I started doing a documented life journal a few years back. First going off of a group, that started the documented life group on facebook. They did prompts for art projects etc and after a while I started feeling like, we were all doing our journals the same. I didnt want to have a book at the end of the year that everyone else had, I wanted MY LIFE, MY WAY in MY OWN style at the end of the year. It seems that even now that the journals being done are just sticker books to me and lets see how pretty we can make it. That is fine for some people but I cannot find myself doing those. When I started the life book group, everyone had a special journal to work out of and I could not afford to purchase said journal so I used a .25 cent comp book, that was on sale at Walmart. Knowing that adding things to the comp book would make it very fat and would be wedge shaped at the end of the year, I decided to take it apart. I cut the sewing down the binding and then took out the lined pages. I then separate the pages into 10 page booklets and sew them back together. You can add saved junk mail envelopes in between the pages too if you like, to add little pictures too etc.
I then purchase little calendar pages and washi tape in and sew as well to make it sturdy and so it lasts into designated places. You need to count out the days and get all the number of pages you need for your journal. I also tape and sew the tabs on top . I failed to take pictures of how I bind it together, so will do that at the end of the year and show you then .But you have to wait till the end of the year to see how large your journal is going to be in order to make your cover and binding for it.
Here are some pictures/snip-its from this past years journal.
My journal a place to place memories, to vent, to brag, to talk about how life is hard, my fight with depression , my health, life moments etc. Some might find it boring...but it wasnt made for them...it was made for me. So if your going to make one...dont do it to make it pretty and random..make it your own, your style, your life.
