Remember when I did my November bujo spread …? Well, that inspired me. I realized I could paint mushrooms, and that was enough to spark a new journal. I already had the cover, all I had to do was paint it.
Did I just say that? “All I had to do was paint it” umm …so, this was a big job. The base color of the notebook took around three coats, each needing to dry fully between applications. After the base color, I went in to paint the mountains, so to speak. This took only two coats as it was a fairly dark color.
Next came the mushrooms. I did at least two coats for each part: the caps, the gills, the stems, and the spots. Afterwards I traced the four biggest mushrooms from the front of the book and repainted them as exactly as possible onto cardstock. This was cut out and set aside. I would estimate a few hours went into the mushrooms alone.
After the mushrooms, I DIY’d some moss with a gauze pad and dark green paint. Let the gauze dry completely, then tear into rough pieces and begin applying. A layer of gauze, then the cardstock mushrooms, and some more gauze to finish the look. But something was lacking …after some thought, I stole a little fake grass/hay stuff from one my sister’s projects (Never fear, I had her permission!) and hotglued that to the gauze. Done. The cover was looking splendid.
In all honesty I abandoned the project for a week or so before returning to work on the inserts. Three inserts, each with twelve to fourteen sheets of paper. Since the papers are folded, that comes to around 24 pages per insert, so about 72 pages in all.
Once the inserts were in place, I began the personalization. This is one of my favorite parts. I always include an envelope in one of the inserts so as to be able to include a letter to the person the journal is for. After writing the letter, I went through the journal page-by-page, adding mushroom stickers and other such embellishments.
Then, since this was a Christmas gift, I wrapped it. A more handmade feel was absolutely needed, so I used a rather large green napkin and some twine.
This journal was so much fun to make and I cannot wait to give it away and Christmas and watch yet another person light up. Remember, take inspiration wherever you can and I promise, you will find the creations which follow worth the efforts.
(November bujo spread: https://www.teresaholmes.net/2023/10/31/testing-acrylic-paint/)