Chapter Two: Love

Chapter one ended with a passport and tickets. 

Chapter two begins with new love, adventures, excitement, and happiness - our girl is in France!

The story continues..

I used a toned-down pinks and browns colour scheme for the middle segment in the journal, for a more mature and romantic feel. The covers of the section are from Meg's Junk Journal collections and Cut & Create elements are used throughout to tell the story. 

Arriving in Paris, she receives a letter. 

She doesn't need to wonder who it may be from! Inside, two tickets, a photo, and a letter - 

'meet me at the dance tonight, don't be late!'

The envelope and inclusions are another interactive elements, which the Cut & Create images are perfect for.

Upon meeting, they discover their mutual love for dancing and music. They dance through their time together, all over Paris. 

He buys her beautiful Parisian gowns and she learns to sing.

Meg's Cut & Create imagery sings this song so well and paints the picture perfectly.

She keeps all memorabilia and many gifts. He takes photos of her, as many as he can. Time is precious.

Junk Journals are a perfect way to experiment with different paper mediums. Handmade paper, doilies, embossed vellum and stunning papers from Meg's Garden all coordinate and compliment, making for not only a visual delight - but also textural.

I created pockets using different mediums and hand-sewn elements. Each pocket contains a trinket or keepsake. Here, a decorated Art Tag peeks out, embellished with stamps, ribbons and charms and more Cut & Create images. Metal charms give extra texture, plus add to the vintage feel.

A pop-out sentiment features in between the middle pages. Not only is it the fitting sentiment for our lovers, but it continues their story. Meg's theme from a previous collection inspired me to include dance as part of the story.

I couldn't resist using one of my absolute favourite embellishments, vellum pockets, throughout the journal. Inside I have tucked away pieces he has collected, photos and gifts from her, their time together. I used a masculine Vintage Journal Card to give the feeling that we are looking in his pockets or suitcase. His belongings.

Meg's beautiful watercolour tones set the feeling perfectly - contentment and happiness. What could possibly stop this whirlwind love?

I reintroduced darker colours and embellishments at the end of the chapter.  

Gone is the colour from their lives and reality has come in the form of a letter - he has to return to the battle at the front, immediately.

He leaves her with a orchid, to watch bloom and think of him.

Inspired by the Cut & Create images, in particular the fob watch and sentiment, I used this to convey time. 

His single orchid has over grown in the garden. He still isn't back yet. 

How long has it been?

Video of Journal:  https://youtu.be/6d3ScNj_2-w

  

Julia

Chapter One: Letters

I am sharing with you a project that completely overtook my imagination. 

Upon receiving Meg's new Junk Journal collections, I started with no clear plan or idea in mind, just to enjoy creating with these wonderful papers and embellishments.

It wasn't too long however, that the stunning imagery in the Cut & Create pages started telling me a story, thus taking me on an entirely different direction for this project.

And the end result is something I am incredibly proud of and will treasure.

The diary of a young lady. Decorated with metal trinkets, a wooden frame and ribbons. 

Beautifully vintage. 

She, an avid writer of letters and poetry. Sharing her musings from Australia with a pen friend who happens to be a Frenchman. 

He, a young man and equally talented with his penmanship. Enjoying his last days of freedom before rejoining the battle at the front.

I created three sections within, each hand-sewn onto the leather cover. 

The sections are a mixture of textures, colours and functionality - on almost every page is an interactive element, inked to add age and show it is lovingly worn - all adding to the story.

This is Chapter One: Letters

The beauty, and the detail of Meg's papers helped me piece together my story. Taking the one dimensional imagery of a stack of old papers and making it three dimensional - adding a real paper clamp with lined and written papers from Meg's previous collections. The beginnings of my young lady's writing compendium. 

She keeps everything, and notes everything. 

Her first letter, including a lock of her hair, and his reply.

The first section is in bright colours - a happy time, excitement and joy - just what possibilities could this pen-friendship bring? And who is this man, simply known as "R"?

I gave my young writer her magic wand by winding ribbon around an old pencil and embellishing with feathers. Using the ever versatile Art Tags, I created a lace loop to secure the pencil, so she is never without, and can easily be removed to write her next letter. 

Art Tags feature heavily throughout the chapters, decorated to pull out or sewn in to form one of the many layers in the sections.

Smitten, my young lady is keeping all of her correspondence and the little extras she is starting to receive from France. What does the white rose symbolise, she wonders.. And was that a mention of meeting in France written in this letter?

Using an envelope as one of my layers, I kept its true function by enclosing one of the handwritten letters from a Cut & Create sheet, which pulls out when opening the envelope flap. 

Over the months, she starts sending him more photos of herself, and encloses small pieces she has made for him.

I took inspiration from the many divine Vintage Journal Cards as my lady's photos throughout the chapters, and for this page I have made them into pockets. Tucked in behind I have used another Art Tag, embossed and embellished.

