Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Easy Vintage Book Junk Journal

Hi Friends,

A long time ago....I saved this book from the trash at a Thrift Shop.

The cover was completely torn off and the pages were damaged.

I found it in my stash and decided to see what I could do with it.

I loved the cover and the illustrations, they were good enough to use again.


I used my paper cutter to remove the torn spine.

I have some paper tape that I got at Dollar tree. It works great!



Once the spine was set, I needed to fix the inside.



Glue and more tape fixed the interior.

I covered the spine with cloth I had on hand.

It matched the shawl of the girl in the window.

I used Mod Podge to add the cloth.



I covered the inside with some blue cardstock.

From the outer edge, over the tape and to the edge of spine.

Measuring from the center to the edge, I started to but together

 folded stacked of 10 papers.

I plan to make 3 stacks called 'signatures' to sew into my book.



I used pages from the dictionary, sheet music, coffee stained paper,

illustrations from other books.

I folded the pages in half and cut to fit.

Sometimes I tear to size, I like the raw edges.




These are my 3 signatures ready to be sewn in the book.

I use clips to hold the pages in place.

I love the vibrant colors of these birds posters.




You will be sewing inside the center fold line.




I made a removable paper template to mark the holes in the spine

then into your folded paper.

I used an awl on a block of wood.



I use a tapestry needle a piece of embroidery thread.

The thread is measured to 3 times the height of the book.








Start center, go through the pages

 and the spine to the outside of the book,

 leaving a tail to tie a knot later-




Then go to outside hole and sew

 through to the inside, then all the way across

and repeat. You will be back to the center hole.

Tighten and tie a knot.



Tie your knot over the center cross thread.




One signature is sewn in, now add another. 






The spine will show your stitches.

If you don't like the look you can cover with another piece of cloth 

or add beads :)





Here's a quick look at the inside-



























The last illustration and page says "Good Night"




It was fun to give this pretty book a new life.

I was able to put together a nice amount of scrap paper.

It cost nothing but my time :)

Thanks for being here today-

xo Lisa S



38 comments:

  1. Loving the usefulness of your creations! Sandi

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Sandy!
      It's a clean blank slate now.
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  2. Great job! I always loved the Hans Brinker story!!

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    Replies
    1. Nancy,
      Thank you so much. I was so glad I was able to save and use the illustrations. They are so beautiful.
      Thank you for stopping by-
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  3. Oh! Super cute!! Great tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love this idea Lisa!
    You're most welcome to join me for a cuppa at Tea With Jennifer,
    Jennifer

    ReplyDelete
  5. :Great idea -thanks for joining bloggers pit stop-pit stop crew

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much! I am so happy to join you.
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  6. I love to rescue and renew tossed items, but I've never tried it with a book. What a fascinating process, very nice work!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda!
      Working on a book feels so neat and tidy when it's finished :)
      So nice to have you visit!
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  7. This is adorable and a great tutorial. So lovely to see and thanks for sharing on TGIFF!

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    Replies
    1. Kathleen,
      Thank you for your kind comment!
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  8. Love the tutorial and such a great idea! Thank you for sharing...love breathing life back to something that had seen better days.

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  9. Love how the journal turned out. So many beautiful layers. Thank you for sharing with us at Meraki Link Party.
    Much Love
    Naush

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Naush,
      I love to put them together for others to use. I rarely journal but enjoy the process.
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  10. So fun, Lisa! Thanks for sharing at Vintage Charm!

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  11. What a neat idea. Thank you for sharing on the Classy Flamingos blog party.

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  12. Great post! I am working on an altered book post and didn't want to try to explain signatures, etc., I might just refer them to your site! I love your result and the idea of using the bird posters!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much. I enjoy altered books too, they are a great option if the book is in good shape. I'm working on another one right now. I appreciate your sweet comment!
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  13. Ooo I love a good book craft, I have a whole stash of very damaged old books that I'm using for all sorts of crafts. I'll add making a junk journal to the list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Julie,
      You will love it. It's a giant mess and when it's done you feel like you really accomplished something. It's So neat and tidy, beautiful and organized :)
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  14. This is a beautiful way to reuse an old book. And it didn't cost anything for you to take the time to make it. Thanks for sharing. #HomeMattersParty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Donna,
      Thank you so much. I enjoyed putting it all together.
      So glad I can join you.
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  15. Thank you for sharing at the Simple Homestead Blog Hop! You're one of my features this week - hop on over and get the banner to display in your side bar!

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  16. How pretty and clever, Lisa! I love what you've done here, turning 'junk' into a real treasure! Thank you for being a part of Hearth and Soul!

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    Replies
    1. April,
      Thank you. It's so much fun to put it all together. Now I can say it's not a mess but a beautiful organized collection of papers.
      xo Lisa S

      Delete
  17. Lisa, this is so cool! I have always had a thing for old books and what a wonderful way to bring life back to this one. I love the gingham on the binding and the end result is simply beautiful! Thanks for sharing and linking with me.

    Shelbee
    www.shelbeeontheedge.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Shelbee!
      I 'm so glad you liked my journal. You have so much style, my friend- it means a lot to me :)
      xo Lisa S

      Delete

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