My Blog | Julie Dawn Designs

November 19, 2017November 19, 2017

My First Junk Journal

coffee and tea dyed papers — Coffee and Tea Dyed Papers

My obsession with dyeing papers has not waned. This is a stack of various papers that I dyed in coffee and tea to use in a new journal I created. This time, I used all sorts of papers, including drawings, book pages, scrapbook paper, etc. instead of just plain paper. I did not dry these outside, but baked them in the oven instead. I love the texture that the heat gives the paper. It’s a more labor intensive process, but it works great if it isn’t hot and sunny outside.

eco dyed papers — First Batch of Eco Dyed Papers

Next, I tried eco dyeing for the first time and I quickly fell in love. This is something I’ve wanted to try for ages, but it just sounded too complicated. I finally discovered a method that was simple enough for me to give it a shot and I’m so glad I did. The first time I did it, I didn’t use watercolor paper, but mixed media paper and the paper did not hold up as well. I also didn’t have a large enough cover, so there is a lot of dark space on the pages.

I learned from my mistakes the second time around and I love the way it turned out!

Below are pictures of the journal I made using my dyed papers.

tea dyed junk journal page — Tea Dyed Book Page with Fabric Tab

junk journal pages — Pocket Made From Scrapbook Paper

junk journal pocket — Pocket Made From a Security Envelope

fabric book tags — Beginning to Add Fabric Tabs and Ruffles

This entire process was new for me. The journal construction itself was a completely different method than I have used before.

Full disclosure – I originally created this journal with the intention that it would be donated to a silent auction at our church, but I became too attached to it and had to create another one to donate.

Until next time….

October 19, 2017

A Life Documented

One of my favorite used bookstores is in Breckenridge, Colorado and is called Old Man Berkins. It’s kind of funny because the guy who owns it is probably in his early thirties, so he definitely isn’t old. The thing I loved the most about the place was this big box they had which was filled with all of the stuff they found inside the books they bought. Everything in the box was a dollar. I wanted to buy almost everything in it.

I think I spent hours digging through that box. I did my best to get as through as much of it as I could, but it took me a couple of visits before I felt I had looked at just about everything in it. There were many treasures to be had in that box. Once I saw this one, I knew I had to have it.

My original idea was to use the different pieces in my artwork, but that hasn’t happened. It’s been three years and it’s still intact. I’m not sure what I’m saving it for, but for some reason I can’t bring myself to take it apart.

Sadly, the last time I went back to Old Man Berkins, the box was gone. It had been replaced with a box filled with old Playboy magazines, which were not nearly as interesting, at least not in my opinion.

If I ever make my way back to Breckenridge, Old Man Berkins will be one of the first places I go to and I hope the box of treasures is back.

September 26, 2017

Coffee Dyed Paper

One of my favorite things about the Internet is that it allows me to connect with like-minded artist from all over the globe. One of my favorite book artists is Liz Constable and I’m very fortunate to have received her new book “DIY Notebooks made easy”.

In it she describes how she creates the amazing paper she uses in her notebooks, so I just had to give it a try.

coffee dyed paper — Dyeing Paper in Coffee

The longer the paper sits in the coffee, the darker it gets.

drying dyed paper — Paper drying with cookie cutter shapes on top

If you place things on the paper while it’s drying, the area under them will be lighter. It looks like I finally found a use for all those cookie cutters I bought years ago and never used.

coffee dyed papers — Stack of dry papers

Here is a stack of the finished product. They smell as amazing as they look!

liz constable's book — DIY Notebooks made easy

To learn more about this technique, as well as how to make some amazing notebooks, head over to www.bookartstudios.co.nz and order a copy of DIY Notebooks made easy.

September 10, 2017

I Am Not a Hoarder

There is a difference between being a hoarder and a collector.

collection of random beads — My Bead Collection

A collector is discriminate. The things that a collector finds and keeps have meaning and value to them. They have a distinct purpose and are seen as useful.

random tags and paper scraps — Random tags and paper scraps

To an artist, ordinary objects take on extraordinary meaning. Where some people see just trash, we see something that we can create something with.

various found objects — Various found objects

These items we collect are not just for us to hold on to. We give them new life by giving them new meaning and purpose. We turn them into works of art.

So, don’t call me a hoarder, because I am a collector.

August 21, 2017

The End of Summer

moss landing california — The Beach at Moss Landing

It’s hard to believe that summer is over and school starts again tomorrow. It’s bittersweet for me in many ways. I really do love the unstructured, relaxed rhythm of summer, but I’m not nearly as productive as a plan to be.

I will miss spending time with the girls, as I’m always aware that we really do only have so many summers left before they are on their own. For now, they are content to spend their summers with me, foregoing camps and activities for long, lazy days by the pool and lots of popsicles. I know this won’t last forever though, as I’m pretty sure my oldest will want to do summer camp with her best friend next year.

burying oneself in the sand — Fun in the Sand

Another thing I’m having a hard time grasping is that my oldest will be starting fifth grade, which in our district, is the last year of elementary school. I’m not ready for her to go off to middle school, which is so much bigger than the little bubble that makes up our elementary school. I’m going to try and savor this last year as much as possible.

My youngest is going to be a fourth grader, which is hard to believe. It seems as though she just started kindergarten. I pray she has a good year socially, but I’m already worried because none of her friends are in her homeroom class. Her grade has a lot of girls who are very good friends with each other and have been for years. We, unfortunately, have never been able to break into their group for any length of time. My daughter did for a while last year, but those friendships drifted apart over the summer. I worry for her because it will break my heart if she is the girl sitting by herself on the playground during recess with no one to play with.

Time waits for no man as they say, so we will start another year tomorrow with hope in our hearts and give thanks for another summer we were able to spend together.

monterey aquarium — Monterey Aquarium Cat