I thought it was about time to post something a little different. I finally got around to taking pictures of most of my supplies I use to make my journals because I wanted to do a blog post specifically on what I use to create the things I sell!
So these are most of the items that I use depending on what type of journal I'm making. I will go through each item below and describe what it is, where I got it, and how I use it.
First and one of the most useful things I use is this self-healing cutting mat. It can be used for all sorts of cutting with a rotary wheel. I've used it for cutting fabric when I quilt, paper for scrapbooking or journal-making, and I have also used it for cutting coupons! This mat heals itself when you use your rotary cutter on it so you don't damage other tables or floors. By healing I mean you can use the cutter on it and it won't cut through the mat at all. I have found though that after time and lots of repetitive use you do start noticing lines shallow lines where you cut often. It's also very useful because it has measurement guides. When I'm cutting my paper for journals down to size it's much easier to line up the paper and use a straightedge to guide my rotary cutter. Much quicker than having to measure each paper!
These come in many sizes, from small to table-top size. This is a relatively smaller one. I believe I got it on sale at Joann's, but they also sell it at most craft stores, as well as Walmart and sometimes other smaller stores which carry craft items (I used to work at Tuesday Morning and we would get these in occasionally).
Next up are my cutting devices. From left to right is my rotary cutter, a utility knife, and scissors. The rotary cutter I use for 95% of my cutting. It has an EXTREMELY sharp circular blade (cut myself multiple times, pay close attention and be careful when using one!) which can be extended to cut (as pictured) but also retracted with the push of the white button to prevent accidental damage. The blades are replaceable but I have had mine a while and no need to replace it yet (over 2 years, but only about 6 months of heavy use). These make cutting fabric, paper, and coupons super fast and easy. You can buy them at pretty much any store with scrapbook or sewing supplies. I believe this one came from either Joann's or Walmart.
Next is the utility knife. Honestly the only thing I use this for is cutting my chipboard down to size, and sometimes trimming the edges of my textblocks when the pages are a bit too large. I got it on sale for $1.99 at Harbor Freight. You can find this at pretty much any store.
Finally the scissors. I tend to use these to cut my threads or to trim the corners of my cover papers when attaching them to the chipboard.
Next up are my binder clips. I do not yet have a book press but these have been a great substitute. I plan on making my own book press eventually, but for now these work alright. I have 3 different sizes; small, medium, and large. I use these to hold signatures of pages together for gluing or when I'm sewing the signatures together, they are like my second pair of hands to hold everything together while I'm attaching everything. I also use them to hold freshly glued fabric on my hardcover bound journals (not the coptic stitched one) while the glue dries so no corners pop up. I bought these at Walmart but any place with office supplies should have these. The smaller the size, the more you get for cheaper, but I found that the small ones are ok for holding glued fabric to their covers while they dry, the medium for holding thinner textblocks or to hold signatures while sewing, and the large ones to hold larger signatures while gluing or sewing as well as to press journals together when I'm waiting for the final glued assembly to dry.
These are 3 of the 4 glues I currently use for my of my products. I just bought some mod podge but I haven't tried using it yet. The Elmer's school glue is what I use for perfect binding and finishing edges of book headbands. I sometimes use it for hardcover bound journals to attach the textblocks to the covers and to attach endpapers and the folded edges of fabric to the chipboard covers. Bookbinders recommend PVA glue but after doing some research I have found that basic white glues and wood glues ARE PVA glue. You just want a pH-neutral glue when bookbinding. I prefer to pay less for the Elmer's glue than pay a premium for some fancy PVA glue. I'm a graduating college student and somewhat newly married, I'm on a very tight budget!
The spray adhesive I only use when attaching my fabrics to the chipboard covers. I will spray the chipboard, allow it to get tacky, then press the fabric onto it and put it under something heavy to dry flat. It's good for large areas but not for small or precise regions.
The glue stick I use for all of my coptic stitched journals to glue on the covers. I use the craft glue with the permanent bond.
The 4th glue not pictured is my hot glue gun and glue sticks. I use a mini hot glue gun for gluing the spine of my hardcover bound journal textblocks. It's easy to do and dries super fast.
All glues here I got at Walmart, but you can find them in any store similar to Walmart, or Home Depot/Lowe's, or craft stores. Craft stores will charge you more for these glues!
