My Blog | Julie Dawn Designs

May 4, 2024

Where has the time gone?

I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure where March and April went. How did it get to be May already? Time seems to be flying by and I completely failed to post lately and for that I apologize .

I have been busy getting ready for the Spring Show and Sale at the Craft Guild of Dallas. It starts on Thursday and ends on Sunday. I just hope the weather cooperates because it is outside and we have had a lot of rain lately, especially on the weekends.

I made some true junk journals that are for sale on the Craft Guild’s Online Gallery. They are so much fun to make and it gives me a chance to use up all those fabric and paper scraps I seem to have so many of. Here are some photos of the four that I have made so far.

This first one is called Soar and was inspired by the orange butterfly that I cut out from a tapestry that my daughter was getting rid of. That was a great find for me and there are a lot of beautiful butterflies I was able to salvage from it.

Here is a picture of some of the pages inside. They are truly a random mix of papers. The thing I like most about these journals is that the pages aren’t bound at all. They are folded and then tied into the journal with either string or elastic. This way, pages can be slipped in or out and you can keep the cover for as long as you want.

This next one is called Bunny Rides and I just love the images for this one, not to mention the gorgeous color scheme.

Here is a picture of the inside.

The third one is called Frenchie and I just love how dapper he is.

Here is a sample of a the inside.

Here is the last one and it’s called Soar and features another butterfly from the tapestry.

Here are some of the pages.

That’s all for now. I hope to post again next month with more journals to share and maybe a textile collage or two.

February 21, 2024

Another Alice in Wonderland Themed Journal is Complete

Of all of the digital journal kits I’ve acquired, Alice in Wonderland is the one I have the most of. It’s definitely one of my favorites, and so far, I have sold almost every one of the Alice journals I have made at each Craft Guild show I do every year, as well as Sky Pony Gallery.

This one is especially chunky and has pockets throughout, filled with journaling cards and tags, as well as an envelope and folio filled with Alice in Wonderland ephemera. It also has four tabs that you can move to whatever pages you like, but that are also as adorable as they are functional.

So without further ado, here are the pictures of my latest Alice in Wonderland themed journal.

Until next time!

January 16, 2024January 16, 2024

Three New Journals

Happy January! We are at the beginning of a new year and winter has arrived in Texas in full force. We have been below freezing for a couple of days now and had a light covering of snow yesterday. I abhor winter weather so I’m more than ready for a warm up. I hope everyone is keeping warm in their corner of the universe.

I’ve recently created three new journals for a February event at the Craft Guild of Dallas. Prior to this I was having quite the time even getting started on anything. I seemed to be stuck. I would think of things to make, but I just couldn’t find the energy to get started. Once I got the email about the show at the gallery, I decided it was time to get out of my creative rut. Without further ado, here are the three journals I came up with for the show.

The first one is called Shabby Pink Roses. It measures 8 1/2 inches high by 5 1/2 inches wide. It contains 2 signatures with 100 pages each, front and back, of hand deckled white paper and has a ribbon closure.

The second one is called Feline Serenade. It measures 8 1/2 inches high by 5 1/2 inches wide. It has two signatures with 100 pages each, front and back, of hand deckled white paper and has a ribbon closure.

Last but not least is Be Mine. It measures 8 1/2 inches high by 5 1/2 inches wide. I has two signatures with 100 pages each, front and back, of white hand deckled paper and has a ribbon closure.

Each of these journals has a pocket on the front cover that has a cute bookmark and a couple of other goodies as well. All three of these will be available for purchase for $42 each at the Gallery at the Guild throughout the month of February, starting February 4th. Here is a link to their website that should have further information as it gets closer to the opening date. http://www.thecraftguild.org

I also have to give a shout out to the Etsy shop that I purchased all of these beautiful digital images from that helped me create these journals in the first place. It is called PrintDigitalByJen and has the most amazing designs and they are also very affordable and print out beautifully. https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrintDigitalbyJen?ref=shop-header-name&listing_id=1523535685&from_page=listing&page=4#items

As always, thanks for reading. That’s it for now!

June 17, 2023

Unicorn Journal

I have been wanting to make a journal like this for quite some time. When this digital kit came available, I knew I had to buy it.

Here is a picture of some of the elements included in it and the signatures I made from the pages in the kit.

So far, I’ve sewn in the signature covers and started decorating the front and back covers, as well as the spine.

I was trying to decide between these two ideas for the front cover:

It was a difficult decision, but my daughter told me the one with more butterflies was better than the one with less, so that is the one I went with. Now I’m working on the back cover and then I will finish decorating the spine. After that, it’s time to add pockets and ephemera to the pages inside and then it will be complete.

May 28, 2023

Cute Handmade Dolls

After my previous art doll experience, I felt the need to prove to myself that I could make a doll that wasn’t terrifyingly ugly. So I bought a few different patterns with instructions from Etsy and got to work.

I make these three dolls that I really like. They aren’t perfect, but they are not bad for a first try.

I definitely needed to add a bit more stuffing to the face of the rabbit, but she was the first one I made, so mistakes were made. This was also a very difficult pattern for me to follow, as I am not an experienced seamstress.

I made the cat second and created her dress from a vintage quilt I purchased years ago that I never knew quite what to do with. The mouse was my third attempt and I love the overalls. I eventually made a little tote for each one and included a small handmade notebook inside.

These were for sale and the 2023 Craft Guild Spring Show and I’m happy to say that the cat found a forever home.

Unfortunately I don’t have enough free time right now to make both journals and handmade dolls, so I really need to concentrate on one over the other. I did however purchase lots of patterns for when the time comes that I do have more free time to create once the girls are in college.