Immersive Van Gogh is in Charlotte -- just a two hour drive from here -- so we're heading out soon to see the show. I know a number of folks who have seen it in other cities and everyone has had wonderful things to say about it!
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Van Gogh Junk Journal Tag Book
I did find some traditional blank page journal books on Amazon and almost bought one, but why not make it instead?
Here's what Amazon has available if you prefer to use the tags below as an accent to a larger piece:
I really wanted something small, portable and unique, though. The goal for this piece was pretty simple-- I wanted to make a journal that would be small enough to easily fit into a bag, with room for drawing. I also wanted space to add all those little bits of paper I seem to collect when we go somewhere.
Lastly, it had to be able to stand up to handling -- so it needed to be laminated. Here's what I came up with.
Making the Van Gogh Mini Journal Free Printable
I started by choosing some of my favorite Van Gogh works -- it may be cliche, but Starry Night is my favorite so that had to be the cover. (I did include an alternate cover for those who dig a little deeper and want a different image. Here are the covers (and a divider) straight from the laminator:
Next, I wanted some dividers so it wasn't just a clump of papers -- so I made 3, these are also laminated (you can skip laminating if you want, but it does give the book more structure without having to use chipboard or cardboard. Here are some of the dividers, pre-lamination:
After laminating:
For pages, I wanted a few with designs, but most to be plain. I wanted room for photos, sketches and notes about the trip. One of the reasons this is the size that it is is because I have an instax camera and I wanted the tall, skinny prints to fit.
Here's a look at the entire thing -- cover, dividers, color pages and blank pages (well, some of them) before assembly:
I added everything
to a 1.5: binder ring -- I also cut some heavier watercolor paper into the tag shape (well, my Cricut did). I wanted something toothy to draw on, that could also take watercolor or other paint if needed.
Assembling the Van Gogh Tag Book
When you download the Van Gogh Junk Journal file, you'll find complete directions and a map of what each page is -- to make assembly easy. I deliberately did not add holes to the pages on the printable, as I know some like to use eyelets and at least one user waiting for this one is doing a full book with a spine (that I need to see!!) Here's what's in the free kit:
Notes: There are directions included, but I deliberately put my book on a binder ring -- I wanted to be able to easily flip through it. I'll likely switch to some pretty ribbons or strips of linen later.
This can be assembled in any order you like -- the tabs stick out a bit so you can easily flip through the book, but other than that, just assemble as you'd like.
I did adjust the colors a bit (only to make sure they printed as they are supposed to look, I did not tamper with the actual art!) so it should print well on cardstock -- if you're getting prints that are too light for the cover, switch to glossy or photo paper instead, but definitely laminate those, they'll show wear and tear easily if you don't
Love Free Printables?
Meet what one user calls the "Netflix of Printables"!
If you love being able to download what you want, when you want -- you'll love the premium subscription! New items are added every single day (we have an almost 6 month backlog to load in!) and there are already thousands of graphics in full junk journal kits, add ons and more. Here are just a few of the latest additions:
This program includes pretty much everything in the shop -- the average user downloaded 135 junk journal, project and kit files in the last 30 days. Get the scoop here and give your creativity free reign!
Where to Find your Free Van Gogh Printable Junk Journal
This is a HUGE file (I wanted the art to look good, so some is 600 dpi :) It is in the shop, you can find it here. You'll just need to add it to your cart and check out for 0.00. Premium members, this has been added to your sections as well.
I'll update this after our visit, so you can see how it turned out! Thanks for reading and enjoy the Van Gogh tag book!!!