Junk to Journal

I found this old Audio Bible Study book for $1.50 at the senior center store where I hold my art journaling classes.  The moment I began browsing through it, I knew it would make a fabulous art journal!  I gave most of the records to my students (I thought they would make great mandalas and are a perfect size for tracing a large circle in the journals we use).

Here's the cover.  I applied super heavy gesso to both the front and back covers and let it dry.  Then I rubbed   several colors of acrylic paint over the gesso.  After that, the fun really began!  I glued scraps of ribbon, fiber, jewelry and gold paper embellishments to the cover.  Most of the pages are still incomplete, but I thought you would enjoy seeing what I've done so far.

Here's what I started out with: 45 records and record holders, and accompanying information pages and study guides.  I pulled everything out of the binder and had loads of fun smearing acrylic paint over all the pages.  I put myself in "intuitive mode", and painted the pages at random and in no particular order.  Once both the fronts and backs of the pages dried, I reassembled them into what felt cohesive, and began adding tags, embellishments, magazine images, photocopies of old ATCs I made,  and other ephemera.  Enjoy the tour!  CLICK ON ANY PHOTO TO ENLARGE.

An old Master key fits nicely into a pocket made by folding one of the pages 

Shards of a broken record flank the image

My old name tag from my days as a medical receptionist

This record is permanently glued into it's holder.  The title of the record is appropriate for the page.

Acknowledging my inner child

The spirit of the community of WOMAN

The last page and inside cover.  I think they are possibly my favorite part of this journal!

Although I began adding items intuitively, as I flipped back through my pages, I realized that they are somewhat autobiographical and represent the journey of my life.  The subconscious is a mysterious thing indeed!


When you're looking at items, whether in a store or in your own stash, I hope you see the possibility of transformation.  This physical life is but a moment, dear friends, and I hope you remember always to "Celebrate, LOVE, and Create!"