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Juju Journal Jam

 All my life - well, from around age 12 on, I've kept journals! 

Medicine Basket


Words, Words, many words. 
And art journals - blank books and page margins. At church or a concert, I'd hope for wide margins and perhaps a blank space where I could draw! (I love that our church has a kids' area with a rug and cubbys, plus project bags, so Sundays they stay in the sanctuary, they they have lots of space to quietly play, color and draw!) 

When I began my Color of Woman teacher training, we were invited to create simple art journals, setting our intention, and using inexpensive composition books!! (Appreciation to Color of Woman graduate Catt Geller for the inspiration) 

I already had a bunch of these comp books in various states of use lying around, and quickly saw the value of this accessible art journal format for both myself and my students! My grandkids often use one for a school project, then abandon it, so I've re-purposed quite a few of theirs as well!!

I had several black art journals and spiral bound mixed media books for different online classes. 
So ... I began painting and collaging their covers, to tell at a glance which class/es each belonged with, and covered many composition books over the course of the Color of Woman training.

How many of us decorated paper bags as book covers in Junior High? Or scribbled all over our folders? It was a fun way to claim these cookie-cutter items, and mark them as uniquely ours! 

It is also a way to sidestep the critical voice, as it's not "serious art," and we may find it easier to be "imperfect!" With our altered books, we often scrunch up or "smash" pages, and gild the edges with colored and metallic paint. (I love inexpensive craft or Amsterdam Paint for this!)

Grounding and calendar pages
Every time someone sees one of these fun takes on an art journal, they are drawn in, and want to make one of their own! 

Often during a first class or circle, a beloved tells me they don't have a journal - I invite them to think outside the box! Composition books are easy to find and inexpensive, consider junk mail,  an old book, a magazine, a calendar ...a kid's board book (or matching pair, hinged with paper) 

My invitation for both my Red Thread Circles and my Painting Playshops includes, "bring your art journal!" ... My beloveds bring tips and techniques of their own and from craft classes.

Crafting your own Juju Journal* is a sweet way to process and connect with our intuition, as we follow inquiries and prompts. It's a wonderful way to transmits old stories, and move into a "good juju" space.
Apothecary journal Cover in process - 2025

The Journal:
  • Begin with Intention - whether you're working with an art journal, composition book, altering a calendar, hardback book, or a children's board book, take a few minutes to set your intention for this journal. 
  • Use a marker to write your intention and inquiries on the cover before you begin.
  • Make a cover - trace around your book on a big piece of drawing paper, or a brown paper bag, adding at least an inch margin on each side. You can use 2 pieces of paper for a spiral bound book, or just cover the front. 
  • Write your intention on the paper, then use craft paint, markers, collage, stencils, stamps etc to decorate it, and glue it on, and when you're finished, paint the cover with a coat of medium or Mod Podge.
  • Use a silicon spatula or old credit card to spread paint quickly.
  • Snip the corners, and use craft glue to attach your cover to the book, starting with the front or back.
  • Reinforce the spine with duck tape if you need/wish to 
 Some page ideas:
  • Engage the senses and connect with the elements: put a bit of ash from incense or soil from your yard in some mod podge or medium;
  • Add a drop of essential oils, pressed flowers to a page, flower essences to your paint water, spritz page with water before painting. 
  • Labels - tea "fortunes," candy wrapper, crumpled foil from chocolate candy
  • Write across the center, to engage both sides of the brain 
  • Collect ephemera, junk mail, images, words, ribbon, handmade paper, paper you've you've used as paint rags, napkins
  • Include a pocket for "Oracle Cards" to pull out as a mini reading (collage or watercolor, cut out using a circular template)
  • A friend created a Soul Collage® journal, doing her collage on the page, then writes her "I Am the one who," interpretation for each card. While beautiful (and SHE likes it!) You can keep the cards seperate, an print copies of each, to glue in a journal
  • Create calendar pages with projects for the month in diffent colored bubble. 
  • Glue some pages together for added strength, and use gesso or watercolor ground to prepare the surface for paint and colored pens. You can also glazing medium or clear gesso over words and images.
  • Scrunch the pages if it's a composition or altered book, think of the trees and animals who lived in the forest, and give thanks.
  • Gild your page edges using metallic paint. 
  • Reinforce the center of a composition book with pretty ribbons, and include more (3-5 total) for bookmarks.
  • Or - thread ribbons through the spiral of art journals, and add a few others for bookmarks
  • Find the center of your book, and make a Grounding or Resting page - often we trace around our hands, or perhaps place a tree
  • Use a stretchy headband around your journal to hold it shut 
Process and paint or collage: 

Your journal is a great way to process, then cover it up! Like a 'fire ceremony' - in this case, art offers a way to release!
Ask questions, vent, write across the center,
Spiral around the page, write in sections with watercolor pencils them activate with water ... doodle, use neurographic lines, collage,...
Use any journaling prompt and write, then cover your processing with paint and or collage - how do you feel?
Use your journal to play with new materials and techniques - glue a voile of pages together for a sturdier substrate.

Trips and Tricks: 
  • Make pockets! And more pockets!!
  • Use envelopes from cards of various sizes for pockets (and add images from the cards toyourcollage stash) 
  • Glue them in/ add Washi tape in the edges
  • Make your own Washi tape: put strips of masking tape on waxed paper, and use extra paint on the strips, patterns with stamps or stencils - cut into narrower strips if you wish. Metallic paint adds zing!
  • Use junk mail to extend pages /add fold outs
  • Use ideas from your journal page to make affirmation or Soul Compass cards as you access insights 
  • Keep a piece or two of parchment or waxed paper in your journal, to use as spacers for pages in process (and use a hair dryer to speed drying)
  • Mix some Mod Podge with acrylic paint for a lush, silky surface - this makes a great background!
  • Use stamps, stencils, metallic or Pearl paint to add interest and facilitate shift
  • Collage on pages, following a prompt or letting images you're attracted to guide you. Write about several of the images
  • Paint or collage the cover of art journals you already have 
  • Write and draw notes from calls and classes
  • Work on drawing or watercolor paper, or with white ink on a dark page and glue into your journal after dry! 
And most of all - have fun! Your journal is a great way to experiment - what if there was nothing you could get wrong?!

* Juju means energy, the experience of positive and negative forces all around us that charge our lives, and shape each unique day in this planet. 

Do you have a favourite journal process?

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