I recently discovered the website Watercolor Journaling and was thrilled to learn about this expressive style of journaling. Through their website, classes, and DVD, Christina Lopp Schwabecher and Gay Kreager teach the principles and techniques of watercolor journaling in a way that is accessible, inspirational, and remarkably easy to get started with.

I purchased their DVD and, upon watching it, immediately bound and started a watercolor journal of my own. I am hooked! Here it is, with a sample of my first pages:

I have also begun binding journals with 140 lb, cold press watercolor paper for sale in my shop. Here is the first one I have listed and there are many more to come…

Thank you to everyone who came to see me at the Michigan State University Holiday Craft Fair. I had a lot of fun being there, meeting all of you, and selling my books!

One of the most common comments I get regarding my books is “Oh, they are so beautiful, but I wouldn’t want to ruin them by writing in them!” Flattering as this is, it reveals something about the inner critics that hold us back from being our truly creative, free selves. I know I have encountered my own inner critic in my years of journaling. As far as my books are concerned, they were created to be written in! I want their pages to be covered in words, drawings, and scribbles, to have mementos glued to them, any and everything that comes from the uniqueness of their owner.

In my own quest to become a freer journaler, I have stumbled upon a few really great books on the subject of journaling and creativity. I’d like to share some of my favorites with you…

Keri Smith is an author and illustrator whose work is some of the funnest and most inspiring stuff out there. Forget the traditional books that are trying to help the reader tap into their creativity through contrived exercises and stuffy writing assignments, Keri Smith’s books challenge you to try something different without making you feel like you are completing a homework assignment.

Her book Wreck this Journal is like nothing I have ever encountered before. Each page of this journal contains instructions from collecting all the stamps from your mail and gluing them to that page, to tearing a page out, running it through your laundry, and then taping it back in, to tracing the contents of your pocket. I have been wrecking my copy of this book and it is nothing short of liberating.

Keri Smith’s other books include the whimsical activity book Living Out Loud, a Guerilla Art Kit which gives you ideas and techniques for putting your art out in the everyday world, and even a Non-planner Datebook that encourages you to document your daily life in fun and creative ways.

Another amazing book is Jefferey Yamaguchi’s 52 Projects. The philosophy behind this book is that, rather than trudging through every week in the same usual fashion, we can find one little project to move our lives outside of the ordinary or to try something new or see things from a new angle. Jeffery Yamaguchi offers 52+ projects in this book and a larger community has joined in with their own project suggestions via his website. The projects not only offer ways to get in touch with your creative self, but also excellent ways to connect with those around you.

Yet another author that has inspired my journaling to move into new areas is Danny Gregory . In his journaling memoir, Everyday Matters, he documents and explores changes brought to his own everyday life and the life of his family. It is a wonderful read and his illustrations make it a visual experience as well. In The Creative License, Danny Gregory teaches us how to observe the world around us and document it in our journals through drawing and words. This is no stuffy drawing lesson book, he encourages your drawings to just be, rather than be perfect. You can tell when I discovered this author looking through my journals, all of a sudden lined pages are traded for unlined ones and little drawings of everyday objects appear.

What is inside each of us and what we experience in our daily lives is worth documenting. Journaling is a process of discovery that helps us not only preserve our memories, but also lets us know ourselves and those around us better.

Get out there and live! Get out there and write, draw, scribble, paste, and create!

Beetlelady Books has a whole new look and a new blog thanks to Rakel at Ingero! I’m excited to have a place to discuss bookbinding, journaling, and creativity. I hope you enjoy visiting my site and sharing the books I create.

Beetlelady Books recently turned one year old and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has helped to make having my own business a fun and exciting experience. That includes all my family and friends who have supported me in this endeavor, especially my husband Krishna, whose crazy idea it was to start this business in the first place! That includes all the friends I have made selling on Etsy.com. That also includes each and every customer who has bought one of my books.

Thank you for a wonderful year!