2011 Halloween Never Ending Journal

 
Last year I made a Halloween Never Ending Journal, and yesterday as I was looking thru my Halloween papers, ribbons, embellishments, I thought I would start another Halloween themed journal. This year I decided to make a smaller one.
I collect skull beads for some reason, I don't know why as they certainly aren't pretty. When I see skull beads I buy them, and they get used on Halloween projects or made into Halloween earrings.

What is a never ending journal? Well, it is a journal I started making several years ago. I ended up calling the book Never Ending, because the first time I made one, I didn't want to sit and stitch in the signatures so that is how I started making this type of book. You can keep the books covers and reuse them, and just switch out the old signatures and put in new signatures between the covers. Just remove the filled pages and wrap with twine or elastic to bind, and save. Then slip in new signatures in the books binding.  Click here and you can see Last years Never Ending journal

Cover your mat board with paper or fabric  of  your choice, depending on what kind of journal you want to make..in my picture trail you can see  a tutorial that I did with step by step instruction on how I to make a basic book cover.  Click here to view my album...Bookmaking tutorial on my picture trail                                                                                                                                 the outside mat board is covered with scrapbook paper or fabric. You can use a UHU glue stick, mod podge or  PVA glue. My covers are slightly larger than the folded signature pages.
then I cut to size the scrapbook paper to fit the inside  cover
scrapbook covered outside of the covers and spine
I cut my 8 x 11 . 1/2 cardstock in half, and then folded it as if I was making a card. I decided to use 4 signatures with 6 folded pieces of cardstock in each signature.  I then cut 1 black and 1 orange piece of cardstock in half, and folded those in half for my signature covers.
cut cardstock covers of my signatures

Below...I added a graph paper page in each signature

                                                                                                  Below.....There is a watercolor paper page in each signature of this journal.

fronts of the outside colored card stock signatures with decorative paper, inside plain cardstock folded papers inside
inside front cover and first signature
spider web signature with glossy spider sticker
polka dot paper on a black cardstock signature with glossy bat sticker
last of the signatures...harlequin paper over orange cardstock with glossy pumpkin sticker at bottom of the signature page
  Never ending journal tied with twine and wrapped with ribbons. Ceramic skull bead added. The front cover is the color of the paper, the back cover looks white, but that is because of the time of day that I took the photo and the lighting wasn't the best. My little Halloween book is approximately 5 3/4 in height and 4 1/2 inches wide.

      close up of the skull bead 
I just felt in the mood to make an easy journal. I enjoy making these never ending journals. As of this morning I haven't any pockets and embellishments, because I don't know exactly what I 

will be doing with the journal.

Such strange weather we have been having. It has been hot and humid, which isn't unusual for August, but a about a month ago the western part of Massachusetts had a tornado, and then a few days ago we felt the tremblings from an earthquake. Plymouth County area is on a earthquake fault line.

And, now to be preparing for Hurricane Irene which is suppose to hit our area on Sunday, and I am hoping we don't lose our power and that the Hurricane changes it path and heads out to sea.. We are stocked up and have batteries, candles, bottled water and plenty of non perishable food if needed. This afternoon, I have to finish bringing in the lawn furniture, and securing any loose objects around the yard.

This morning I was at the grocery store by 7:30 a.m, and I found the first bags of this years Macintosh Apples from New Jersey. I bought 3 bags. I gave one to my aunt and with the other two I will make a pie for Tom and I. I already used one 3 pound bag of apples to make an apple pie for my parents picture below. Their pie is now already half gone. The pie was really juicy and tasted so yummy. Nothing beats homemade pie. :-)