When I first started collecting stickers and stamps and tickets for my junk journaling, I put everything into a cookie tin. Very quickly I realized that I spent WAY too much time searching for what I wanted. So I made a bunch of pages with see through pockets so I could organize my little bits.
I organized everything by color, because that is how I work. When I want a little bit of green for a collage I am working on, I grab the green folder and find just what I need. I have been using these "signatures" (a book making term) for about a month now. What a game changer! And when I find a new bit of treasure, it's so great to know right where I need to store it.
Just recently, I sewed these signatures into a hard cover journal I made. I'll tell you how I did that in another post. This post is about how to make the signatures.
Here is a YouTube video of the process: YouTube Video of Ephemera Storage Journal
Part Two of the process is here: Ephemera Storage Journal Part Two
Supplies
- Heavy cardstock for the pages
- Vellum for the pockets
- Paper trimmer or scissors, pencil and ruler
- Double sided tape
- Sewing machine and thread or needle and thread
This is the cardstock and vellum I used.
Step One
Fold 3 sheets of cardstock in half. This will give you one signature with 12 pages.
Step Two
Put the pages inside each other to form a booklet. You will likely see that the long edges are uneven. Trim them even if you like.
Step Three
Cut sheets of vellum into 5 inch strips. Cut those strips into 8", 4" and 2" pieces for the pockets. This is to hold big, medium and small pieces of ephemera.
Step Four
Fold the vellum into pockets 5" wide. Don't fold them in half; leave a lip on the top edge to make using the pocket easier.
Step Five
Decide where you want the pockets to go on the signature pages. I opted for the front cover and every right side of the page. (So the odd numbered pages of the "book".) Use a mix of big, medium and little pockets according to the size of your ephemera.
Use double sided tape to tack the pockets to the cardstock to keep them in place while you sew them.
Step Six
Using a sewing machine or hand stitching, sew from the top of the page to the bottom on both sides, catching the edges of the pockets to secure them.
Step Seven
Put the signature together, making sure all edges are even. It will help to use binder clips to hold the 3 sheets in line. Stitch a few inches down the center fold to secure the signature together. It is now ready to fill with your ephemera. Make as many signatures as you need to store what you have.
Step Eight
Fill your pages with all of your goodies. I organized mine by color, because that's how I look for things. I am collaging on the blank pages to give myself journaling inspiration as I browse the pages (collage not finished).
In the next post, I will explain how to bind these signatures into a journal.