Junque it up Mini Art Journal

Now you guys know I like to use some junk and reclaimed stuff in my projects.  But this month we had some pretty cool stuff in this kit, including this amazing mini book made with vintage game cards.  WHA?  That had to be utilized and showcased in all it’s Junque it up glory!!  So, I did what any bad girl would do and I rocked that journal!!  Those old cards could have been easily tossed out as junk but Wendy scooped these amazing treasures up and included them all bound with rings and ready for us to get our creativity on!

I really liked the idea of turning this little mini into an art journal and it turns out there was the perfect little title sticker in the 7 Dots stickers that came in the kit.  SCORE!  So that was really my jumping off point.  And there were some great square stickers that made the perfect tabs so I used them to tab off each game card as separate sections in my little art journal.

Then I just got into painting and layering and just laying on some texture to give the cover the look I was going for.  I wanted to have a really dimensional cover filled with texture and rich colors without being too bright.  The flower was perfect for that but I didn’t want it to too new or store bought.

So I went to work on deconstructing it, only using one layer of the flower.  I painted it with a generous coating of the Bad Girls Couture Gesso.  Once the gesso dried I applied layers of watered down brown acrylic paint with my finger till it was toned down and aged looking.  For the center I use a couple of the chipboard cut outs and painted them with the teal Tattered Angels paint.  I also mixed some texture beads into some gesso and applied it to the edges and over the center pieces for more texture and interest, then a bit more brown paint.  I did the same with the other chipboard cut outs and applied the 7 Dots “art journal” sticker with glue dots to give it a title.  Finally I filled it with water color paper between the tabbed sections and gave the cover and all the game cards and tabs a good inking.  Now it’s ready for all my art journaling and painting needs!

I really love how the flower is totally transformed and almost looks porcelain.  Hopefully you will find some inspiration to get junquey and painty and make a fun mini like this!

~Michelle Sanders