Brown Bagging It Junk Journal

Used a brown lunch bag to make this mini junk journal. Long ago I had seen these little journals made by "Scrapbooking with Me" on YouTube and I have wanted to make one and I finally did. Already had a pack of the brown lunch bags in the stash so I used one of those. 

For this journal you leave the bag flat and fold it into thirds:

Here is a photo of my paper bag junk journal decorated, folded and tied closed:

The hardest part making these is the paper bag is not folded perfectly so I decided to measure as I made it. . . Once I folded the bag into thirds I used the bone folder to crease the folds. Then I decided the paper bag was very thin so I cut open one side of the bag on the middle line of the side gusset and I cut three pieces of kraft card stock to put into the bag for each folded section to make it sturdy:

Then I used liquid glue to close each side gusset. I measured each fold and I cut my printed card stock for each section. Best to show the finished journal to show all the areas I used printed card stock and decorated with pockets, washi tape, and card stock scraps. I used 2 6x6 paper pads as well as a 6x8 paper pad for this journal:

The page on the left has the opening of the bag on the left side of it so you can put things in there as a pocket. Then I used a green print for to decorate that first page and added a scrap piece of floral card stock to the right side and glued it on the top and bottom and the right side so you can use that as a pocket as well. The striped piece to the right with the tab on it has copy paper inside that as a notebook and that is tied to the inside of the bag with twine.. will explain that later.... 

Next page is:

Left side shows the back of the copy paper notebook and the right side of the photo is actually the bottom of the bag folded to the inside as the third flap. I used the small Seed Packet die from The Ton Stamps that I picked up last weekend at the stamp show in Columbia, SC and that can hold small items in the seed packet. I added a cut out from one of the paper pads to the front with scrap solid card stock and added a red glittered heart. Put a small piece of washi tape in the lower right corner. 

Opened that flap and here is the center of the bag under the striped notebook:

The center of the bag inside has the floral print and I used a coral piece of card stock and cut out a piece to be a pocket and I used a circle punch at the top for a tab. The gray printed item in the back of the pocket is a cut out from one of the pads and the green top piece is printed card stock that I cut longer than I needed and I cut scraps of copy paper and folded over the printed piece for the green at the top and used a small stapler to keep the copy paper in that like a note pad. 

Inside the bottom flap is printed card stock and I cut a piece of peach printed card stock to make a tall pocket. Put washi tape along the bottom and a scrap of a card stock print along the top of that. Added another cut out to that pocket. Now to the back side of the bag/journal:

Used a green print for the center back piece and cut a pink print for the pocket and used a circle punch for the top of the pocket piece. Used a tag die from the stash and cut out a green print tag and put washi tape across the pocket as well as the larger washi on the tag. Used two small circle punches to make the tag ring at the top of the tag. Tied twine on that. Now to the notebook and attaching that to the paper bag..... 

I wanted to use washi tape to reinforce the fold on the paper bag so that the bag would not rip from the twine holding the notebook inside or tear from handling:

The above photo shows I put the washi along the fold and then tied on the notebook using twine. I used a long piece of the washi and covered this fold on the bag on the outside and wrapped it around to the inside of the bag -- here is a photo to show the twine tied on in the center of the notebook:

I used a stiffer twine - more jute like - so I tied a knot and then ran the twine ends around the twine a couple of times to keep it in place. At the very bottom of this photo you can see where I did wrap around the spine washi tape to the inside. I did not have any problem with the washi tearing or the bag ripping or anything so I am thinking I will use washi again on the spine.. To close the journal I used crinkled seam binding and glued it to the center piece of the bag of the bag and then put the printed card stock for that piece over the seam binding to help hold it in place. 

For the front of the journal I used a half doily die set from the stash and cut out a green printed card stock doily. It is very detailed so to add adhesive to this I used my new tool for that:

Used the cut off basting brush to tap into the liquid glue and tap all over the doily die cut piece to put the glue on that and then put it on the journal front piece:

Put the doily on the front journal piece and then added a cut out to the front and ran the seam binding under that and tied it closed. Added pearl gems from the stash to the front of the journal. (The basting brush idea is from NB Cards on YouTube) Here is a photo of the basting brush and you cut off the bristles and tap it into liquid glue - it rinses clean in water and ready for use again:

Put your liquid glue on your mat and tap the brush into the glue and tap it onto your detailed die cut piece and you are good to go:

The paper bag journal was easy to make and also uses up smaller scraps. But remember all the creases on the bags are not perfect so I found it easier to measure each section as I went along as all the pieces are not the same sizes. Fun project to make and keep in your purse for notes.......