Daily Creative Sessions - Take Ten

Recently, I set myself a goal  -  daily 10 minute creative sessions. 

and this is what my 10 minutes turned into the other day.

Okay - this took me way more than 10 minutes to create, 

but that is how it started.  

The pages in this little book are pockets....

and inside the pockets are mini blank books.

At the moment only the pockets are decorated

..... eventually the mini books in the pockets will have something on them as well.  

During my next 10 minute creative session I thought 

I should make these at the visual journaling group I host on Tuesday nights.

So I created a less time consuming version to share if they are interested.  

If you haven't anything to do on Tuesday night 

and are in my neighbourhood  

- feel free to join us in the art room of the local school.... :-)

Collectables Folder

I finally had some creative time.... 

or I should say - I finally made the time to create a priority 

over all of the other things I could have been doing. 

And so I made a collectables folder. 

The cover was made from layers of fabric, paper and many layers of acrylic paint, 

which I then decorated with my rustically carved stamps.

I inserted folders inside and secured them with some stitches.

The folders are only open on the one side - which is where items can be slid in for storing.  

The flap on both the front and back cover and the elastic closures

 ensures nothing can slip out accidentally.  

I really enjoyed my creative time

and I know I must give myself the gift of more creative time more often.  

Refillable Notebooks - Take 2

Here are two more refillable notebooks that I recently completed. 

The covers on these are much more complex than the last ones I posted about. 

These covers have layers of paper, fabric, collage, paint and wax

- that in the end makes a supple yet sturdy cover. 

Inside are a variety of pages - some decorated, some from old books and some plain. 

The pages can be removed from the book, and new pages inserted whenever needed.  

These books each hold 2 signatures of pages, so are thicker than the previous ones I made. 

The cover has a small flap on the right hand side 

that folds over the pages when the book is closed.  

Here you can see the entire cover - the front, the back and the flap  

 - now time for the pages. 

All ready to be written, drawn or glued into!

Junk Style Journals

I finally have a few of these junk style journals put together. 

It took a bit of time, since I decorated 

many of the pages that are going into these books. 

Once the pages were decorated, I sewed an assortment of pages into signatures.  

I made flexible but sturdy covers that I decorated, and stitched the spine so that it can hold the pages.  

These journals are designed to be refillable. 

Stitched together pages can be secured into the cover, 

and can be replaced with new pages whenever needed. 

I made a couple of small sized books

which hold the sewn together signature of decorated pages.

These are the larger sized journal,

and they too hold one signature of decorated pages that can be replaced when needed.  

On the inside cover the books have a pocket

to hold bits and pieces that can be glued onto the pages. 

The pages are decorated in a variety of ways, 

or are pages out of old books.

And when closed these journals have an elastic that wraps around and secures them.  

I still have a couple of other different but similar journals that are in the works..... 

hopefully I can share them with you soon. 

Grafted Collages

I continue gluing together bits of decorated paper to make these collages.

Here you can see the small 3X4 inch creations I shared on my last post,

beside the 6X6 inch creation I have just finished. 

I mounted these collages on wooden box frames 

that can be hung on a wall or displayed on a shelf. 

And here is the finished pile. 

I wonder where my creative muse will take me next......