Brown Paper Bag Junk Journal

Hey, hey, let's make a junk journal today!

Junk journals are handmade notebooks made from paper remnants, found sheets like old book pages, as well as cardboard and packaging material. They are commonly used as scrapbooks or art journals where each page can be decorated with mixed media to yield unique patterns.

I've made a few junk journals in the past like this one using scrapbook and notebook paper with a cover reminiscent of childhood.

Here's another one made from bill envelopes and was even featured on Strawberry Moon Magazine!

We'll be using brown paper bags. You may have some around from take-out meals or shopping trips. This is just a regular sized brown paper lunch bag.

Fold the paper bag in thirds and cut them at the fold.

 

I secured the open edges together with glue.

Then I folded each page in half. Now they resemble small journals...TADA! They are a blank canvas ready to be embellished. 

Determine what kind of journal this wants to be. I'll use this as a multi-page greeting card, decorated simply with watercolor paint. 

There's a secret inner flap created from the brown paper bag's side gusset. 

I continue the floral and brush lettering theme from the first page.

This is the centerfold. I just painted on more flowers and left the top part empty to write a letter. 

Here's the other secret flap/side gusset painted with a sweet sentiment.

This is what the back of the junk journal looks like.

And that is how I transformed brown paper bags from blah to TADA!

*****

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A Field Trip: Sant Jordi Festival in Barcelona

Today, I'm going to take you on a field trip.

It's really a throwback trip. Same time last year, I was in Barcelona and on my last day there, the city was celebrating the Sant Jordi Festival (April 23). 

via Casa Batllo

Sant Jordi (Saint George) is the patron saint of Catalonia, the region where Barcelona is located. Legend has it that Sant Jordi saved a princess from a dragon. Roses grew on the ground where he slayed the dragon and as an act of chivalry, Sant Jordi offered a rose to the princess.

During the Sant Jordi Festival, its tradition for men to give ladies a rose.  

And the ladies exchange the gesture by giving the men books. But these days, women and men can receive both roses and books (maybe thrown in a cute stuffed dragon, too). It's their version of Valentine's Day!

You'll find book stalls everywhere, even on the streets and in the airport. Bookstores even invite authors for book signing events.

Roses are for sale on street corners, supermarkets, not just flower shops. A wheat stalk typically accompanies the rose and these are wrapped with a ribbon highlighting the colors of La Senyera (the Catalan flag).

Roses in pots are another option.

Even bakeries create special pastries decorated with roses or dragons. 

Popular tourist spots like the Barri Gothic (Gothic Quarter) are decorated with roses. 

Even the balconies of Gaudi's Casa Battlo bloom with roses!

April 23 also happens to be World Book Day, and here in Barcelona, you could really feel it. What a lovely reason to celebrate: books and literature!  

As a souvenir, I got this bookmark (it will last longer than a real rose) and a Spanish version of The Little Prince.   

The rose bookmark is from a darling stationery shop called Papirvm. 

And the book, El Principito, is from the bookstore aptly named Llibreria Sant Jordi.

I hope you enjoyed our trip today and I wish you many travels that turn your life from blah to TADA!

*****

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DIY Easter Basket

Easter is coming up on April 20. In the past, I've made some Easter crafts such as decorating Easter eggs with decoupage and rubber stamps, Easter bunny cake toppers, Easter bunny headbands, and shirts stenciled with Easter rabbits...TADA!

Today, let's make another Easter craft.

Let's turn this empty yogurt container from blah to TADA!

via Pottery Barn 

I'm finding inspiration from these Easter baskets made of fabric. 

via Pottery Barn 

Here are a few more cute Easter baskets ideas. 

I painted the yogurt container with acrylic paint using a medium-sized paint brush. The goal is to cover all the branding and to get a clean, even finish. It'll take about three to five coats, with some drying time in between each coat. 

I found this thick grosgrain ribbon in my stash. It matches the color of the yogurt container.

Cut the ribbon into two strips of equal length and attach these to the painted yogurt container using a glue gun. 

Paint on the bunny's face using white acrylic paint. Don't forget the whiskers and lashes, but you can use googly eyes or pompoms if you have them. 

The ribbon handles look like the bunny's ears!

They serve as sturdy handles, too. All that's left is to fill the basket with Easter eggs or Easter candy.

And that is how I turned an empty yogurt container from blah to TADA!

