Yes, I have a weird sense of humor, especially when I don’t get enough sleep. But I need to write this piece so I can get it scheduled to publish this month before I forget that I need to do it…despite having it written down in about three different places so I won’t forget.
It’s not actually forty-nine dragonflies; it’s 49Dragonflies. She’s a wonderful artist, junk journaler, planner, over on YouTube. You can find her here.
She makes these amazing four-month planners…out of a paper bag and some fabric. I mean, there is of course much more to I than that, but overall, that is where she starts.
I will not go into her process, but I will tell you what I did.
I used Amazon paper envelopes, the padded ones thus far, as that is all that I have received. These are the ones with dots of papery stuff inside the two layers.
And since I did this experiment of mine…everything from Amazon either arrives in a box or a plastic bag.
It’s weird.
Anyway.
I followed the given tutorial (which you can find on her YouTube channel; she has many.) to cut down and size my journal covers. I did not make the same size as she did.
I made fifteen of these experimental journals. In a variety of sizes. I aimed for a standard TN size, and then, basically whatever was leftover was fine and I would figure it out later.
I learned the following:
Cut your fabric, both pieces, to the size you want BEFORE gluing.
I had decided to simply “wing it” and trim later. My fabrics, most of them were too dark for me to do this properly…so some of my sizes are skewed.
Don’t simply water down your glue and “go for it”.
A little glue goes a long way. I used Glue-All, watered down. It ended up being a wonderful adhesive. The glue worked … too well. I used too much glue all around. Since it was so watered down, I wasn’t as careful with it as I could have been. The envelopes did not like that much wetness. I still get the crinkle noise, but it is much much subdued as the glue has harnessed and subdued it.
The covers are still fine. Still beautiful. Still usable. But they are nowhere near as lovely as the tutorial versions. It’s all my fault.
You can use the padded envelopes… and no glue at all.
I made two other journal/planner covers using a cork fabric that I had in my stash that fit the envelopes I had on hand without having to cut or trim anything. I sandwiched everything together, used a couple of clips to hold things in place, and zipped it through my sewing machine. All the crinkle is intact…and they look amazing as well.
These were the second and third actual journals that I made using the pieces from this experiment of mine.
Now, I am going to have to cut paper individually for, so far, fourteen different-sized books. I think nearly all of them are of a different size. I have the set of standard TN wanna-bes. Most of these are within an inch of one another, off in either height or width.
One of these covers is currently in use. I didn’t sew anything in. I had an insert that I was working with, a typical Standard TN insert (not the ‘official’ TN insert, but what I had on hand) and I wanted a quick cover for it.
I took the smallest of the covers that I had made. A perfect fit for the insert. I used a connecting elastic around the spine of the cover and slipped the insert into the cover. I use a Happy Planner pen loop to hold the cover closed and to keep a pen with the insert for when I need it.
It works perfectly.
I do have a stash of fabric sitting here, waiting. I am not going to be waiting for Amazon or anyone else to send me something in the mail in a paper envelope. I do have a stack of beautiful paper bags, the ones with handles, in three different sizes. I am going to do things exactly like the tutorial…or at least as close as I can get, maybe without the glue, but we’ll see.
I did not make a single pocket in any of my original experimental covers. Nor do I think I will when I make the next set. I won’t use them, so why bother?
I don’t want to make the next set of covers until I fill these covers with pages of their own.
I have been on a bit of a junk journal-making spree lately, so it shouldn’t be too long before I accomplish that task.
Tabitha Low 