Waxed thread is important when bookbinding, it's especially helpful in preventing the long pieces of thread from tangling when you are sewing together the signatures. When I first started I was using dental floss. I quickly ran out of that though and bought some actual waxed cotton thread at Joann's in the bead/jewelry making section. That can get expensive though so I started making my own waxed thread! I wanted to be able to use pretty colors when I started making coptic stitched journals so I dug out my old collection of embroidery thread (used to make friendship bracelets) and bought some wax (also in the bead/jewelry making section of craft stores) and now all I have to do is run any color thread I want across the wax and ta-da! Waxed thread! I also have larger yarn needles which have a large eyelet making threading the needle easier.
In order to sew my signatures into a textblock I need to punch holes. I use this awl (purchased at Walmart probably) and a leftover empty paper pad. I use the back board of this paper pad to stop my awl from making nasty holes in my cutting mat, because it will leave puncture marks.
Ribbon, simply to make bookmarks in my hardcover bound journals. Bought this for less than $1 at Walmart.
After spending lots of time making sharp folds and creases with an old wooden ruler and my fingers, I broke down and bought a bone folder. It makes folds and creases much sharper. I also use this ruler mainly as a straightedge but also for measuring where to make my holes on the signatures to sew through. Bone folder I got in the sewing section of Walmart and it's plastic, not bone, but it was fairly cheap. Rulers can be bought anywhere they sell office or school supplies. This one came in a little LA Kings stationary set (GO KINGS GO!).
My very first journal I ever made I used balsa wood for my covers. What a pain in the butt to cut. Recently I found Hobby Lobby has LARGE sheets of chipboard (like thick cereal box material) back in the matte board section. Use a 40% coupon and they can be fairly cheap. I cut smaller covers from the large sheet, depending on the size I need, with my utility knife. I also have here a textblock, you can't make a journal without the pages! A textblock is a bunch of signatures stacked together. A signature is a few sheets of paper folded together. I like using 4 pages, folded together, to make 1 signature.
Paper! Lots and lots of paper! I love looking through the scrapbook sections of stores finding cool paper. I usually buy the paper (not cardstock) because 1. it's cheaper and 2. it's easier to work with. I have paper with patterns and plain colors. For the plain colors look into seeing if your office supply store or Walmart has packs of mutlicolored copy paper, it's cheaper than official scrapbook paper but works just as well. I used these papers for end papers (the inner covers) of my hardcover bound journals, and for the outer and inner covers of my coptic stitched journals.
Journal paper. I buy my paper in reams online from a discount art supply company. As you can see here I am almost out of this ream but I ordered more. You can use any type of paper for the inside but I have always liked the rustic feel of sketch paper for journals rather than plain white copy paper. That's just my preference though. If you want to use regular copy paper it's cheaper.
I also have a large variety of fabrics. Some are leftover from quilting projects, others I buy just because I like the pattern. This is just a sample of the fabrics I have. I use them for the covers of my hardcover bound journals. I like that they come in sooooo many different styles and themes. You can buy fabric online or at craft stores that have a fabric department. My Joann's, Hobby Lobby, and Walmart all have fabric departments. Walmart is the cheapest, but they have one of the smallest sections (though a good variety) and not all Walmart's even have a fabric department.
Finally some odds and ends supplies. I always keep some disposable gloves handy for when I'm using my spray adhesive. It is terrible trying to get that glue off your hands and fingernails if you spray without wearing gloves. You can usually buy disposable latex, nitrile, or vinyl gloves at Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe's.
I also have squares that I cut from wax paper. These are VERY important when I'm assembling my hardcover bound journals. Because I use the wet Elmers glue to attach the textblock, fold over fabric edges, and glue in end papers, glue can easily seep through pages or out of cracks and corners. Putting a sheet of wax paper on either side of what you're gluing before closing the journals to be pressed prevents the pages from sticking together and ruining all the work you did!
I hope that covers most of my materials! Of course if you want to make your own journals you can add any embellishments that you want (stickers, buttons, ribbons, gemstones, etc.). I have a few types of stamps and letter kits in case I want to stamp in a personalized message or name. I also keep pens and pencils handy to mark things like where to punch holes. I'm always adding things to my journal-making supplies. If I get anything else new and neat I'll be sure to update this!
Do you have any special tools or supplies that you love using for your own crafty project? What do you find most helpful or handy? Comment below!
Also check out my current listed journals in my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/journalsbyk
