Show & Tell: Bound Heart Journal

I’ve been working on another unusual project. Unusual because I don’t normally do this kind-of-thingy. But, I’ve been playing a little…in my spare time.

I learned a lot from my mistakes. I would do a number of things differently. Well, enough of the suspense already!

Ta da!

It’s a HEART-shaped bound journal ~ about the size of my palm. The heart cover (front and back) is made from polymer clay from a pattern I traced onto cardboard. You’ll use the ‘pattern’ to cut your filler paper, just a tad smaller. Then I randomly impressed the clay cover with rubber heart stamps, baked them in the oven according to directions. Last, I painted (using 2 different red acrylic paints) the clay covers & stained/antiqued it. It almost looks like leather!

The journal is bound with a strip of leather (rather wide so I can add more pages?). NOTE: Use a smaller piece of leather. Also, HINT: Make large enough holes to easily thread lace/twine. I’ll also make an EVEN number of holes; I only pierced five holes in this cover. I used waxed twine to actually bind the journal together. Yes, I had to punch 5 holes into every page (using my paper pattern). I then embellished with beads, etc. I stitched on a vintage button to the front cover & a closure tie onto the back cover (with a bead on the end).

The journal’s pages (there’s about 40 or more) are random scraps of paper, printed card stock, old screen and stuff, which I’ve embellished with more stamps of fiber stuff, herbs, eyelets, ribbon, yarn, etc. I think this is easily a forever project…because you can go on and on with the embellishments!

Now, you know I had to add a sheep somewhere…!!!!

The end!

I’m already think’n about making another ‘journal’?