (often several times), I pull out pages with crafts or recipes that I would like to try, home decor, botanical art, poems, or pictures that make me feel happy. I also take out pages and cut out words that I can use in my collage. After that, what is left goes in the recycling.
Recently I decided to take the folder of inspirational pages I had pulled from the magazines and make them into a big journal of things that I love. To make the journal I took one of my magazines and removed all the pages from it that I didn’t want to keep, leaving a half inch border along the spine of each page. Then I took my stash of inspirational pages and glued them onto the half-inch tabs, while others I attached with my favourite washi tapes.
Some pages I glued back to back, covering up the sides I didn’t want to keep. On other pages I made mini collages, or used paint and washi tape to cover up parts I didn’t want.
I made a pocket on one of the pages to hold some of my vintage greeting cards.
I decorated the cover using gesso, acrylic paints, inks, paint pens, and washi tapes, and I added some fibers and beads down the side.
My journal is a big book of inspiration that I can take out and look through when I want to relax. And the good thing is I can keep adding pages to the journal – the bulkier the better!
I also love the Somerset magazines but I can’t afford to buy them from the news stand. Luckily there is someone in town who donates them to the local thrift store and I can get them there sometimes. I love your journal Kristah!
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Thank you so much! The Somerset magazines are very pricey. I’m glad you are able to get them at your local thrift store. I find them so full of inspiration and love seeing all the arty and crafty things that people do.
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Beautiful blog post! My last blog post is dedicated to journaling, I hope you check out some of the prompts that I mention in the post! I think that I will definitely be checking out your style of journaling! https://keepingupwithkayl.blog/my-personal-list-of-journal-prompts/?preview=true&iframe=true
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Thank you so much! I will definitely check out your blog!
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Thank you for giving me some new magazine titles to try. I always struggle to find good magazines to recycle for collage 😁
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Glad to be of help! It is always fun looking through magazines for collage material.
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this is just gorgeous. I always enjoy your creations.
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Thanks, Heather!
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Your so creative! I use to make a lot of collages but never in a book like this. It’s very pretty 😍
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Thanks, Vanessa!
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I love your big book of inspiration. It is so fun to have a special place to put all of your favorite things. I agree, the thicker the better!
Kate
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Thanks, Kate!
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Its very beautiful!!!… Nicely done!!!
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Thanks, Tam!
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What a beautiful journal! The covers look amazing with the panel design and washi tape and I love the blue dot detail you added – perfect 😁. The inside looks wonderful too with all the lovely images and bright coloured pocket that you created, when I see the pretty images and words you have captured it fills me with happiness! Sending you happy and creative wishes! J 😊 x
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Thanks, Jo! I had fun putting this journal together and love that I can keep adding to it!
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Great idea, Kristah!
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Thanks, Linda!
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Great idea Kristah. I have started to do some drawing myself, and also like getting inspiration from magazines especially Australian Country Living. I should keep my pages altogether as they’re flapping around in a disorganised fashion.
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Thanks, Jane! Country Living magazines are great to look through and a wonderful source of inspiration. Have fun with your drawing!
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Thank you Kristah.
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What a fun, creative idea! I never thought about recycling a magazine this way, very cool!
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Thanks, Michelle!
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Such an inspirational idea 🙂 And it looks lovely. 🙂
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Thanks, Cecile!
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