The Perks of the Journal Pocket

Scenario: 

A couple of people (x) sit around patiently in a waiting room (y). All of a sudden, an earthquake (z) ! Nothing bad, no one was hurt, except some people were thrown out a window (the poor lads land on the grass outside, again, nothing bad).

Now if we take these x, y and z variables, something interesting happens:

if x = photographs, ticket stubs, horoscopes, postcards, the things that you want to glue onto a page when it feels right,

and y = any page of your journal that x is tucked into,

and z = accidental or unexpected shaking around of the journal, there go your bit o' paper friends!

There goes the visual additions, or the loaded paper memory vessels.

It's not a great feeling, my friends.  

Little bits of paper memorabilia are waiting for a permanent part in your journal's visual texture. 

Question: How can you help them in their paper-bits purgatory? 

Answer: How about a stylish POCKET?

I

The Found Pocket
(an oatmeal bag)

It took me many oatmeal breakfasts to realize that the bag my oats came in was extremely pretty and fit right onto a page in my journal. I cut it in half and then glued it right in, Easy Squeezy!

Going back through the journals of the past (I am currently in my fourth volume), it is an excellent idea and exercise to sort through the old pockets and find a page for those denizens to be glued to. 

The back of the journal is a very interesting place to catch a lot of these random savings that didn't seem to fit anywhere else. Some pocket denizens will never find a page to call its own, that is fine too. There's always room for one more at Mama Pocket's.

II

The Transparent Pocket
(a clear sleeve for homemade cards, sold at scrapbook stores)

My mother is a crafty woman. She scrapbooks and makes homemade cards for the holidays, graduation and wedding announcements, and other special events. She's pretty wonderful, and so is her collection of left over materials. Here I have found a clear envelope/sleeve that one would send the homemade card through the mail without the danger of soiling the paper creation, as well as being more interesting to the mailman than the typical articles of mail. So you can't see this particular pocket but it is in action there holding all of my postcard materials together. It's very discreet and works like a charm.

(I also used tape hinges to make it turn like a page.)

III

The Page Turner Pocket
(map of Prague)

Mind the big hand, it's just demonstrating the turn-able quality of this pocket in my current journal. I have noticed in the past that gluing a pocket onto a page, though sturdy and reliable, still is the loss of a page. Also, the paper in the far back of the envelope could be blocked by the front materials. 

Using a tape hinge to make the envelope flip-able settled a bunch of these problems. 

Hmm.. it seems that this is a slightly early image of this pocket. Do you see how it is positioned about mid-page? This caused problems to the bigger/longer additions in the pocket which peaked over the top edge of the page, making it vulnerable and at risk for being wrinkled, folded over or ripped. I move the pocket down so that the bottom edge was right along the bottom edge of the journal page.

IV

The Happy Ending Pocket
(a pamphlet I was saving in another pocket)

Success story: This particular pocket was crafted out of a monthly events pamphlet for the Laterna Magika (Magic Latern) Theatre in Prague, CZ. Before it upgraded to a pocket, can you believe that this charming pamphlet was once a long time pocket dweller in the journal that preceded this one here? 

Ah, it seems I jazzed it up a little with a pretty white flower, too. That's nice.

YOUR TURN!

There are many different methods to create a pocket for your journal:

1. The Found Pocket: This is the easiest method. 

It could be a pretty envelope your friend decorated and sent you in the mail, or a 6x8" manilla envelope that you cut in half and glue in. It could be an oatmeal bag! Make sure you like it first, or decorate it if you don't?

2. The Found and Folded Paper Pocket: My preferred path.

There is a wide selection of pretty or interesting paper in this world to be made into a pocket.

In the past I have used pages from fashion magazines, pamphlets, origami paper, or maps. Depending on the size of the paper, it may take half of the journal page (to accommodate for more storage), or it could be a tiny pocket for holding little papers. Hear You, Me: It's plenty fun to do a little hands-on project for your journal, don't be intimidated by the task that saves your bits o' memorabilia!