Fall Junk Journal
Hey everyone. Terri Kolte, one of our amazing Junk Journal Design Team Members, created a gorgeous Fall Junk Journal for us this week! As you know, we feature one new Junk Journal project each week created by one of our creative team of artists. Our Design Team Members select from the 100’s of Vintage Image Bundles on our Premium Membership Site, for their creations, in order to show you beautiful ways to use those images. We hope you will be totally inspired by this series!
Please make sure you check out the video tour at the bottom of the page…please scroll all the way down to see it. Are you ready to be inspired? I will step out of the way and let Terri tell you all about her fabulous project…
Happy Fall everyone!
Today I’d like to share a little junk journal I made that is celebrating all things Fall. It’s my favorite time of year so I was excited to put something together using all of the beautiful images I found on The Graphic Fairy’s Premium Member site. I love that 24/7 I have thousands of lovely images at my fingertips, just waiting to be used in a project!
I’ve pulled images from bundles all across the Premium Membership site but a few I’ve used heavily for today’s journal are Fall Colors Ephemera and Fall Botanicals, as well as Heritage Wallpaper. Don’t ever feel like you’ve got to stick within a specific bundle. Or a specific theme for that matter. You might find exactly what you’re looking through in a bundle that- from it’s title anyway- you don’t think has anything to do with the subject you’re looking for. Go ahead and open them up and scroll through… it’s a really fun way to “shop” and I do it all the time!
Another thing to keep in mind when you’re creating from digital images is to make the image work for YOU. I don’t let the image dictate to me what I can do with it- if you need it altered in some way- do it! Take your scissors and make some adjustments. It’s only paper. If you don’t like the way it’s working once you’ve altered it- just reprint it!
I like to add quotes wherever I can so I browsed online for ‘fall quotes’ or ‘autumn quotes’ as my search. Using my word processing program I typed them out in a font reminiscent of an old typewrite so they didn’t look too perfect and printed onto plain card stock. Use scissors to cut into narrow strips and attach wherever you’d like. If the word strips look too clean and new to you, use just a hint of distress ink along the edges and they will blend in nicely. Don’t forget to add them to your tags as a sweet surprise when you pull it from it’s pocket!
I get a lot of questions about how I put together this type of junk journal or ‘folio’… Here is my big secret for making them- are you ready? Copy paper and tape. That’s all there is to it.
It allows me to create a template before I begin cutting into those decorative papers or printed images. If I don’t like it, I can throw it away and begin again. And sometimes I have to begin many times before I get it just right. Once I’ve got a basic template to work from, I duplicate it using a medium weight card stock, gluing it together. I use Beacon 3-in-1 liquid adhesive almost exclusively. Once the framework is there, the real fun begins!
I use both scrapbook paper and printed image- the beauty of digital images is that you can print in whatever size suits your purpose. Gather up things to embellish with such as laces & trims, postcards, shipping tags, buttons- you can glue down just about anything you can find.
If you’d like to add envelopes, library pockets or flaps throughout your folio, the best thing to do is attach them BEFORE covering the structure with the decorative paper. That last layer of paper hides all the mechanics. However if you decide you’d like to add one after the fact, don’t despair. Just go ahead and attach it anyway! You can always find something to disguise where it is attached- another piece of paper, a postcard, an image or piece of trim. Hmmm… wonder how I know that? Yep. I make that mistake all the time!
Remember- you are creating something that is organic. It takes shape and continues to grow while you are working on it, so never hesitate to add something unplanned into the mix. Sometimes those turn out to be your favorite elements!
Some of the TGF Premium Bundles used in this project, from The Graphics Fairy Premium Membership Site:
Autumn Harvest
Ephemera Collection
Fall Botanicals
Fall Colors Ephemera
French Attic Ephemera
Heritage Wallpaper
Masculine Ephemera
Mini Ephemera
Postcards
Woodland Walk
To see a video tour of my Fall Junk Journal Design Team project, please watch below:
Happy crafting~
Terri from The Gypsy Magpie
Cathy says
I love these projects but they are so beautiful and intricate that I have no clue where to start! The template demonstration was super helpful and I’m ready to give it a try. Thanks for including some basics for us beginners!
Karen Watson says
Have fun creating a Terri Kolte style journal Cathy!
judy says
Terri, you fall vintage junk journal is exquisite! You curated every color, texture and shape so artistically and creatively, your journal is a delight for the senses. I have dabbled with junk journaling, but I’ve always become frustrated by the lack of cohesiveness upon my completion. I especially love “themed” junk journals, but never have attempted to create one for fear of turning out a “disaster”. Thank you for sharing your creativity!
graphicsfairy says
You are so sweet Judy, thank you and I am sure your creations are amazing 🙂