Friday, April 10, 2015

Recycled Denim Journal Project





Recycling is what I do best. Here is a great project which can give a journal or drawing book new life, and a great way to recycle old, ripped or discarded jeans.

The first recorded use of indigo as a color name in the English language was in the year 1289. There is something so magical about the color of indigo which has a mix of blues and violets embracing it. Indigo is a color which has many facades. It can be romantic, mysterious, and mystical. It can call on fairies, goths and bohemians. Its vintage and modern all wrapped in one.


Materials:

-Jean/Denim pocket and scraps
-Discarded hard cover book, journal or drawing pad
-Ribbon
-Large metal safety pins, Michaels Crafts Line
-Adhesive page flags, Michaels Crafts Line
-Paper stickers, Flora and Fauna, Brenda Walton for K & Company
-Acrylic paint, ink spot color, Folk Art Paint
-Glues: hot glue, sturdy craft glue
-Tools: scissors, hot glue gun
-Other: metal tags, metal flowers, tiny metal cabochons, rhinestone bow, rhinestone pieces, jewelry findings




Directions:

1. Using the jean pocket scrap I covered my book's front cover and spine. hot glued in place. It fit perfectly around the front. I then folded the uneven edges over the cover and onto the other side.

2. For the back cover I added left over jean scraps from my scrap bag and hot glued in place. I layered a cut piece of muslin fabric to the inside covers to finish it off.

3. Now add decorative page tabs to the inside pages.

4. Tie a large ribbon around the center of the book, attach metal number tags to the ends. These are the book marks.

5. Embellish the cover of the book with large metal safety pins, paper stickers, tiny metal cabochons, rhinestone bow, rhinestones and metal flowers.

6. Enhance the book pages with ink spot color paint, ephemera, images and your fave mementos.






Tips/Tricks:

-Cover a blank journal or drawing pad and carry on your travels. Fill it with your adventures.
-Dye your jean scraps for more color choices.
-If you don't have jeans cover your book with fabric and make your own pockets.









This journal I created represents, friendship, love, and the magic of life. It will be filled with mementos that I acquire along my journey in creating a wonderful life.

I hope you enjoyed this project and come back for another visit.
xoxo
Lisa

1 comment:

  1. Lisa, this is fabulous. It's funny, years before I was blogging, I used to make similar journals from children's pants and give them as teacher gifts. As always, you rock everything you do.

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