Meet the Maker | 2019

This was my first year participating fully in #MarchMeettheMaker on Instagram. Last year I just wrote out my responses to all of the prompts in two big blog posts, but this time I wanted to do it the right way. I was able to post every single day (even during periods of burn-out and the social media apocalypse on March 13th). Even though I did follow the rules, I still wanted to collect everything here. So I copied each of the daily captions (and lightly edited them) and uploaded the appropriate photos to compile this massive recap post.

Here's the official prompt list:

This year there was a handy worksheet to take notes for each day and it was so helpful! It was a little more classy than just writing messy notes on scrap paper (which is what I ended up doing last year). Just for fun I scanned my completed worksheet from the end of the month--read to the bottom to see it. I broke up the captions and single photos into groups of three for ease of reading. Feel free to head over to my Instagram to view the full photo sets for certain days, and to see product mentions for any featured for sale items.

Day 1: Favorite to Make Although there isn't much making involved besides cutting, I really enjoy putting together journal kits. Selecting a theme of papers and bits of ephemera can be so relaxing. I also love the idea of sealing up a little envelope of goodies for someone else to explore.

Day 2: How You Started I only started making my current style of journals two years ago, but I began altering books and playing with papers long before then. During middle school and high school I fussy cut images from magazines to make collages and greeting cards. Right before starting college I began altering books and creating photo albums for trips or important events. Then I took a break to focus on other interests and studies. A few years later I took a four week college course in traditional bookbinding, where I learned how to make a book cover and stitch pages together. After another brief break I sorted through my massive paper hoard and created five junk journals as Christmas presents for myself and family members. That fueled my addiction for sourcing papers and putting together diaries, and I've been creating them ever since.

Read my Bookbinding Evolution post for a more in-depth explanation.

Day 3: Flatlay I post flatlays of my own products nearly every day. So today I thought I would share some fancy books that I have on my shelf (that will not get turned into junk journals). One is a gorgeous antique book called "The Loves of Great Composers" and the other is a reprint of the Baroque "On Playing the Flute".

Day 4: Materials & Tools Some of these are necessary for journal binding, and others are things I enjoy decorating with. I do have a blog post about my top 5 most used supplies. And many of these things are already in it!

Day 5: Detail or Close Up This is something I definitely don't focus on as much as I should. I usually like to show the big picture--either a full spread or a journal with other props.

Day 6: Full or Part Time Creativity in itself is a full time job. I'm always sourcing materials, planning products, and piecing things together. But I am not currently in a place to be living off my art. I don't mean this statement to be negative--I appreciate every little bit of support that has gotten me this far (and I'm going to keep creating no matter what). Things take time to grow, and that's okay.

Day 7: Less Glam Side For this prompt I was initially thinking of the pajamas that I wear more often than not to work in. But supply storage is another big one! Even though I have an entire small room and closet dedicated to crafting, organization can still be a challenge. I have two separate shelving units and a rolling cart to store most of my loose papers, tools, and finished products. But at the moment a few of those shelves are messily stacked and not so pretty to look at. Visibility definitely makes it easier to find what I'm looking for though!

Day 8: Product Range I've expanded my products quite a bit over the past 6 months (and definitely over the past year!). Although they are all paper-based, there's a little of everything for nearly everyone. Junk journals were the first thing I added to my shop after I changed focus (and eventually rebranded). Then I began making and curating traveler's notebook inserts, altered books, ephemera packs, and digital downloads. My most recent additions were pennant banners and hand cut envelopes. Some of the items compliment each other, while others are usable for a variety of projects or events. And since there are a number of price points, most of my items are accessible to all types of journalers.

