Travel Journal Cover Story
- Sure, you want to travel some day. When you have vacation time, or when you’re older. Well, what are you waiting for? Find a way to take a trip, if not this month, then sometime soon. You may need to sell your car or stop your cable bill and stop eating out to do it, but make it happen. You are too young to not see the world.
/Leo Babauta
Today it is so hot outside that I’ve stayed in and edited my first journal video! It’s coming soon, I’m doing the last bits now.
I’m still happy that I took that trip to Egypt one week in December last year. I’m not going abroad this summer but I feel very content to stay at home in July, flipping through my first Travel Journal and enjoying the super hot weather Sweden has got this month. When we left the Travel Journal Series the pages I’d journaled on did not have a cover yet, so I thought I’d show you what I did with them. I think it turned into a really pretty book project! Just looking at the finished book has inspired me to plan many upcoming projects. I have already started new book projects that are scattered around my workspace right now. Fun fun fun!
This is not a cover story, it’s the story of the cover (though there will be an article about this book in the Australian zine mix tape zine coming out soon!). As you might recall I have written about this book before, if you’re planning to travel and journal this summer you might want to check out the previous posts;
Travel Journal inspiration – part 1
Planning a travel journal – part 2
Keeping a travel journal – part 3
Now, let’s look at the cover of my Egypt travel journal!
The cover paper is spray painted (through a dotted stencil) in “Egypt warm colours”; orange, yellow and red.
The pages are sewn in two huge signatures into the fabric spine, just like I’ve done before when binding at home, making previous Handbound Art Journals with watercolour pages inside. It is an easy way to bind a book, but I think I’m going to try something else next time. I’m not really fond of the unsteady fabric spine. It is easy to use too much fabric that will look pleated on the shelf (I have done this several times now!).
Maybe the fabric spine works best with thinner books. I like lots of pages because I like to use my journals for a while. I want to glue lots of travel ephemera inside, and I also tend to write a lot in my diary.
The end threads of the book binding are just perfect for bead decoration. Dangling sparkly stuff are fun on the finished book, but if you will write on a flat surface don’t add them until the book is full or it will not lay flat. I have several little metalic embelishments that I never use, but now I found one that looks like a travel bag, perfect for this booK!
There are so many fun details in this book that I will do another post with some “detail photos” too, after I finish that journal flip video!
I hope you are keeping a journal this summer, to preserve those fun memories while traveling or having a staycation at home… Snap photos, save tickets, write down your thoughts and then sew (or glue) it all together into a yummy mix of memories. That is what journaling is all about anyway. You and your day today.
Can’t wait to see your video! Your journal is beautiful…love all the colors and the beads/charms on the spine… so cool!
I just posted my summer travel journal! I’m going to bring it to New York with me. Your journal is simply gorgeous and very inspiring.
WOW, a video!!!
I can’t wait to see it :)
I love the beading decoration!
Thanks girls! Yes, a video, hehe. We’ll see if I manage to upload it, right now I’m to tired to think about it any more.
Nancy, your summer travel journal looks great! Thanks for pointing me to it.
this is awesome and i’m looking forward to the video!
i also went to egypt this past winter, and am looking forward to staying home all summer :)
ooh beautiful journal :) I tried to make a big fat journal with a fabric spine, and it fell apart after a few weeks, so maybe you are onto something! Lovely as always.
Very cool! Love your colour choices!
I just created a travel journal cover yesterday too (though I haven’t yet posted it). But I did it in reverse – cover first and I will fill the book as I travel. I just got a new passport and figured I’d create a journal to go with it! First trip next week. Upon seeing the cover my daughter reacted so favourably, I will likely post it later this week.
Always enjoy watching your creativity!
Hi Hanna! Great journal. If you like the fabric, but want more stiffness, you might try attaching an interfacing. We have fusible ones here in the US of various weights. If you don’t have any there, I’d be happy to mail you some. Another alternative is to make bookcloth, which is a paper backed fabric used for spines in bookbinding. Both hold up very well.
Amy in Austin
Oh my goodness! That is just beautiful, Hannah! I love the cover story – you are so funny. Thank you for the inspiration. When is that video coming? I cannot wait! I also wanted to tell you that at the moment I am reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by your own Steig Larrson (deceased, I understand). and using your bookmark. A bit of armchair traveling! It is also deadly hot here.
pretty pretty! i do love having peeks inside your journals. :) what do you use to glue the fabric to the covers? everything i’ve tried before is messy and make the book look sloppy. thanks, lovely!
Very inspiring!! I am doing stuff in my regular art journal this vacation/staycation (loved that word), but I am also doing a comic strip- type diary on album pages and I really like the way it’s turning out, even though I see many things about it that I would do differently next time..
GORGEOUS photos! and the journal took my breath away…
Thanks for commenting! Amy, thanks for the great advice, I know you’re a book binder pro so I know it’s good advice. I am making my next journal with a paper reinforced spine and book cloth as you suggested, I have got some yummy stuff here to try out! Thanks!
Diana, thanks my dear. I crack myself up with my silly wordplay sometimes. :-) So glad if someone else gets it as they are quite far-fetched sometimes hehe. I hope you’re loving Stieg Larsson’s books as much as I did and enjoying your “visit” to Stockholm. When you come IRL we’ll have coffee!
Ingrid, I can’t remember what glue I used, maybe just my regular glue stick (it’s not too wet and the paper is scrapbook papers so it didn’t bubble at all this time). Sorry, I can’t remember! :-/
Underbart fint!
This is a beautiful cover, and I look forward to updating myself on your journal inspiration. I’m actually working on journal pages this year instead of last, when I had officially ‘planned’ to. But I’m going to Paris in October and this is fantastic motivation and inspiration from Hanna! for me to do it!
Love all your ephemera.And the music from the next post is so cool.
xo
Hi Hanna – beautiful journal. Love the way it looks half-open too with all those yummy colours & strands poking out. You are very inspiring.