Circle Journals

Along with Scrapbooking another great love of mine is Circle Journals. I have taken part in many Circle Journal groups and have the most beautiful collection of completed Journals. Each one is a unique work of art in it's own right. I love them because they are original, there is only one of each in the entire world and they belong to me. Each entry has been made with love and is a part of the person who created it, and to me, that is something special. I also love the fact that somewhere out there, there are little pieces of me and my artwork in other people's journals. I often wonder if some time in the very far off future, someone might discover my journals and what they would make of them. I am hoping they will be treasured by my family and passed down the generations. I would love to show you every entry in each journal, but I don't think that would ever be possible!

I know a lot of people reading this blog will know all about Circle Journals already, but I'm sure there are people wondering what I'm talking about, so I'll give a brief explanation.

A Circle Journal is a book that is passed along a group of people, usually of 10 or more. The most common way to pass the book is via the mail, so it is important to choose a sturdy book that will withstand being posted numerous times. A very popular book to use for Circle Journals is the Pink Pig sketch book. A lot of people take the spirals off, cover the journal with their own patterned paper, rebind the book with ribbons, fibres or book rings and decorate the cover however they like.

There are a few important things to include in your Journal. The first is an introduction page just inside the front of the book. This is used to introduce yourself to the rest of the group, to tell them about the theme of your journal and what you would like them to do. You could choose to theme your Circle Journal around absolutely anything you want. There are various websites that give you lists of themes to choose from. Some popular ones are 'Quotes to live by', 'What's in your handbag', 'Fairies', 'My Favourite Things' and many more. I have done entries in journals on many, many topics, including some very unusual ones!

The next thing to include in your journal is a 'sign in' page. This can be made in a number of ways. A popular way is to have a pocket with little tags inside it for people to decorate, sign their name, the date and perhaps include a photo of themselves. Other times, people will just leave a blank page for people to sign their name and the date on.

You would then create an entry yourself on your chosen theme to start the journal off. This usually gives people a good idea of what you would like to see in your journal. The rest of the book is left blank so that the other people in the group can create their entries in it. Each person would usually take 2 consecutive pages to create their entry on and usually holds the book for 2 or 3 weeks, giving them enough time to do their entry. It's a long process, but once you get your journal back, it is definately worth the wait!

There is also a variation to Circle Journals, which is the Circle Album. It is the same basic idea, except you send around a small album, say 8x8 or 6x6. You choose a selection of your own photos for each person (say 2 - 4 photos each) and seperate them in envelopes and number them so that each person in the group knows which envelope is theirs. They then take the photos and create a double layout in your album for you, using your photos. I've joined 2 Circle Album groups so far, and I loved it. It was great fun scrapping other peoples photos, it really made a change to scrapping my own. It was lovely having a complete album back as well. It can be helpful for when you have photos you just can't scrap yourself for one reason or another!

I keep all of my completed journals in a wooden trunk. I love opening the trunk and seeing them all there, looking fat, full and gorgeous!