Paper Crafting
Scrapbooks, Journals, Cards, etc.
Hello, my name is Stacy, and I am addicted to paper. It makes sense with my age and my day job, but it’s a thing. I love papercrafts of all kinds. The older I get, the more I enjoy it because it’s a form of capturing, celebrating, and memorializing stories, experiences, thoughts, and important moments. I mostly make scrapbooks (I have scrapbook pages hanging all through my crafting space, in addition to the full books on my shelves), cards, altered books, and journals. Sometimes, I make them as gifts, but many times, I make them for myself. I especially like to use altered journals to house my research (like for recipes, as a form of “grimoires,” a journal or altered book devoted to something new I learned, etc.). Today, I’m going to share some random papercrafts.
Here’s a card I made recently. This was a gift for my husband. I did use a template, but I changed the colors out to match his preferred brand of tools.
Here’s a “junk journal” (smash book or altered journal) or scrapbook of a day trip we took this summer. I filled the book with ephemera and photos from the trip.
I even spend time “altering” my planner (yes, I keep both a digital calendar and a paper planner). I’ve recently started making pages from scratch to add it and use for to do lists and note taking.
I really enjoy altering books, too. As a present for my niece, I made an altered Little Golden Book of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. (This was a first—the LGB, book I’ve collected some more to work on.)
I like to make my own “inserts” or ephemera for adding to my books. Here’s a dragonfly tag I made.
And here are some altered paperclips that I can use in any planner, journal, altered book, etc.
Here’s a “pocket” I made that I can glue in to hold receipts, ticket stubs, hidden journaling, etc.
Last, at least for today, I also use paper crafts as decoration. I switch these frames out for each season / holiday / whatever I am feeling at the moment. I will admit, I didn’t (and don’t) create these files from scratch. I buy them and use a cutting machine to get the intricate cuts. I then do the assembly work.
To me, the act of papercrafting itself is a form of meditation. The focus required to cut, glue, and arrange helps us quiet the mind and be fully present in the moment.
If you are new to papercrafting, but want to get started, you might consider these ideas:
A Crone's Grimoire: Create a scrapbook dedicated to your spiritual path, filled with images, symbols, and personal reflections.
Gratitude Journal: Document the things you're thankful for each day, whether big or small.
Moon Phase Journal: Track the lunar cycles and your own inner rhythms.
Garden Journal: Track what you plant, where, and how it grows or produces.
A Writer’s Journal: Track your ideas, brainstorming, and bits of dialog that jump into your head at the most inopportune moments (for me, that’s when I’m getting ready to fall asleep or showering :) ).
Dream Diary: Record your dreams and explore their symbolic meanings.
Memory Box: Gather meaningful objects and create a scrapbook that tells their stories.
There are no rules when it comes to papercrafts. Let your intuition guide you, experiment with different techniques, and most importantly, have fun! The creative process itself is the best part. To cite a cliche, the journey is more important than the destination.