Junk Mail to Jazzy Journal

Here's a cute and quick recycling project TUTORIAL for you today:

You'll need a piece of Junk Mail which is printed on  nice firm paper like this one:

 

Cut it in half:

 

Then in half again:

  

Open the pages out and Gesso them on both sides:

 

I decorated my dry gesso-ed pages with Acrylic inks but you can use acrylic paint or craft paint or whatever you prefer- do this on both sides:

 When both sides are dry you can add stencils, stamps and others techniques to decorate your pages:

 

on both sides of course:

 

Then fold your dry decorated pages in half and pack them together in a pleasing sequence:

 

Here's where I cheated a bit. I couldnt find any recycled cardboard firm enough for my cover so I used a bought sheet 12x12 and cut it to size, just a few mm bigger than my pages:

 

So you will have your pack of folded pages and your folded cover:

 

Put them all together. Open them up in the middle and make 3 holes with a sharp object in the middle at the spine of your journal:

 

Sew the spine with a strong nylon thread:

 

Tie the thread off at the outside of the spine:

 

So your book will look like this:

 

Tie little bits of fibres, wool, ribbon etc onto the stitches on the outside of the spine- which disguises the stitches and also looks really cute! :

 

                                                          so this is what it will look like:

 

Then the really fun part- decorate your cover.  I used fabric and little bits of  lace & sewed it on with my sewing machine:

I finished this whole project in a morning.  There you have a journal ready for drawing, painting and writing in. Or to give as a very special hand-made gift.
For a chance to win this beautiful little journal leave a comment below.
Comments will close on Tuesday Oct 30th 2012.
The winners name will be posted on Wednesday Oct 31st 2012.
Overseas readers welcome to participate!