Friday, May 15, 2015

Antique Travel Journal





a trip to Europe
would not be complete
without a travel journal...









would it?
So in keeping with my 
bricolage sensibilities... rather than BUYING
a journal..
I decided to make it...

I had two small antique photo albums..









the larger black album was in better shape,
well... comparatively speaking...

but because space was at a premium..
we were trying to fit everything in two suitcases...
a small feat
for 3 weeks..







I chose the tiny orange album...
which I gutted easily..
and covered the outside with
document tissue paper...








and reinforced the spine with fabric
both inside and out...







I had an antique badge that I took apart
and used some French ephemera to cover a piece of cardboard that fit perfectly
inside the medallion 
for the cover...








then I began to collect my signatures..
a motley collection of watercolor paper, drawing paper and old scraps..
I stitched some vellum in the front 
to create an envelope to hold tickets and snippets 
of memories...







my wonky stitches
with wax linen...

I am woefully dyslexic, so I have never learned to create those wonderful stitches... but I can manage a basic stitch..









 I decided to use two of the original 
photo frames
for my journal...







but recovered them
in the document tissue...







the vellum envelope below...






another pocket below









the paper collection...






rough torn and deckle edges...












the finished journal...







and my little pack of art supplies ready
to pack...

ingredients: watercolor pencils, travel brushes, paper ephemera, eraser, pencils, sharpener, glue stick.







I promise the end results...


But, first I will have some photos of Rouen, France
very soon...


Thanks for stopping by..

ciao, ciao!