by Linda | Dec 7, 2011 | my creative journal
On and off, I’ve been working on a series of girls with little nuggets of wisdom. Just simple thoughtful messages. As I tinkered with the designs, I’ve come to realize this is a series that will never be finished. I’m not very prolific compared to some and I’m prone to tinker with tiny details for much too long. A teacher once told me that it’s good to keep playing until you’ve gone too far. Then you know that you’ve explored enough. But I think that I often get lost in the deep end…
Regardless, I’m really happy with my little girl characters and since there’s an endless supply of thoughtful messages to illustrate, I’ll add on as time goes by. I’ve actually created 12 so far, which could make a nice 2012 calendar. I think I’ll make myself one for sure…
by Linda | Dec 6, 2011 | my creative journal, Uncategorized
Over time I have learned what my favorite tools and materials are for this lovely art called bookbinding. I thought it would be nice to go through what I normally use when binding books and journal. Nothing really fancy here…I think we might all have these items in one form or another. I’m definitely a very DIY small-time bookbinder…
A self-healing cutting mat and cutting knives – definitely must haves in so many ways. I’ve never found a paper trimmer that I love and much prefer a mat and knife. Also, the measurements on the mat itself are very useful for lining up cuts and projects while crafting in general.
A metal ruler – metal means it will last longer and sits heavier on top of paper to prevent sliding while you cut. Love it!
Bone folder – a must for folding paper and smoothing things over. You can also use the tip to score lines in your paper as well…
Awl – for punching holes! I have a pretty small one that sometimes gives me a handache…one of these days I might invest in the Japanese screw hole punches… very cool. Just know that you need a way to pre-punch your holes.
Needles – big tapestry needles work great for sewing up books.
Linen thread – I use both waxed and unwaxed linen thread, because it’s super strong!
PVA glue – Vinavil is the brand we use here in Italy and it’s the same glue even bookbinding teachers at workshops use…so I’m cool with it! Really, just any glue will do.
Junky brushes – to brush on the glue – probably more important than the glue, because if you get a nice coat on, it’ll stick! I use hardware store brushes. If it gets junked up, I just toss them out.
Materials from paper to leather – I use all types of materials, even recycled board to create book covers and fill in the pages of my journals. It’s fun to use alternative materials actually.
Those are pretty much all the tools and materials that I use, so it’s nothing too fancy. Of course there are many other professional tools you can buy, but you certainly don’t need them to make yourself a journal to use!
Hope my list can help you get started in bookbinding and you might also like these bookbinding tutorials I’ve written:
by Linda | Dec 5, 2011 | my creative journal
I’ve noticed here on my blog that bookbinding posts have been the most popular by far. Granted, some bookbinding affiliated sites have linked over to certain posts, so it might not really represent my regular blog readers. However, I love creating my own books and journals, yet fail to share the process as much as I would like to.
At times all the ideas and thoughts get jumbled up and I find it difficult to express and organize. One big hang up is just fear, because I’m a beginner in many respects. I’m also very much self-taught and have no claim to the proper ways or professional ways of bookbinding. I don’t have a standing press. I don’t really care about the grain of my paper. I skip steps and mess around, because it make the process more fun for me.
In my effort to stop over analyzing and simply create, I’ve decided to share regardless. I’ve thought about creating a series of posts about all the different types of binding methods I use…but I kept getting hung up on the order of presentation, how NOT complete my list was, and if I was using the right names. I realize that it doesn’t matter in the end, I’ll just take it post by post…no one is expecting a course in bookbinding here! So yes, lots of book projects will be coming to the blog in no particular order or sense. It’s just what I happen to be creating.
In the past, I have already shared various bookbinding tutorials… so check them out in the meantime.
by Linda | Dec 1, 2011 | my creative journal
Some of you may not know, but I also have an art blog called tortagialla. From my creative musings there, I started writing a zine about art and craft topics and really loving the process. It occurred to me that issue 8 is all about scrapbooking, but I haven’t introduced it here on the blog. So here’s a little plug for myself!
My handmade zine is called Pensieri, meaning thoughts in Italian. It’s an outlet for me to share my crafty endeavors, from art history to specific techniques and craft subjects. I design the whole zine myself, a one-girl operation when it comes to printing, folding, binding and all the handmade touches. The cover of my zines are created with a big envelope, which results in a back pocket for goodies – a feature I’m particularly fond of. Although it takes a massive amount of time to create these zines, I love the process and love sharing a bit of my knowledge and writing with others. It’s been a really amazing experience for me and ultimately, I think I gain a lot from creating Pensieri.