Day 9: Story Behind the Name Home Bound Journals is actually my second business name. I started out with very different products, but always had a big focus on repurposing items. Cadenza Dolce was very girly and sweet. It worked with my teacup candles, soaps, yoga mat bags, and catch-all dishes. But once I started making journals to sell, I realized that name wouldn't fit anymore. So I changed it to the name you see today. The idea behind it was that I bind journals at home. I've actually had someone ask if I was stuck at home or caring for someone--literally homebound. Nope! That just happens to be where my workspace is. I can't say that I wasn't also drawn to the end-of-an-adventure side of the meaning. Craving home or something comforting, as journaling often can be.

Day 10: You I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little (irrationally) nervous about this one. I'm not afraid to show my face, but I don't pose for photos very often! So here I am! My name is Kirstin, I'm in my late twenties, and I live in Arizona. Creating has always been a major part of my life. I spent much of my grade school days playing instruments and writing short stories. During college I gravitated towards darkroom photography and visual arts. And now I'm working with old book pages and fancy papers. When I'm not creating I enjoy baking, walking in the forest, and exploring abandoned structures.

Day 11: Reducing Waste My products are all about giving unwanted things a new life! I purchase books, lace ribbon, and sewing patterns secondhand from local shops (and even stuff them in a reusable shopping bag). I use as much of each material as possible once it's been deconstructed, and I recycle what I can. I also use sewing pattern tissue as packing filler or to wrap journals. I even purchase some of my props secondhand (like this beautiful fawn broach--even though it wasn't originally a prop)! My process is not completely waste-free though. I still have to order brand new papers and materials and dispose of some book covers and bindings that can't be recycled or used. As cliche as it is, every little step can make a difference. Plus, thinking of new ways to use an item can be a lot of fun!

Day 12: Hands at Work I had to dig out my tripod for this one! Most of the journal binding process isn't very interesting to look at. There's a lot of measuring and trimming with a paper cutter. But there's something so satisfying about stitching and completing a book.

Day 13: Photography Switching my mind from fine art photography to product shots has been an interesting transition. I have years of experience behind a camera, but I'm still learning the digital side of things. I'm also not used to arranging my own scenes, as I always strived to capture things exactly how I found them. So the change to putting together flatlays and product images has been both fun and challenging! As far as gear, I mostly just use my phone for social media posts. It's now out of date in the tech world, but the image quality is just fine. My website, blog, and Etsy shop are filled with DSLR shots. I use a basic (also out of date) body with a lens that I originally purchased for nighttime photography--it works for any low light situation, and can get really pretty blurred backgrounds. I photograph all of my product images against either a white poster board or a wood cabinet shelf that is currently not in use. Editing is done either on my phone or in Lightroom (and occasionally Photoshop). 📱: iPhone 6S 📷: Nikon D3300 / 35mm 1.8 lens

Day 14: How I Learned Here is one of my most recently finished notebooks! Though I had a few outside influences, a lot of my style and technique is self taught. During high school I made a lot of collages and checked out artsy instruction books from the library--some of those included altered books, which I shared on Day 2. And in college I took a brief bookbinding course to get the basics of stitching and making a cover. A few years ago Johanna's "Making a Journal For Beginners" was recommended to me on YouTube and I was so inspired by her style and use of household trash (product boxes) that I started making junk journals. I had taken a break from paper-based art (aside from photography) during that time, but I'm so glad I got back into it. Since then I've just been experimenting with different sizes and covers. I learned how to carefully take a bound book apart and reconstruct a new spine. I also learned embellishment techniques such as sewing lace ribbon to paper! But being creative is a full time process--I'll always learn something new as long as I continue making.

Day 15: Motivation / Goals As simple as it may sound, a lot of my motivation comes from pretty vintage books. Sourcing materials is one of my favorite parts of the creative process. If I come across a beautiful field guide or children's storybook I'm usually driven to make something new with it right away. My goals at the moment are fairly simple as well. I've been working on a spring collection and I'm planning to release it in a week or so. Eventually I would love to have journal making be a full-time thing--either by selling them myself or having my products in physical shops--but I can't put an official date on that transition. Until then I'm just going to obsess over these houseplant guide pages and stitch more notebooks.

