MAKE YOUR OWN PAINTABLE MINI JUNK JOURNAL COVERS

Ok, I’ve been on a mini junk journal kick recently, and I’ve been painting lots of mini journal covers.

It all started with a handful of cards, paper, and envelopes I picked up from my local thrift store.

I think I was able to get around 25 cards with envelopes for a whopping bank-breaking price of one dollar.

When I bought them, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with all of them, but I knew it would be fun to flip through all the cards.

After stashing a few away for birthday card emergencies, I decided to cut all the cards up and use them for mini journal pages, but I didn’t have any scrap fabric to make the journal covers, so the idea of using my canvas sheets that I paint on came to mind.

I made the canvas journal covers, painted them all cute, and added all the scrap cards, envelopes, and miscellaneous papers for pages.

HERE ARE HOW SOME OF THE PAGES FROM ALL MY SCRAP CARDS TURNED OUT

Of course, these little journals turned out so darn cute I was inspired to make even more, and I love using them to write down my favorite quotes, little messages to myself and doodles.

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HOW TO MAKE PAINTABLE MINI JUNK JOURNAL COVERS

Since I wanted the covers of my journals to be paintable, I used a paintable canvas sheets.

I also used cardboard from snack and cereal boxes.

A Jello box was actually the perfect size for a mini journal cover template.

As for glue to glue my canvas to the cardboard template, I used Elmers Craft Tacky Glue.

I’ve used Mod Podge in the past, but I prefer the ElmersTacky Glue for journals like this.

I start with a sheet of canvas cut about an inch larger than the cardboard template.

I also cut a small strip to glue onto the center spine.

1. Apply glue to one side of the template.

2. Place the glue side of the template onto the unfinished side of the canvas.

3. Apply glue to the center of the inside spine.

4. Apply canvas strip to the center of the spine.

5. Cut where the spine is, fold, and secure with glue.

6. Cut an angled cut on all four corners.

7. Fold and glue down the outer edges.

8. Finish folding and gluing top edges.

Finally, I cut two more pieces of canvas for the inside cover and glued them down.

There you have it! A small paintable junk journal cover.

LET’S GET ARTSY!

Ok, so you can stop there with your canvas-covered junk journals, or you can get a little wild and add extra security in case your glue malfunctions by stitching along all the edges of your journal with your sewing machine.

I am not a sewer, but this is kind of fun because the stitches can be wild and crazy.

I like to zigzag and move my stitches back and forth and just make sure your glue and paint is dry.

As for painting, I use acrylic paints and spray the painted journal cover with varnish for a glossy finish.

To bind my pages or signatures as some call them, I stacked my pages all together in the spine/center of where my mini journal folds and poked a hole in the center of the paper sheets all the way through the journal cover with a sharp awl.

Next, I strung waxed linen thread through the holes and tied the pages down.