Sunday's Feature Artist: Valarie Tripp Bagley

Hello everyone, this weeks featured artist is a very talented lady. She's been a member of Junk Journal Junkies for a little over three months but has become one of our regular's in the group. Valarie has been crafting since she was a little girl, it all started at a young age with her mother teaching her how to knit.  According to Valarie, her mom also introduced her, and her brother to do all sorts of different things, such as; wood burning, painting, embroidery and crochet.  Besides Junk Journals, Valarie really enjoys fine needle crafts such as embroidery, candle wicking and needlepoint. Before the birth of her son, Valarie was the recipient of blue ribbons at her local fall fairs.  One of Valarie's favorite creations can be seen below:

Valarie states that her crafting is a creative outlet that she needs, and she usually has one or more projects going at a time.  Recently, Valarie has become disabled and says that making journals passes the time for her and helps her cope with the huge changes in her life.  One craft that Valarie would love to try is both traditional rub booking and cutwork.  If you would like to visit Valarie's Etsy store, the link is below.  Thank you Valarie for being an inspiration to members of the group.  

Valarie's Etsy Shop

What To Use In Your Junk Journals

Lori's last post was about how to make a junk journal with links to a great video tutorial that Yvonne did. So, today I want to share some ideas about what else you can use in your junk journals. Once you start making junk journals you'll probably see every piece of paper and packaging in a different light and begin to save all those little things like receipts, tickets, clothing tags, business cards etc to glue in to your journal. You can use food packaging, mailing envelopes, old book covers or cardboard boxes to make the covers. If you have any shoe boxes lying around the house, these often have interesting patterns on them, which are great for covers.

The inside pages can be made from almost anything. This is a short list of ideas to get you started:

Tea/coffee dyed paper, old school exercise book paper, text book paper, vintage ephemera papers, such as receipts, letters etc. Junk mail, advertising brochures and leaflets, scrapbook paper, wrapping paper, wallpaper, paper bags from the bakery or supermarket, calendar pages, digital papers, watercolour/drawing paper, parchment or wax paper, children's book pages and puzzle books.

You can find lots of videos on youtube for inspiration. I've linked a few below for you to look at.

Happy crafting, Melanie.

Envelope Junk Journal

Vintage Ephemera Journal

Junk Journal Vintage Game Pieces

Let's make a Junk Journal!

So, yesterday's post was all about coffee staining.  Today's post will be for the newbie, those who are just beginning their journey into making Junk Journals.  Another highly posted question we see in the group is, "What is a Junk Journal?"  A junk journal can be whatever you want it to be, it's your creation and you can use it for many different things.  Some people use theirs for a scrapbook, some use it to document their day to day life.  It's really your personal preference.  Today, I will link a tutorial by Yvonne White, who is the founder of our wonderful group, on how to make a junk journal.  This tutorial will bring you through the process of constructing a junk journal, from beginning to end.  When you're finished watching, you'll be ready to create your very own junk journal.  

Links to the tutorial are below:
Part 1:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tme3pOcOvQ

Part 2: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEM_ZOdBpFM


Part 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RA1RJEYSJuI



We hope you enjoyed this tutorial, please share your creations over at the group!  

Lori 

Coffee talk and paper?

Two of the most asked questions on Junk Journal Junkies are; "How do I coffee stain my papers?" and "How do I bake my papers?"  Today, we'll discuss some techniques on how to get some great staining on your papers.

The first thing is what type of paper to use.  Regular copy paper is perfect for staining and baking papers, however, you will want to purchase either 24 lb. or 28 lb. paper.  The regular 21 lb. paper doesn't hold up that well and will tear when you're trying to remove it from the coffee.  Once you have your paper, the next step is making your coffee mixture.  I use instant coffee that I purchase at my local Walmart.  I use about 1/4 cup of coffee mix with about 10 cups of boiling water.  This is always adjustable, you can decide after you soak your papers if you want a stronger solution.  You can also add some vanilla to your coffee mixture, it minimizes the strong smell on your papers.

Once your coffee mixture has cooled, you can layer your copy papers in the mixture and soak for about 3-5 minutes.  Pre-heat your oven to about 350 degrees F, the temperature of your oven is your own personal preference, I've set mine to 180 degrees F, and also 350 degrees.   You can use a cookie sheet to bake your papers.  Also, a pizza pan with the holes will give a fabulous polka dot stain on your papers.  You can also lay your papers directly onto the oven rack, you will get a beautiful lined look.  You can also layer some soaked paper doilies on top of your paper, it will leave a stunning imprint of the doily.  You must keep a close eye on your papers when baking, I would advise a timer of some sorts as a reminder.  If you don't feel comfortable using your oven, you can let your papers air dry.  I have a large table and I line it with a plastic tablecloth that I purchased from my local dollar tree.  I follow the same process but instead of baking I lay them out onto the tablecloth to dry.  The only difference is the baked papers are more crisp, and crinkly.  I have linked a tutorial that I did last year on how I coffee stain and bake my papers (here) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYVl7fTqNSc

I hope this helps answer some questions and concerns you have about coffee staining your papers.  Happy Crafting!!!

Sunday's Featured Artist: Beth Wallen

We would love to share a artist and fellow crafter with you! 

Beth Wallen is our featured artist today! Beth has always been creative. She painted when she was younger and sewed for a bit in her 20's. 

However, her favorite thing to make is journals. 

She got into junk journals about 2 years ago. She had taken a trip to Italy and she had a ton of photos. 

She felt she wanted to do something more with them than put them into a plastic sleeved photo album.

 So she got onto YouTube and a whole new world opened up. That's where she found junk journals! 

Crafting is relaxing for Beth and allows her to express her artistic side!

Beth has a YouTube Channel where she shares her work!

This is one Beth's many beautiful creations! 

If you would like to see a flip through with details click 

>>HERE<<