Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Journal time!


The coffee/gift shop in which I sell my cards needs some new journals. I am working on five, this is the first one I've completed. I wanted to use my friend Becky's aging-themed ATCs, but when I finished designing the cover, I realized the wallpaper I used was really more appropriate for the dieting themed ATCs. I hope I won't regret making this one!

Before punching the holes with my binditall, I put a flap-less clear envelope over the cover to protect it while in use.


Something I figured out in doing this journal is how I want to make pockets. I purchase cardstock almost exclusively in the 8.5" x 11.5" size, and to make a secure pocket by folding up a single sheet of cardstock meant either a too-short pocket, or a too-short page. I also wasn't sure how to make it strong enough for frequent use. So, I came up with this design.



I hope these instructions make sense: 3 5/8" seemed a nice pocket height, so I used a scoring blade to mark the line on the long side of the cardstock. Then on the side which would be where the coils are, I cut a strip 1.25" in from the top of the cardstock down to that 3 5/8" line. On the other side, I cut a 1.75 inch strip down to the line. I cut in from each side at the scored line, eliminating thos strips, and leaving left the center at the journal width of 5.5", with an 8.5" strip remaining at the bottom (picture an upside down "T". Folding the "bottom" of the "T" up, I folded the narrow side toward the back. For the wider side, I did a triple fold with my scoring blade at quarter inch intervals. I made a valley fold into the pocket, then the third fold to the back. This made for a deeper pocket. The finished length is about an inch shy of the 8.5 lenght, so I simply glue the pocket onto a piece of 8.5 x 5.5cardstock, resulting in added support for the pocket. I added the strip of wallpaper over the top of the pocket to keep it from wearing away.

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