'Restyled' Journals

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Hello again!  I'm back to share a project made completely from my stash of goodies.  As you may already know, I'm on a mission to use what I have...sooooo let me share these journals.
A friend gave these to me a few years ago.  
They are misprints.
But the insides are perfect with lined pages and a ribbon.
They even have a pocket in the back and elastic for keeping things in place.

Welcome to the 'Do It Over' Designers blog hop. We are a group of bloggers who love to recycle/upcycle/DIY. I'm happy to host this hop and I hope you'll visit everyone to see what they have to share with you.  This time our theme is "Free to 5".  I've challenged the team to 'do-over' something they found for $5 or less.  Please visit to see everyone's creativity. The links will be listed at the end of this post.

Time to work on the cover of one of these journals.  I cut some fabric to fit and added some glue to the cover.
An old rewards card was used to spread the glue evenly.
The fabric was rolled down over the glue.
Once the back cover was done, the same process was followed for the front with one change.  Enough fabric was added to go over the binding and over a bit of the back.  The edge was folded to give it a nice, neat seam.
Time to embellish!  A thin line of glue held lace trim around the edge.
In order to keep the corners neat, the center of the trim was glued in place.
Then the trim on each side was glued down over it.
The entire journal edge was covered, front and back.
As I looked at the front, I decided it needed another strip of trim along the binding edge.
Last, but not least, I made a flower with some fabric/lace trim, placed a button in the center, and this misprinted journal was given a new life!
Don't you think this would make a lovely gift?

Since I have a few more journals that need an update, I'm off to choose some fabric and get to work on them. 

In the meantime, on to the blog hop! The rest of the team has some wonderful "Free to 5" ideas to share with you.
Here are all the links - Enjoy!

Pandora’s Box

Purple Hues & Me

Sum of Their Stories

Vintage Style Gal

The Apple Street Cottage

Birdz of a Feather

Exquisitely Unremarkable

Little Vintage Cottage

Modern on Monticello

 

Comments

  1. Vintage Style GalSeptember 26, 2026 at 7:55 AM

    Great choice of fabric Ann, florals are my favorite. I wish I had your lace stash, you always have such lovely lace – I hope to stumble across a lot of it one day. Your journal turned out like a gift shop custom piece, the flower was the icing on the cake. I think anyone would enjoy receiving this as a gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:14 PM

      I love florals too, Cara, and the flower just kept evolving as I worked on it.  As for lace, I have more than I can probably ever use.  I can send you some!

      Delete
  2. Gail @Purple Hues and MeSeptember 26, 2026 at 8:30 AM

    Ann, your journal now looks like a treasured heirloom! The crochet trim around the fabric cover and flower looks incredibly elegant! Too pretty to use!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:10 PM

      That is the sweetest compliment, Gail!  And here I was thinking it was just pretty! 

      Delete
  3. SaraSeptember 26, 2026 at 8:36 AM

    Such a clever way to give those misprints a second life, Ann! These fabric-covered journals are not only practical but so pretty too. They’d make awesome gifts; I’d certainly be happy to receive one!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:15 PM

      Thank you, Sara.  I'm going to try different styles with some of the others.  We'll see what happens!

      Delete
  4. Tania PelletierSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:00 AM

    Beautiful Ann! I love the little flower button accent too 😊

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:16 PM

      Thank you, Tania.  I've had those buttons for years.  It was about time to use one of them!

      Delete
  5. Sum of their StoriesSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:01 AM

    That's so pretty, it is transformed. It certainly would make a lovely gift.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:18 PM

      Thank you, Julie.  I may know what some people will be getting for Christmas this year!

      Delete
  6. Kim September 26, 2026 at 11:02 AM

    Wow, Ann! That's beautiful and quite an upgrade. It looks like something you'd find in one of those charming gift shops. I'm a total fabric junkie, with tons of leftovers in my stash and now I have a great way to use some of them up. Thanks for hosting another fun hop!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:22 PM

      It really is a great way to use up those smaller pieces of fabric that we have saved, Kim.  I guess this one is a bit charming...if nothing else, it's very 'girly'!  It's always a joy to host this hop and all of you make it what it is!

      Delete
  7. Patti @ Pandoras BoxSeptember 26, 2026 at 1:42 PM

    A sweet little gift for friends or coworkers! You have a nice pile to play with!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnnSeptember 26, 2026 at 10:24 PM

      Very true, Patti and I have a few ideas for the others!

      Delete

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