JUNK JOURNAL – MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE PART 18
Getting back into this junk journal project after a short break. The first page of Folio 4 of the second signature is a piece of watercolour paper with teabag stains on it. I made this a long time ago, by laying out used teabags in a diamond pattern on the paper and allowing them to dry.
Adding embellishments
I chose some random labels from my stash, and a gold lump (more later), along with some of my recent fussy cuts, and glued them down. I also added some fibre from some new rolls of plastic mesh, and a ribbon ruffle. The page was completed with the addition of a tab with some gold punchinella (sequin waste). Details follow below.
The fibres
I have seen a lot of people adding stiff fibres under adhered elements and didn’t have anything suitable. I searched high and low, but not knowing what they were, my searches didn’t result in anything. Then I recently watched a video where someone had got some plastic mesh and frayed it, producing some good stiff fibres to use in this way. I ordered some of this mesh from Amazon and ended up with far more than I shall ever use in a lifetime! It is normally used twisted into wreaths for home decor.
There are two more rolls in brighter colours, but these are the ones most suitable for this purpose.
The top of the page
I used a small quantity of the paler mesh to go under the gold lump. This was left over from my kintsugi project when I mended my favourite mug a few months ago. The remaining epoxy adhesive with gold mica powder added came out of the little silicone bowl in the form of a shiny dome which I couldn’t throw away! I glued it down onto the page over some looped fibre with hot glue. I think it makes quite a fun embellishment and it’s nice to have found a use for it.
The other element in this photo is a label from my stash, also glued down with hot glue, over a ruffled scrap of the gold foil featured elsewhere in this album. I also added a scrap of punchinella at the top of the page, an offcut from making the page tab.
The floral focal point
The addition of another label over a larger bundle of the darker fibre formed a flower-shaped focal point. I added some mark making and doodles with a permanent grey archival marker. You can also see the detail of the ribbon ruffle down the side of the page. I had gathered this up on the sewing machine a while back. I didn’t want to machine stitch it onto the page because the stitching would have shown on the other side of the page, and I also wanted to twist it a bit. I stuck it down with hot glue.
Fussy Cuts
I chose some of my recent fussy cuts to embellish the bottom left of the page. I inked the white edges to help them blend in better.
The bottom right of the page
Another random label from my stash, glued down over a scrap of gel printed tissue paper which has some metallic acrylic paint on it.
The page with the stencilled acetate page laid over it.
The page tab
This is the first of several which I intend making for this album. I took a scrap of padded gold paper which had come from a chocolate box and cut it with pinking shears, and then folded it in half. I folded over a scrap of cotton bandage with frayed edges, and over this, a small piece of gold punchinella. An offcut from this is at the top left of the page as an additional embellishment.
I stapled it closed, and added an eyelet at the bottom, through which I threaded a bulb pin with one of my sparkly bead charms. I stuck the tab down either side of the page with tacky glue, tucking it underneath the ribbon ruffle.
I am very pleased with how this page has turned out. It doesn’t have any noise makers on it, but I think the teabag stains have made a good background starting point, and I like the combination of subtle browns, creams and gold.
