5 in 5 - September 2020 - Learn Something New Every Day Journal

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th

of each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes.

September is the start of a new academic year and in the past I used to enjoy marking this time by making a handmade journal. This was an annual class run online by Shimelle Laine and called 'Learn Something New Every Day'. Shimelle no longer runs this class, however, the idea remains and I decided to do it again using my own prompts and inspiration. 

 

First I made my journal. My favourite size for this type of project is A5, and I used white card to make it study, and sewed 3 signatures into a Kraft card cover. There are 36 pages in total, with space for a manifesto. I enjoyed a relaxed day covering the pages with background papers and designs. Often I do this as I go along so that the design connects with my journalling. But I want to fill pages quickly and easily have little excuse not to complete a page daily, so it will be interesting to see how some of these pages work. If necessary I can cover the page or add gesso, but I am hoping these random designs will add a challenge and spark ideas when the time comes. It will be an interesting way to work that I've not tried before.....

For the background pages I have used an eclectic collection including paper bags, scrapbook papers, my own printed papers, maps and pages from books and magazines. These types of books are often referred to as junk journals and I like the freedom and variety that these give me. Some pages will have pockets to hold journalling, tickets or photos and I look forward to finding out what the month will offer.

Here's the cover and some of the inside pages.....

 

 

The journal will hold memories, like the day I visited a friend. We'd sat in her garden chatting, and when I got home she messaged me.  It was out of context and I couldn't make a connection with what she was saying. However, I made sense of it thinking she had made a typo and this led to an interesting and very amusing conversation with us both confused and at cross purposes!  We had a good laugh once we discovered what had happened!  Lesson learnt!  Ask questions if it is not clear! 

 

Do let me know in the comments what you learn this month, or what projects you are taking on. 

 

And as always I in invite you to join in this monthly 5in5 photo challenge. It's very simple, and it offers a new way of looking through the camera lens and adding a spark of new ideas.

 

So here's how it works: 

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   

You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.

5 in 5 - August 2020 - Upcycling Magazines and Mindset

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th

of each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes.

I run a women's Facebook group that focuses on self development and making personal changes, so that we can live the life that we choose. During July I set myself a goal of practicing Pilates at least once a week, and it wasn't too long before that also included not using my mobile in bed and creating a better bedtime routine. That's because I had a habit of lying in bed scrolling through social media, often until the early hours, and then reaching for it again when I woke. I soon realised that in the time I had done this, I could have completed my mornings Pilate practice, and instead I had little to show for the time. 

It felt rewarding to make these changes and I felt a sense of achievement. Something else I have been tackling head on is my magazine collection, and the success in one area gave me added motivation. It is part of the clearing of my creative space which I have have mentioned before. This time though I am more tenacious. It has been a progressive project but it is building steam and speed and this time I completely cleared the floor. I bought all the bags and boxes into the house and even I was shocked at the number I had collected over time! I use magazines for vision boards, collage and art journaling so they have a purpose. The trouble is, do I really need that many?! It wasn't until they were gathered together that I saw the space they were taking! So, I have been going through them in earnest. Most of them are good quality magazines, and often unread because I simply don't have time and read books instead. If you are wondering why I buy the magazines in the first place, I don't. Some are membership subscriptions, and several collections are ones I rescued, because someone else was going to recycle them. I am not evangelical, but I do prefer to upcycle, reuse and reinvent before recycling. And these magazines are worth passing on to someone who will appreciate them. As I said, they are good quality magazines and some cost more than the price of a book.

So I am on a mission. Some magazines have gone into the recycling bag because I have cut and torn pages from them and they can not be passed on.Others are in boxes, ready to pass on. One lady seemed really grateful for craft magazines and another collected a box of County Living with another to follow. 

A local garden centre responded to my 'Would anyone like these magazines' post on Facebook. They will invite customers to take copies. 

Some I am keeping aside because I will continue to need a supply. Rather than keep the entire magazine, I have gone through some and torn or cut out relevant pages and pictures. That will reduce some storage space. At the moment I have one small box. I won't tell you how many I started with!

And here's an example of a vision board that I made, using magazine pages. I mentioned the women's group that I run. As part of this I invited members of the group to join me in a live Zoom meeting where we made a personal vision board. It was great fun, and this was my one. It sums up my month. I've been climbing a mountain for so long, but finally seeing the horizon. And it feels good.  

I hope your own month has gone well. We are always pleased to welcome new members to the women's Facebook group so if you are interested in knowing more let me know in a comment. It's a supportive space where we cheer each other on and work towards our own goals. And right now, my goal is to clear my mountain of magazines. It is creating psychological space as well as physical, and that's a good thing too, isn't it!

Thank you for visiting and I hope that what ever you are doing, you are safe and well. As always I invite you to join in this monthly 5in5 photo challenge. It's very simple, and it offers a new way of looking through the camera lens and adding a spark of new ideas.

So here's how it works: 

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   

You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.