The last issue of Pensieri is called Scrap Slam Smash – A mini history of memory, story and life keeping. I suppose you can say that it’s a culmination of my own adventures in scrapbooking and how I’ve ended up (thus far)…in terms of why I scrapbook and all the ideas I have for the hobby. I go through a brief history of the hobby, some design principles, a color discussion and pages and pages of journaling prompts as project ideas. I really hope to inspire others to scrapbook in the end. Whether it be a mini project or an ongoing scrap your life in an art journal type of way. Whatever works for you.
I scrapbook because I love the process. I get to relive beautiful memories and celebrate them by scrapping those stories. It’s also a fun and creative release for me. I love playing with pretty materials! I also love to share the results with friends and family, seeing the joy it brings and helping them to relive those wonderful moments in our lives. Again, it’s about celebrating the good and perhaps even acknowledging the bad and working through it.
So if you are interested in getting a copy of my zine, you can find Pensieri issue 8 Scrap Slam Smash in my Etsy shop. Thanks and scrap on!
by Linda | Nov 30, 2011 | DIY printables
For those that celebrate Thanksgiving, I’m sure the holiday weekend was a fun-filled frenzy. Above all, it’s definitely a season to spend with loved ones and to be reminded of all the things we are thankful for. I think that sentiment of Thanksgiving goes worldwide though…it’s never a bad thing to think about gratitude and give thanks. I decided to create a scrapbook page of 11 thanks for the year 2011 – a great way to use a whole bunch of number stickers as well. But as an American, even though I live in Italy now, I wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving in my own way.
I immediately had the idea of a countdown in my mind, but needed some tags to write in my thoughts. So went ahead and designed some up for myself to print out. I thought it would be nice to share those banner tags with everyone – you can use them in digital scrapbooking or print to use on paper pages as I did above.
Download Banner Tags ZIP
Let me know if you find these useful! I find myself creating these simple elements for myself, because I just don’t have them on hand and it’s just the little thing I need for the project or page in mind. I suppose, I’m definitely thankful to be able to design these elements myself and print them out for use. Pretty cool…
by Linda | Nov 25, 2011 | my creative journal
History shows that we usually react to the problems of society and try to fix whatever is wrong. But how many times have you heard that being reactive is not enough? The trend is towards prevention, right? So when it comes to the science of happiness, why not prevent sadness to begin with? Okay, I realize that is not always possible. But I think we can all agree that happiness is important for our lives. We all want to be happy.
I think the most important little tidbit I’ve learned from reading happiness books, scouring articles and generally pondering… is that you can control your happiness. Sure it can be difficult, no one said it’s easy to be happy all day long. In fact, I’ve learned that genetics does have a huge impact…but it simply makes your journey a little tougher, not impossible.
A large part of your happiness comes from your thinking and attitude! Now, let me say that the goal is not happy-go-lucky 24/7. Our moods wane and wax like the moon and it’s okay. I’ve often noted that my default face and mood is sort of “bleh” and I don’t even realize it! The important point to realize that you can help yourself to be happy when you need it…to bounce back from sadness…or perhaps even prevent yourself from sliding down that slippery slope. You are not a victim and it’s not hopeless.
The super simplest easiest way to brighten up your mood? Smile.
Trite? Too simple? Try it…you know it works. Smile big and hold it. Feel silly? You are sending signals to your brain to be happy. When your brain realizes that you are happy, it likes that and gets a bit happier… feedback loop! Simple but true.
Try out my happy thought today – just smile.
by Linda | Nov 24, 2011 | my creative journal
It really didn’t take that much effort or time to finish up my minibook. Goes to show that I was making it harder for myself and procrastinating in pain…for nothing at all. I suppose it’s always easier to see the light at the end of the tunnel – so to speak. Here’s a peek into my finished minibook of whys… what I love, why I do the things I do and what I need to remember and remind myself of…especially when days are tough.