In this chapter, the sections include Meg's papers along with a variety of embellished mediums - doilies, vellum, Art Tags  - all complimenting and all available from Meg's Garden. One of my favourites is definitely the small vellum envelopes. Here I have enclosed more Cut & Create pieces into the envelope. Tokens and trinkets from France.

Another rose - sent with love! 

The rose slides in perfectly behind the Cut & Create piece, creating another interactive element. 

It looks like he sent her a bottle of beautiful French perfume along with the rose..

As I gave her a pencil, I couldn't resist giving her a notebook too. 

It is kept safe inside the pocket, ready to pull out for all her stories and poems, and letters of course..

Made from two Vintage Journal Cards folded in half, I hand sewed in the lined paper and also decorated the inside covers. 

The last page of the first section.. What is that tag hiding?

 I have clustered together many coordinating pieces, from Art Tags to Cut & Create images, embellishments and finished with hessian ribbon. 

The closing page of this chapter again was inspired from the Cut & Create imagery, with so many French pieces it can only mean one thing.. 

But first, let us swing the Bon Voyage tag aside.

And open the book to reveal, our girl is off to France! 

Complete with a Cut & Create passport and documents, swing tag and stamps. 

The pop out letter says it all. Bon Voyage, Mademoiselle!

Julia's Video:  https://youtu.be/Y411eJDTd_A

Until next chapter,

Julia

Part 2...Vintage Junk Journal

Hello everyone & welcome.
Take a wander through the 2nd part of my signature. Papers & embellishments are available from Meg's Garden online store.
Throughout this journal I have used pieces of ephemera that have been taken from the cut & create sheets. Ephemera can be used in so many different ways, such as to decorate a page or create a tag, a pocket, a tuck spot or to embellish the cover of a book or journal.

Here I have made a tuck spot with some stamping & on the other page I have created a pocket using patterned paper that has been decorated with lace and a handmade tag with ephemera pieces.

I have created a belly band that has been decorated with lace then sewn in place.

A tuck spot decorated with stamping & a paper flower cluster plus a hand made tag.

Lots of pockets made using patterned paper, then decorated with lace & a paper flower.

Pockets & tucks. On the other page I have used an envelope to create a pocket that has then been  decorated with ephemera pieces.

I have stitched in place a hand dyed & stamped vellum pocket plus a decorated tag.

A pretty belly band with lace trim & a paper flower embellishment.

A large pocket created using patterned paper.

A vellum pocket plus a handmade stamped & decorated tag.

A different style belly band.

Patterned paper pockets.

A sheet of writing paper for journaling.  The other page has some tuck spots & a pocket.

A pocket with a tag. The other page has a tuck spot plus a vellum pocket.

A large pocket with a small flip out book (see the last two pictures below).

A stamped doily pocket.

Back cover.

Flip out book, cover plus pockets inside with ephemera & a small glasine bag.

I hope you have enjoyed looking through my junk journal creation.

Until next time.
Thank you so much for stopping by.
Have a wonderful day & happy creating.
Leanne

Female Vintage Birthday

One of the (many) things I love about Meg's Garden collections, is that you can adapt the papers to suit any occasion - and gender. 

From Meg's latest Junk Journal collection, I have made both a male and female birthday card - showing how easy it is, using the one collection, to create for both. 

In this post, I am sharing the female birthday card. 

In contrast to my previous minimally embellished male birthday card, but still using the same Junk Journal papers, I went 'over the top' in embellishments for the more feminine birthday card.

Taking inspiration from the washi strips included in this collection, I layered the paper strips with vintage laces. Creating depth and a variety of textures, I continued to frame the card this way.

Using the same die cut sentiment as on the male card, this time only using it the once, leaving plenty of room for the Junk Journal Cut & Create designs to embellish the centre of the card.

Not holding back, I also decorated with paper flowers, a fabric button and one of my favourite textural pieces - muslin!

From ultra-girly, to modern male, you'll find papers for all your needs at Meg's Garden!

Julia

Male Vintage Birthday

One of the (many) things I love about Meg's Garden collections, is that you can adapt the papers to suit any occasion - and gender. 

From Meg's latest Junk Journal collection, I have made both a male and female birthday card - showing how easy it is, using the one collection, to create for both. 

In this post, I am sharing the male birthday card. 

In keeping with the deep browns and grunge feel of the collection, and wanting to make the background paper stand out, I kept embellishing minimal, instead using bold, heavy pieces with brass buttons and charms. I repeated the die cut sentiment in coordinating colours and papers. Simple, yet effective.

For texture, I added hessian ribbon, overlaying a strip cut from the Junk Journal papers.

I included an insert inside the card. Embellishing with Cut & Create designs on one side of the card and the opposite side of the insert - leaving ample writing room and space to personalise - or keep simple.

Julia