nyc mixed paper journal.

I took a little trip to New York last month and just finished a mixed paper journal that holds all of my pictures, tickets, brochures, and other mementos. Here is the finished product:


If you want to make your own to celebrate a recent trip or other special event, follow these simple steps.


Step #1: Collect tickets / brochures / postcards / other paper along the way.

I saved everything that I came upon while I was away, include stuff that's free (ticket stubs, pamphlets) and stuff that I bought (postcards, maps). I would rather have too much to work with rather than wish I had saved a certain little piece of paper.

Before I left for my trip, I put an envelope like this in my purse to hold all of the paper I accumulated along the way. If you use a purse that's slightly large like me, it fits easily and keeps your paper from getting lost or damaged. Every time you are handed a piece of paper, just slip it in and don't think about it until you get home.


Step #2: Document your trip on a variety of mixed papers.

I included little bits of information on the sights we visited, as well as other vintage papers relating to New York including a page from an old dictionary and atlas. You could plan ahead and bring the blank pages with you to fill out as your trip goes on so you don't forget any important details. I wasn't that organized, so I filled mine in once I returned from the trip.


Step #3: Label your photos.







I view these mixed paper journals as somewhere in between a plain photo album and an all out scrapbook. I like to add a little something extra without going over the top. I used a lot of labels and tags on my photos, as well as simple alphabet stickers. I also kept plenty of photos plain - probably around 1/3 with labels and 2/3 without.

You might notice I used both landscape and portrait style photos. I also used a mixture of color and black and white photos. The idea behind these mixed paper journals is to gather your memories in a fun and easy going manner. No need to be strict about which photos you can and cannot include.


Step #4: Combine your travel ephemera, mixed papers, and pictures.


I combined mine in chronological order. It makes the most sense to me and easy to flip through and remember the trip. However, it's up to you how you want to put yours together.


You're done!!



A few extra notes:

For the cover I created a collage in Picasa, a free photo editing program from Google. I uploaded and printed it along with my other photos.

I usually use two binder rings to hold together my mixed paper journals. I added an extra ring for this one simply due to its size. It's packed full with over 40 photos, 20 written pages, and plenty of tickets / maps / brochures / postcards.

It might be a little tough to see, but the journal includes three index tabs which I labeled "1", "2", and "3" to correspond to the first, second, and third day of our trip. This helped to organize my very large journal.