For the cover, I pretty much kept it the same but added the pinkish patterned paper for consistency throughout the book. It’s funny how it matched with the pink number “2” I already had. You can see the old version here and read about how this book came to be. The suggestions from The Book of Why by Karen Grunberg really helped me to organize what I really wanted to document – the whys or reminders in my case. It was really easy to identify the areas of my life that mattered and to write up the journaling.
The opening pages have the introduction of why I created this minibook and the evolution of what it will be now. Simple, typed up. But for the rest of the book, I decided to handwrite everything.
My journaling isn’t exactly answering the question why – all the time – they are just bits that came to mind. I’m keeping it loose…it’s my book after all… it can be whatever I want. I created spreads for my husband and our Westie Vash, obvious choices.
However, I also included other important decisions of my life…like living in Italy. It’s a wonderful thing and everyone is always jealous. But there are challenges when throwing yourself into a foreign country, culture and language. Sometimes I do have to remind myself the whys and they are very wonderful reasons…
Scrapbooking is most definitely a spread as well. It’s for the memories and for safekeeping, but it’s also fun and creative for me. I love sharing the results, because it puts a smile on everyone’s face to remember… lots of reasons why I scrap. I didn’t have photos of me scrapping, so decided to use little thumbnails of my favorite pages. I will be adding in thumbnails over time, I think.
I also included a spread for taking care of me, myself and I. Often…we feel so selfish in doing things for ourselves…this especially happens to women who are natural caretakers of the household. I really want to remind myself that I need to take good care of myself, to satisfy my own needs. Ultimately, me being happy benefits everyone else too. Less crabbiness and more smiles all around…
The last spread of my book really makes me happy… I have a clip to slip in my favorite photos to look at … and my parents on the right saying “be happy”… I actually have this open on my desk because I love it so much.
My little book is definitely a twist of sorts from the original book of why idea, it just morphed into a sort of perspective on various aspects of my life. Definitely reminders and words of wisdom, from me to me. I’m really happy with the results and glad to have got it done. Again, I don’t even know why it was so hard to finish before…silly silly. Hope you enjoyed seeing a peek into my book…maybe you’ll create your own?
by Linda | Nov 23, 2011 | my creative journal
We all need time to recharge our bodies and minds. It’s not always about tasks lists and check marks. We all know this!
The problem is when we take breaks that aren’t really breaks. When I think I’m resting, I’m not really getting recharged at all. I’m still going…
Surfing on the internet is exhausting. It’s not a recharge type of activity. Watching a movie doesn’t let my mind rest…I’m usually having conversations inside my head, analyzing this and that.
Recharge activities are supposed to give you energy after the fact. If you still want to veg-out or go to sleep afterwards…I don’t think the original purpose was served.
So I’m thinking more about my breaktimes. If my recharge activities are working. Do I feel energized afterwards…or drained even more?
I know that I need to find better ways to truly recharge.
by Linda | Nov 22, 2011 | DIY printables
After posting my printable journaling cards, I realized that I needed horizontal variations! I happen to have a stack of clear pockets in that format, so I went back into Illustrator and created a new set of journaling cards. These cards are specifically designed to be horizontal in format. A mix of designs to help you record those daily thoughts and notes…
Download Horizontal Journaling Cards ZIP
You can actually use these in your digital scrapbooking layouts, as with all my digital products. However, I also love to print out digital designs to use them in crafting projects as well as traditional scrapbooking. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
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by Linda | Nov 21, 2011 | my creative journal
I’m an A4 paper size scrapper…because it happens to be the normal paper size here in Europe. This means I can print my own scrapbook paper pretty easily, using the borderless printing setting. It works pretty well and gives me instant gratification, especially for easy design backgrounds. Word jumbles, vintage textures and music note pages are quick and easy to print out, without emptying your entire ink cartridge.
Since most scrappers work in the 12″x12″ size, unless you have a large format printer, I realize it’s not going to be easy to print your own paper at home. In fact, I’ve heard of the printing and cutting machines that haven’t exactly made a splash in the scrapbooking consumer industry. I suppose, it’s just too much trouble and takes up too much ink.
Despite the limitations, I still think printing at home gives you power and choice! You can print out backing papers when you only need a small piece. Or if you need a photomat, you can actually just print the frame part that will show, saving ink. There are a lot of applications and possible uses, so don’t discount the print at home technique. It’s part of your toolbox – it’s an option! Have you tried printing at home? Any tips or tricks?
