Art Journal: A Perfect Day / TAKE TWO!

Since our first attempt at this swap was thwarted by some non-responders (It's ok we all get behind sometimes!) this is take two!

The sign-up and send dates are very close because we all should have our work done already :)

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For years I've been scrap journaling/art journaling and it has helped me through some tough times. I have several volumes of journals that went from blank, lined, basic bound journals to beautiful, multimedia works of art that would probably be among the first things I would save if a fire threatened my home (after my dog that is!).

A lot of us use journals to pour our hearts into when they're breaking or when our days go so bad we can't hold it in any more. I want us to all have the chance to have the perfect day and document it to share with another artist.

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In this swap we'll be making a 10 page art journal (not counting the covers) that has the dimensions of 9 x 11 inches. The pages should be made of light cardstock at the very least as your base so that you can use multimedia to decorate your pages.

The cover should be made of at least thin carboard and can be covered with you like as long as it will hold up really well. Bind the book with at least four holes that go through the cover and all the pages. You can use ribbon, rivets, jute, leather, wire, whatever you think will be aesthetically pleasing but also strong.

I found a very cool how-to video for making a mini hardcover art journal which you can use (following the size guidelines of this project) to help you create your journal. You can find the video on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RKnjaJ5WCo

Each page should be decorated, colorful, and have a theme. Not a square inch of regular white paper should be seen. You don't have to spend a lot of money on this; old magazines, books, and brochures are your friends!

Take photos of your pages so you can keep a copy for yourself to save your memories :) I think this can be such a cool, positive, and healing project!

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YOUR LAYOUT:

*Cover: "(Your name)'s Perfect Day" and decorated with your favorite colors, themes, and maybe even a favorite photo of yourself.

*Front page: The swap name, date, your swap-bot name, and also dedicate it to your partner.

*Page #2: The reason you need to take time to have the perfect day. It could be a list of things, or a photo, newspaper article, or anything that stresses you out.

*Page #3: Your favorite outfit; snap photos of the pieces of your favorite duds or even snap a photo in your cutest clothes to scrapbook the best fashion page yet.

*Page #4: Who you would spend your best day with. It could be your boyfriend, girlfriend, mom, sibling, or even just why you need a day to yourself.

*Page #5: Start your day with your favorite breakfast. Scrapbook using food images from magazines or drawings you've done.

*Page #6: The first of two places you'd like to visit. It could be a museum, the grocery store (my aunt loves grocery shopping, go figure), the bookstore. Use business cards or receipts. Anywhere you want most to be. Be creative and even outrageous; this is perfect day and you can be absolutely anywhere!

*Page #7: Let's talk furry friends. Use this page to talk about spending time with your pet or pets and tell about why they're so special and use photos, ephemera, etc to make it personal.

*Pages #8 and #9: Remember a special day from the past and journal on it, scrap it, use photos. Whatever will bring back the memories of that day. Use both pages to create a really great spread.

*Page #10: It's lunch time! What would be your perfect lunch? Soup and a sammy? Chocolate cookies and a milkshake? Anything you desire.

*Page #11: Some of the best days I've ever had were on vacation. Use this page to talk about your favorite vacation and who you spent it with. It can be from childhood or maybe even a trip you haven't taken yet.

*Page #12: Talk about a historical figure that you'd like to have coffee with. They can be living or dead. Talk about the questions you'd ask and what you think they'd wear or how they'd take their coffee/tea.

*Page #13: Talk about the second of the two places you want to spend time at. (Same rules apply from #6)

*Page #14 and #15: Book/Movie/Album. Talk about any 2 of these and why it's your favorite. Scrap using the cover images, photos of the characters, writers, or artists. Use one page for each to make a cool media spread.

*Page #16: Your favorite place in your home. We all have a place in our houses we go to when we need to breathe. It can be your bedroom, a reading chair in the corner, your craft room, the bath tub. Take a photo of it and talk about how you use this place.

*Page #17: Your most special possession; use this page to talk about something you hold dear to you and reminisce about the day you got it. Write about if it was a gift or if you bought it for yourself to brighten up your mood.

*Page #18: It's dinner time! Talk about your favorite dinner meal and dessert too. Love steak and potatoes? Sushi and noodles? Also include your favorite dessert cuz your perfect day needs dessert!

*Page #19: How would you wind down your day? Would you cuddle with your dog or cat? Put on a movie and curl up on the couch. Would you take a walk with your significant other? What calms you down and gets you ready for bed?

*Page #20 and #21 (inside of the Back Cover): Tell us about what makes you special. You can be a little egotistical, don't worry! Write about your favorite thing about yourself. Do you eyes sparkle? Do you always get an A+? Do you have a million friends? What makes you, you?

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It's a lot to take in but I think it will be incredibly fun! Everyone will have three months (including the time before the sign-up deadline) so you'll have every opportunity to make this happen.

You can follow on my Flickr stream as I make my pages: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9017429@N02/

I WILL ANGEL for people but it will most likely be from copies of the one I'm already sending because this is a very time consuming project. Let's all work our hardest and remember the Golden Rule.

DISCLAIMER: If you do not have the time, energy, motivation and dedication for this project DO NOT sign up! Just that simple :)

I am always here for anyone who has a question or concern, and happy swapping everyone!