Day 16: Workspace Technically today's prompt is to show our workspace in a messy or tidy way, but I would be lying if I said I didn't mind showing the mess. But mostly all of these images are organized because I don't currently have a big project sitting on my desk (that will definitely change in a few days though!). I shared a little bit of my material storage on Day 7, but here's a little more insight into my craft room! (Apologies for the lighting--the sun gets pretty bright in here most of the day.) I have a big desk in front of the window and most of my supplies are kept on a rolling cart and shelving unit right near the desk. All of my finished products and shipping supplies are kept in the closet, either stacked or in tubs. At the moment I have 6 plants hanging out in my room--they definitely help liven up the space. I'm grateful to have all this room to create, but my current set up isn't always ideal. I'll take what I can get!

Day 17: What I'm Working On I don't have a specific item in the works to share, but I do have an exciting announcement. These past few weeks I've been in the process of putting together a spring collection. I have three altered book junk journals made and two in progress. This collection will also include a new ephemera pack and traveler's notebook inserts.

Day 18: Mistake or Lesson Today's prompt is going to be very literal, because this mistake led to a lesson that still affects my journal making today. About a year ago I received a message on Etsy to make a large custom order. I only had a few journals listed at the time, but was excited to try something new. They requested 12 traveler's notebook inserts in a certain style, each with 80 pages. Without thinking I counted out the maximum amount of pages that would easily fold into each book: 60. The customer was fine with this slight change so I went ahead and purchased the papers. But the way I counted them was half of what they should have been--I counted two pages per single, unfolded sheet of paper, meaning each notebook I actually completed had a total of 120 pages. A sheet of paper technically makes four usable sides once it's stitched into a journal, and my oversight gave away a fantastic deal. The lesson here is triple check every stage of your work. And don't undersell yourself! Because if you accidentally give out more materials than intended you might be about to learn something crucial.

Day 19: Dream Collaboration Oh gosh, so many options! It would be amazing to collaborate with other small businesses that source vintage books and papers, create or curate stationary supplies, or bookshops that have a journal section. I'm not sure I'm quite at that level yet, but one day I would love to be.

Day 20: Design Process This is a tough one, since a lot of ideas just go through my head and rarely get drafted out. Once I have an idea for something I rarely change my mind during the creation stage. Inspiration usually strikes from finding a pretty book cover or beautiful book pages. Then I pick the patterned and blank papers to match and stitch everything together.

Day 21: Throwback The suitcase that started it all! (Sort of.) I used this garage sale find to display my products the very first time I participated in the Highlands Center Holiday Bazaar. The candles were a hit and the suitcase got a few compliments as well. I had to dig a little bit for these atrocious photos of some of my original crafts. I had no experience with product photography, but in 2011/2012 the standards for photos of crafted goods were pretty low (as far as I remember anyway). Tea cup candles were my first product, then herbal soaps, greeting cards, earrings, and yoga mat bags. Before thinking about the shipping nightmare, I listed some tea cup candles on Etsy. Luckily no one purchased any. What did end up selling well were yoga mat bags. After selling 11 in a fairly short amount of time I just stopped making them. Missed opportunity? Perhaps. But journals are much more fun to craft and I'm glad I made the switch.

Day 22: Proud Of I don't have any major, single accomplishments under my belt yet, so I would have to say sticking with it and putting myself out there. I've participated in quite a few craft fairs at this point and I'm glad for every experience I've had. I don't think I officially said anything, but one of the recent shows was a bit of a flop. I had heard horror stories about other creators not even making back their entry fee and it finally happened to me. Admittedly the show was not nearly on the scale of other failures, but it was still a little disheartening. Will I be participating in that show again? No, I will not. But I appreciate the experience I gained from participating and not succeeding, and I'm proud to say I tried it.