***

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Five Thoughts for April

Happy April Everyone!

Here are some of the things I'm looking forward to:

1. The Cherry Blossom Trees 

Pink trees are a sight to behold! These trees flower before growing their leaves. In Japan, the Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival is called "Sakura" and people travel from near and far to appreciate this brief season by viewing them ("Hanami").

I have yet to visit Japan for this reason, but closer to where I live in the U.S. East Coast, we can visit Branch Brook Park (New Jersey), The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx), The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, or the Tidal Basin in Washington, DC.  

It's a good excuse to slow down and be one with nature, take pictures, and even create some art...TADA!

2. Art Inspired by Spring Blossoms

I've been seeing a lot of spring blossoms in the neighborhood and they inspired me to make these postcards...TADA! They started as watercolor paintings, then I cut them out and glued them to printed card stock. I'll be sending these to my penpals very soon. 

3. Joann Fabric and Craft Store is Closing 😞

The retail chain Joann has filed for bankruptcy and I think it's blah. It wasn't too long ago that A.C. Moore also shuttered its doors. These craft stores are such happy places for me, it makes me sad that they really struggled in the current economic environment. I stopped by two weekends ago to say goodbye.

While most of the merchandise has been wiped out, I was able to find a few items I really needed. Joann was my go-to spot for fabric and sewing supplies. It was bittersweet to step out of the store for the very last time. Thank you for the craft materials and all the memories, Joann! 

4. A Simple Joy

I'm all about finding joy in the everyday and I really try to pay attention: feeling the sunshine and the breeze, receiving a letter from a friend in the mail, having leftovers in the fridge, and little treats like a coffee with pretty latte art (I'm aware that not everyone has this skill). These joys definitely turn my day from blah to TADA!

5. Indie Bookstore Day 

Indie Bookstore Day is celebrated on the last Saturday of April (April 26) and I'm all for it! Let's keep reading new books (or old books) and support the businesses in our neighborhood. Their success is the community's success.

April heralds the start of spring and I wish all of you fresh beginnings!

*****

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Fish-Inspired Paper Crafts

They say, you can find inspiration everywhere. That's very true, as long as you pay attention. This week's craft began with a Cantonese lunch on a sunny Sunday: 

I was drawn to the fish icon on the chopsticks packaging. I saved a few and took them home.

If we open up the packaging, there's a fish on both sides. Here's how I turned it from blah to TADA!

I made this journal page based on the prompt: "Imagine you're a child
that you deeply care about. Write a letter of reassurance to them.
Be encouraging, give praise, appreciation, and love."

I incorporated the fish on an art journal page...TADA! 

I used a limited palette of blue and aquamarine paint, as well as white and silver pens. I mimicked the flow of water with my strokes. I also added some words of encouragement, following a prompt from Kasia Avery's book "Creative Wanderlust."

Here is the art journal page in detail.

Another way I used the fish was adding it on this handmade bookmark...TADA! It's made from recycled cardboard, paper remnants, paint, and baker's twine -- a technique that I used in some of the other bookmarks I made in the past. 

I didn't forget to decorate the other side of the bookmark, too.

The final project I created was this journal...TADA!

The cover is made from foam board that I decorated with the fish, hand stitching the word "journal," and polkadots made from white pens. The inner pages are made from brown packaging paper.  

So you see, ephemera like chopsticks packaging can be a jumping off point to crafting something cute and turning blah to TADA! 

*****

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Crochet Heart Brooches

Several years ago, I taught myself to crochet a heart:

I was really proud of this little achievement!

I turned the crochet heart into a brooch by sewing on a bar pin.  

Then I incorporated the crochet heart brooch on a greeting card. My literal way of saying, "I give you my heart" and sent lovingly to friends going through some tough times. 

It's not the kind of card that's easy to send but absolutely necessary. Because friends should be there even in life's low times: sickness, loss, and grief. And for the recipient, a small gesture like this can turn their day from blah to TADA!

Here are some recent cards that I made that include the crochet heart brooch:

A little bit of collage to decorate the card

A series of hearts made from a paper punch 

A sentiment written in brush lettering

After reading the card, they can pin the crochet heart brooch to where they can see it often -- to remind them that they are loved, thought about, and prayed for. 

If any of you, my dear readers, are experiencing a difficult season in your life, I am sending you a wish that you be enveloped in strength and that you overcome this with grace.  

*****

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