Out of my comfort zone

Hi everyone!  Today I'm going to talk about comfort zones.  Art...Craft...mix media? I love making cards and as you all know I love fancy folds.  I also love Graphic 45 papers or romantic type papers like Prima or vintage like Authentique.  When I go to a different paper line such as Color Play or Stampin up I feel all anxiety building up because I'm not sure I can produce a great card.  Yes I am very hard on my self.  So when a friend gave me one of those Art Journals for my birthday I froze!  Yikes what am I going to do with this?  I stink at art.  So it's been in a drawer for months.  Then while on the Internet I noticed that alot of art journals just had creations in them.  What ever you make or try to make you put it on a page in the journal.  Hmmmm...I can do that.  I think lol.  So I decided to make my very first page in that journal.  I have been wanting to try these collage envelopes but never bothered #1 because I don't really do collages and #2 what would I do with it when I was done.  Well now I know....I can try new ideas and techniques and have them in my journal.  So lets give it a try...lets get out of our comfort zones and try something new.

This Collage envelope is made from...well real envelopes.  I was lucky to receive a box of legal sized envelopes from a friend that her company was discarding.  Thought they had the companies return address on them I had figured if I used them to mail a 4 x 11 card that I would just put my own address label over theirs.  SO why not recycle these envelopes into the envelope collage.

First you need 2 legal sized envelopes.  On 1 of them seal it shut and cut it down to be 8" long.  That will give you a top pocket.  The other one you would cut 3 1/2" from both sides.  Using the flaps to attach them to the larger envelope.

My mini ink pad is holding up the top flap lol.  Then add some designer paper to all sides of the entire envelope and flaps.  The biggest envelope in back will measure approximately 4.25 x 8 and you will need 2 pieces.  one for front and one for back.  I know... I know..why cover back if it'll be put into a journal?  I'm covering all bases here.  What if you want it as a card or tag or ?????  You never know so I covered the back too.  The flaps will need (2) a piece 3.50 x 8.5 .  That will be folded in half and glued to outside and inside of flaps.

I sued papers from Prima on the flaps because it already had a collage effect to it and then the larger piece was covered with some paper that I got out of a Downton Abbey paper pad.  I had found it at Tuesday morning..  What a great find.  I used a 1.25 scallop punch at the tops of all the envelope pockets.  Anyway here it is closed up.

OK truth be told I started to embellish and then realized I forgot to take a picture.  So the bottom portion I had already added the flower and leaves and the added cutout card with a popped up sentiment piece.  Now I guess we finish up the embellishments and put it in the journal.

Here's the finished piece.

CLOSED

OPENED

As you can see there are a total of 3 pockets.  The flap on left has one, the middle has one on top and the one on the right has one.

Here's a picture of the cards pulled out.

Now I'm starting to think the Junk Journal isn't going to work too well.  I guess I could put it on a page in there but to me it now looks more like a fancy fold card than a piece for a Junk journal.  Uggg...I'm so confused.  I think I need to work on "More Junky"  Is that a thing??

Well maybe someday I will have something to put in my junk journal but I don't think today is the day.

Til next time.....................................

HAPPY CARDING!