Poet’s French Junk Journal

Hey guys, our talented Junk Journal Design Team Member, Nik the Booksmith, has created a handsome junk journal for us today. As you know, we feature one new Junk Journal every week created by our grand team of exceptional artists. We want you to be totally inspired by this series! Nik created a fascinating Poet’s French Junk Journal project this month. Be sure to check out the video tour at the bottom of the page…please scroll all the way down to see it. Are you ready to view this creation? I will let Nik tell the fascinating background story of her book…

Hi, it’s Nik here. For the month of December, I chose a subject close to my soul. Poetry. This junk journal showcases the work of a couple of notable poets in particular; that of French poet Charles Baudelaire and his muse, E.A. Poe. Baudelaire was an avid poet in his own right, but he was also a translator. Early in his career, he would occupy his time transcribing Poe’s works into French.

The journal is covered in a soft, decadent, mocha-colored sheepskin leather with four simple raised bands on the spine. No adornments have been added, as I think of Baudelaire as the kind of person who would think such things were unnecessary and foolish.

Inside The Poet’s French Junk Journal

Inside, the book is filled with period and reproduction French and European ephemera from The Graphics Fairy Premium website. The squirrels on branches background from the Fall Colors ephemera bundle was the perfect addition to this book. It brought in some needed color, but in a simple, understated way.

I used strips of hand-marbled paper and made a collage of samples from which Baudelaire will choose his endpapers. Look at those delicious colors.

Continuing on in our travels through Baudelaire’s journal, we come to a page with a sewn pocket made from an image that was created for Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du Mal (The Flowers of Evil). First published in 1857, it spawned the symbolist movement and influenced many generations of poets and writers who came after him.

French Themed Graphics Fairy Images

Finding French-themed ephemera at The Graphics Fairy Premium site was like taking candy from a baby. Not that I’ve ever done such a thing! 😉 There are so many French-based ephemera bundles that the only hard thing was knowing when to stop! I used Vintage Paris, European Ephemera, Romantic French Frames, Fall Colors Ephemera (squirrel paper), French Newspaper Ephemera, and Script Ephemera 2 (script Photoshop brushes).

The Poet’s French Junk Journal Flip Through Video

I have a complete flip-through of his Poet’s French Junk Journal on The Graphics Fairy YouTube channel.

Thank you for taking a peek at my December Poet’s French Junk Journal project for The Graphics Fairy! You can find my work on My YouTube Channel or in My Etsy Shop. See you next month.

Nik the Booksmith