Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Journal Cards: My New Favorite Thing

Over the past week or two, I've been making something that I am calling "journal cards." 
At their base is regular off-white cardstock.  On top are three layers of different papers--musical scores, foreign language text pages, dictionary entries, and/or decorative papers. 
These four layers are then stitched on my sewing machine, usually using either a zigzag or honeycomb stitch in a thread color that highlights the papers in some way.
You can "flip" through the pages, and find areas to write and draw in to personalize a message for your recipient.
These little babies are my new favorite thing!

They have everything I love--interesting papers, the effect of a collage, stitching.  Delicious!
I call them journal cards because in my vision, a person would not only write a message, but attach a photo or include a quotation or add some interesting hand lettering or an excerpt of text they want to share.  The multiple pages allow it to be so much more than just a card.
I am curious as to how broad their appeal might be.  Maybe it's a little too quirky for some, or people might wonder how they are supposed to fill up all the space.  For anyone who likes to keep a journal--especially an art journal--I think it would be pretty simple to dream up ways to personalize them.
So, now here is confession time:  The idea for these cards came from a listing I saw on Etsy not long ago. 

I was browsing the "paper goods" section, just enjoying the sights.  Later that same day, I made my first journal cards.  After I made them, I wondered how close they came out to the Etsy listing that had inspired them in my mind.

I spent three days, going through thousands of Etsy listings, and could never track down the original source of my inspiration. 
If you run across something similar to these, please let me know.  I have no idea in retrospect what the seller called her version of these, or whether mine look just like hers or completely different.  I just know that after browsing through various projects, the thing that stuck in my head led to my new favorite thing!
Why did I make so many of these journal cards?  Well, that announcement will need to wait for another post...

17 comments:

lori vliegen said...

i LOVE this idea.....i can see why it's your new favorite thing! you could have a blast personalizing them for someone else, and i think they'd be thrilled to receive them!! keep having fun! xoxo
p.s. your rolodex cards are fabulous, too!! you have a real gift for putting things like that together! :))

leekrek said...

that is such a great idea, anyone would know what to do with them, so many possibilities. You could draw on the page, and paint with watercolour so you could still see the text

scrapwordsmom said...

Pretty darn sweet!! Seriously too fun!!! Hmmmm, I adore announcements!

Andria said...

Thanks, Lori. I agree that this would be a really fun card to personalize! I've made all of these cards, but haven't actually "filled one out" for a friend yet!

Great ideas, Lee! I'm so glad you can see the possibilities.

Thanks, Leslie. I'll fill you in on the annoucement soon!

laurie said...

this idea looks like fun for both the sender and the receiver! it is like a "mini journal" to share. i can't wait to hear about the plans you have for them....

Kym said...

These are very cool Andria. I love the stitching. I can barely sew a straight line but I would love to learn. Great ideas!

Janet said...

This is such a great idea! The possibilities are endless. The stitching just adds that something extra.

VivJM said...

These are great - I think the stitching works really well. Look forward to seeing the mystery use too :-)

Andria said...

Laurie, a "mini-journal" is exactly how I see them...if you want to share about a vacation/retreat, or a series of thoughts, or something more than you could capture in a quick greeting card.

Thanks, Kym! Trust me, there are very few "straight lines" in the sewing I do! It is SO fun to sew on paper! You HAVE to try it.

Thanks, Janet. I agree about the stitching...there is something so gorgeous to me about stitched paper.

Thanks, Viv! You're the sewing "master" here...you'll have to do some paper stitching (if you haven't already!) and share your results!

aprilmariecole.blogspot.com said...

Journal cards it is... whatever your heart desires to call them, that are absolutely fabulous!!! Can not wait to find out what you are going to do with them... :]

Carin Winkelman said...

Beautiful! They remind me of the pages of Mary Ann Moss'journal, but then as loose cards. Very cool. What you'll do with them? Well, you'll send one to me of course! ;-) (the rest I don't know, I'll wait for your next post)

Kristin said...

Cool post and cards!! I LOVE this idea and can see why you would too - they are really so elegant and beautiful! Can't wait . . . xo

Shannon said...

WOW...these journal cards are REALLY cool and seem so fun. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog today and sharing about your kids. Making art with our kids IS the best. And I am totally in love with journaling, too. xo

Andria said...

Thank you, April! You will find out soon!

I haven't started Mary Ann's course, Caatje, but I agree that they are very much in the spirit of "Remains of the Day"! You and I are a "paper stitching" frame of mind, aren't we?!

Thanks for your comment, Shannon! I hope you'll come back for a visit once in awhile!

Anonymous said...

This is BRILLIANT. I'm in love!
I definitely feel like I should recreate something like this.
Great idea!(:

Cappuccinoandartjournal.blogspot.com said...

Those are excellent cards -- I love them! I bet you sell loads of them.

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