Last month we had our second teen book club meeting for our Wild and Free group!
(So far the girls have read Tress of the Emerald Sea and Out of My Mind.)
From somewhere in the recesses of my mind circa 2007 I remembered a decoupaged reading journal bought at a craft fair. I thought making our own reading journals would be the perfect activity for a book discussion.
(They turned out to be such a hit that I might have even made one myself with a couple of mom friends the next night!)
This activity is great for gatherings like book club, mom’s night, or a birthday party. (Though I warn you, there will be a lot of magazine scraps on your floor!) You could make reading journals, prayer journals, or just fun notebooks as a new school year kick-off.
Best of all, there are no special skills needed. (Because these are the kinds of therapeutic crafts I approve of.)
So here’s what you’ll need:
A big ol’ stack of magazines. Home, garden, travel, and farm magazines were perfect for our crew. I asked around and got them from a friend, but you could also hit up your local Buy Nothing group.
Scissors. You should have several pairs or ask people to bring them! I hate being scissor-poor, so I bought a bunch from Amazon. We have these which work great.
Composition notebooks. You can get these at an office supply store or order in bulk (Sometimes Dollar Tree has them!)
Mod Podge. Mod Podge is literally the glue that holds this project together. You’ll use it to adhere the magazine cuttings to the notebooks, but most importantly, you’ll use it to shellac the entire notebook when you are done. This gives you a smooth, matte finish and ensures your cuttings stay firmly in place without the edges rolling!
Foam brushes. To get that perfect layer of glue.
Before you start chopping into the magazines (soooo satisfying), it’s fun to pick a theme for your journal. One of the girls in our group chose purple, another did all faces, and someone else did a mixture of florals and words. Some collaged the letters of their name together.
Mine was sort of a cottage-core theme. (What can I say, I love a Victoria Magazine!)
Now, cut and glue like you’re in first grade. When you’re done, give it a proper shellac with the Mod Podge.
There’s just something relaxing about the treasure hunt of looking through magazines for the perfect collection of phrases or images. There’s no wrong way to do this, which is also what makes it such a fun craft.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you try this by taking a photo of your notebook and tagging me on Instagram!
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