Day 23: Top Tip or Advice This one reflects a little bit on yesterday's post: go for it! Even if you're just doing it for yourself or people in your personal life, keep creating. Along with this, look at other works within your medium (or types of art that you enjoy). Find inspiration in what others are making--you may think of a new material, technique, or color palette to experiment with. I don't mean to copy--think of it more like critiques in a college course. It can be beneficial to engage in whichever community you find yourself in. Learn from other perspectives and mistakes. Even if you aren't sure what you're doing at first, just try it.

Day 24: Customers / Feedback I want to start off by saying thank you to every customer I have ever had the pleasure of packaging an item for. I get a little burst of excitement when I see an order from a repeat customer, and I'm so glad that my journals inspire others enough that they return for more (I've even had a few repeat buyers at local shows that remembered my booth from the previous year!). Seeing that a customer has reviewed an item is also exciting. Knowing that something was given as a gift or used for a specific project is heartwarming. Alternatively, receiving a comment about how certain aspects could be improved in the future is invaluable. So, thank you!

Day 25: How It's Made I've already shared this tutorial, but the easiest thing for this prompt is a simple pocket sized notebook. All of my journals use a pamphlet stitch--even the hardcover ones. So it's also crucial to bookbinding.

Day 26: Self Care I had written down for this one pacing yourself. But in all honesty, taking a break for a few hours or a few days (or longer depending on circumstances) is totally viable too. So since I've been posting every single day for this challenge, I'm not going to say much more for today!

Day 27: Anything Goes I didn't have anything planned for today's prompt, but I found the perfect thing when deconstructing a new (to me) vintage book last night. How lovely is this flatlay? I found it in a 1977 edition of a Time-Life Encyclopedia of Gardening book about perennials. Definitely ahead of its time!

Day 28: Packaged Wrapping orders is one of my favorite parts of having a shop. Recently I have been using tissue paper and embellishing with book page scraps and stickers matching the theme of the item(s). Most journal or notebook orders are sent with a little item receipt (these ones are from Tabiyo Shop!) and a thank you note on the back. First time customers get a business card as well. I love the idea that every order is a gift--even if the recipient is themselves. Each wrapped item is then put into a cardboard or bubble mailer (soon to be larger cardboard) or a box. A lot of my packing materials are reused air-filled pockets or bubble wrap, but I also upcycle sewing pattern tissue or ball up kraft wrapping paper. Since my items focus on reusing and reducing waste I try my best to reflect that in my shipping materials.

Day 29: Most Difficult to Make Altered books, by far. But the difficulty is more related to precision and care. A lot of vintage books are fairly easy to take apart (especially if they were well loved), but sometimes the pages are secured a little too well. Most of my Readers Digest journals had to have new spines created because I wasn't able to remove the pages carefully enough. I almost always recover the spines in archival bookcloth, so this often eases the process. Here's a few details from one of my recent altered book journals. This one was antique and I had to be extra careful when taking the pages out. The cover was gently cleaned and sealed, and the inside was prepped for new pages to be added. I put some metal corner covers on and stitched the paper in. Each step alone isn't difficult, but keeping everything cohesive and tidy is the real challenge.

Day 30: Support My family and friends have always been supportive of the arts--many of them are artists as well. So it's no surprise that they have also encouraged my creations. My mom frequently goes thrift shopping with me (where I find most of my books and lace ribbons). Both my friend and my mom have shown their own crafts alongside me at local shows. I also can't talk about support without including my lovely customers. I probably wouldn't still be creating what I do without their purchases and kind words. Thank you!

Day 31: Product in Use/Wild Oh my goodness, March Meet the Maker is already over?! It's been so fun participating this year and getting a behind the scenes on the ups and downs of creative businesses. And of course seeing all of the amazing artworks! To show one of my products in use I wanted to share some journal spreads from my personal traveler's notebook. I use it somewhat like a diary--to write important events to remember or to collect little scraps of pretty or memorable papers, receipts, and tags.

And that's it! I will definitely be participating again next year. It can sometimes be a struggle to find things to post when you set goals to share new images daily, and these prompts were fun to play around with.

Here's the messy worksheet promised above: