My next "Junk Journal" will be full of color so in order for that to happen, I needed to make some colored papers.  I bought some Kool-Aid packages (non-toxic!) and searched the Internet to find out how other paper artists were using this product.

Here's the recipe I used:  2 packets Cool-Aid, 1 cup water, 1 cup vinegar.

The papers turned out to be more pink than purple so next time, I will add one more packet of grape Kool-Aid to the mix to see if that gives me a deeper color.  But I liked the results on both copy paper as well as card stock.

I made the circles in the card stock by simply dripping the dye onto the papers from my gloved hand after the papers had a chance to dry a bit.

I got the crinkled paper by dipping the copy paper into the dye and then scrunching it up into a ball.  Then I laid it out flat onto some newspapers to dry.

This was fun, economical, quick and easy, non-toxic, and made my studio smell like Kool-Aid!  A good change from coffee and tea dyeing.

Toni, one of my online Craftsy students, came to Denver to take my Mixed Media Adventures workshop this September and she gave me a very special gift:  A tin box celebrating the anniversary of the invention of TravelersJournals.

I opened the box and made a tiny reproduction of a Travelers Journal and I started researching this  company and its products.  I loved the idea of having a permanent cover where a person could switch out various journals because they were bound by an elastic band rather than sewn.

Most of the Travelers Journal covers are made of leather, but I wanted to make mine from fabric.  I have been collecting lots of lace for my Junk Journals so I decided to use this to add some interest to my cover.  Several years ago, another student sent me some buttons that she crocheted and I have been saving them for just the right project.  And, I picked up some hand-dyed silk ribbon at the Quilt exhibit in Houston.  The fabric I used came from an old Sari I bought online and some silk scraps I had in my stash.

I guess my message for this cover is never throw anything away, treasure the gifts given to you from students, and find  way to combine it all into something gorgeous!

​Thanks to all my students who continually inspire me!  And yes, I will be offering a free pattern for this cover soon.  I will offer it in my monthly newsletter when it's ready.

So excited to be interviewed by Andrea Hungerford and have my studio photographed by Karen Dewitz today. If you aren't a subscriber to "By Hand Lookbooks"
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These magazines are beautiful. Well written, exquisitely photographed, and beautifully designed, printed on heavy paper, every issue makes you want to pick up the phone and make reservations to spend a week exploring these artists and the environments they work in.

I will be part of the January 2019 issue where the Lookbook will focus on the Front Range of Colorado.

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