Remember the days when everything went in there? All the highs and lows, the doomed romance, the glorious elation?
I think I was a little bit relieved a number of years ago when a flooded basement took my journals and turned them into smeared pages of dribbled flair pens, a mixed bag of colors now muddied and barely legible.
It's not that if anyone read them I would be mortified by evil deeds. My life was pretty routine.But it all seemed so dramatic at the time! And I fear the only thing more colorful than the smeared pages would have been the purple prose, the agonies of life!
Now I use my journals for other things -- lists, copying a quick recipe, writing a poem, logging the books I read, capturing a fragment of an idea.
All my composition book journals reflect the whimsy of The Marmelade Gypsy -- bright colors, a little bit girly, perhaps, pretty, vintage.
Each is collaged onto a standard composition book using a variety of papers, naturals, images and embellishments.
They, too, will be added to the Gypsy Caravan for the November sale.
For those in the mid-Michigan area, dates are November 20-22. Just in time for the Christmas rush!
I'm looking forward to hanging out with beautiful jewelry, lovely pottery, cozy mittens, cat toys, wooden pens, a wonderful calendar and all the people to make them!
Time is flying!
25 comments:
LOVE your journals, Jeanie! That last one, with the butter and bloom is my fave, I think! I journal differently now too. Much tighter writing for one, thing... LOL! And mostly noting, like you--lists, ideas, a quick sketch. I use spiral bound notebooks usually, and just pretty up the cover. A couple years ago I shredded up some old journals. It was quite liberating, actually... LOL! Hope you have a wonderful time at the sale... and that a lot of your pretty journals will go away with happy new owners. :o) Happy Days ((HUGS))
Oh Jeanie, you have given me such an idea here.....your vintage ephemera is GORGEOUS of all the little cute girls and I love how you added words to one of these....I think I will be doing a bunch of really fun things next week for my ENTIRE WEEK OFF from school! Do you have snow? WE DO and we are already in a deep freeze!
Much love! Anita
Beautiful! I especially love the one with the YUM tiles on it - that would be perfect for recording my favorite recipes!
I have a lot of journals from my 20s and I can not bring myself to read them because they are just so dramatic! But I hold onto them just in case one day I want to peak back into that time of my life. These days I don't journal at all and instead my blog is sort of my journal... except there are some things I can't or won't write about so I should be better about recording my thoughts!
Your journals are lovely. What a pleasing range of images. As an interesting piece of timing, I am in the midst of gesso-ing notebook pages to make a journal for a gift exchange I'm in.
Jeanie I feel so bad for you hearing what happened to your old journals. Sure hope you were able to keep them, just for old times sake. Your covers are adorable on your journals. I love the sweetness of them. I have several I keep for ideas and travel.
Hope you are keeping cozy and warm.
Hugs..........
Jeanie, I'm fascinated by your history with journals. I view my blogs as my journal now! However, I keep a variety of notebooks and blank books for taking notes in interviews or lectures, or as you say jotting down random thoughts. I'm not so creative with original decorations.
Yours are impressive!
Anything from a poem to a grocery list would seem more elegant when written in one of your beautiful journals. I'm sure you will have great success with your sale.
I used to be a big fan of visual journals, but now for some reasons, have just settled for the minimal Moleskine. But I can tell how much fun you've had in making these journals... and will be in selling them. Have a great time, Jeanie! ;)
These are all beautiful, it would be a pleasure to have them as commonplace books.
I also love journals but I just buy them for I can't make one artistic as yours or simply I prefer someone else's designs :)
I still collect them but I don't write anything in them anymore. I just like having them. It became like a collection.
I started taking notes for my online classes on paper. I really liked hand-writing the notes. But. It was difficult to embed images, and impossible to search electronically, and non-trivial to go back and add things, or to rearrange the order....
And the paper books piled up, demanding a place to be........
I have switched to taking my notes electronically. I miss the hand-writing, but am happy to embed images with a few clicks, and am thrilled to be able to do easy searches.
I can imagine the relief (with small twinges of regret) when the old journals were flooded. Perhaps I should store my notes in the basement. On the bare floor. Near the drain. lol........ :-)
As you know, I love the journals. I don't keep daily entries as such, but I do like having a place to jot notes, ideas, quotations and so on.
No deep reflections or soul-searching, though. I seem to have moved on from that. I'd rather meditate on a really good recipe. :)
Your work is fabulous! I love your journals, you've got a very good eye for detail :-)
Your journals are just wonderful. I have a feeling you are extremely swamped and busy preparing for this weekend's event. All the best and may you sell each and everything you take to share. Now if I were only in Michigan.
Such a lovely collection and so useful too. Am sure there will be a lot of demand for them.
Heather :)
These are beautiful! I hope your show is a huge success and you have tons of fun!
You have done a beautiful job creating these journals. I know the ones on the receiving end are going to be so happy…I hope your show is outstanding….
Most beautiful! I've said it before but this is your forte! Thanks for popping in to see me.
Be a sweetie,
Shelia ;)
Jeanie, The journals you've created hold a lot of your creativity in them - so, I think a very positive vibe will be bestowed upon the new owners. As you know, I destroyed years of old journals awhile back - just didn't want my grandkids reading them someday. Mostly just maudlin everyday stuff! I do have poetry and quote journals which are keepers.
I make travel journals - that way I know I will use them. Once I'm home again, it's a good way to identify my photos by date by referring back to what I was doing that day while away.
Your composition journals are great. I wouldn't be able to choose one as a favorite although the one with the little girl wearing a hat and scarf is so beautiful. I'm sure they will be a hit at the sale.
I used to keep written journals, too. I haven't looked at them in years so I dread to think what they say. I should go back and read them, maybe for a good laugh at myself.
These are so pretty. I still have journals that I wrote when I was a kid and in high school and letters. Letters I received from old boyfriends and even a couple from my mother. They are up in the attic, I think. Now I will have to find them and have a look. I haven't looked at them in decades.
Hello magical Jeanie! First of all, thank you for coming to Nowhere! How we love that silly place...
AND YOU? How in the world are you all out there in Michigan? Did you get as much snow as we all saw on the news? Lake Michigan...yowsa...am I glad our small urban lakes don't behave as such, though up north, I bet Lake Superior gives her residents a run for their money!
BE SAFE dearest Jeanie! Anita
Love this post! The journals are beautiful and interesting, and I love how you use them :)
Susan
They are all so pretty. I especially like the girl with the dashing red plumage bursting from her hat.
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