Using Vintage Photos for Journals

If you don't know what to do with those old photos you've collected, here's an idea for you. Make them the cover of a journal. Here are two wedding journals that I've made using Victorian couples. This type of photo is very common and can usually be found quite cheaply. But they make great themed journals. Use your imagination and salvage some of those vintage photos!

Creating with Discarded Vintage Books

Vintage books contain wonderful images. I attempt to salvage them by creating one of a kind notebooks, notepads and journals so that these priceless images will not be lost forever. I always use books that are in poor condition. Good vintage books and collector's editions should always be kept intact for future generations. Here's an example of a small notepad created using the pages of a vintage Alice in Wonderland book.

A nice addition to these notebooks is the use of entire pages from the original books randomly inserted between blank pages. They may be more images or interesting quotes from the story line.

Recycle Your Old Books

I loved recycling old books into journals. I use the Zutter Bind It All to punch and bind 50 to 100 blank pages between the front and back covers of unwanted books. I also use vintage books that are in bad condition, but have great graphics on the cover. These books could also be put together using standard binding techniques, or even by punching holes and tieing with twine or ribbon.

Bee Happy!

I just wanted to share with you a very simple journal I just finished. I covered chipboard with scrapbook paper for the front and back covers and used an off white paper for the pages. The bees are diecuts from O Scrap, and I stamped the quote on plain cardstock, then mounted it on textured cardstock. The binding was done with my new favorite tool - the Zutter Bind-it-All. I'm very pleased with the result and I'll be doing lots more because it was a quick and easy project.