Secret Keepers: Adding Envelopes To Your Anything Book

I don't know about you, but I love envelopes. I love them in all sizes and shapes. I love commercial business envelopes and personal mail envelopes.

I love the idea that an envelope contains something that isn't known and visible. An envelope is a secret keeper. And that idea, being a secret keeper, is why I add them into so many of my Anything Books.

An envelope is meant to be opened. Every time you see an envelope, you instinctively want to open it.

Adding envelopes to your Anything Book or art journal is a great way to preserve your memories. The envelope makes a perfect storage space for small and precious items. And the envelope you choose can hold it's own memories.

Let's get started!

A string clasp envelope inserted into an Anything Book is a perfect place to keep valuable items.

When you flip through the pages of your completed Anything Book, the items you attached to the pages are all visible. But the items you stick inside an envelope are not immediately visible. You have to open the envelope to view them. And, of course, you have to know that there is something hidden inside the envelope.

The postage stamp on the front of this tiny envelope hints at secret keeper item it holds.

That's what life is like. Some things are obvious, and other things require a little more time to discover. Secret keepers are like that. It takes a little longer to learn what they hold. That's why they make a perfect addition to your Anything Book or art journal.

I collect envelopes that arrive at my home and I reuse many of them in my Anything Books. You can do the same thing. Do your bills come with a reply envelope for sending the payment? Why not keep one of them for your art journal, especially one for an important payment. Or a mundane payment. That's the beauty of recording your life. You don't have to just record the big, huge moments of life. Adding in details from the mundane, the every day, makes your art journal richer.

An envelope from inside my personal Anything Book.

I added this 1099 tax document envelope because I have people who work for me. I send out 1099 forms to several people each year. I love the placement of the windows on these envelopes. They give you just a peek at what's inside. I've decorated the front with small items and a photograph.

This envelope was attached as a tag to a piece of clothing I purchased.

It's the surprise of a small envelope that I love. When I was small, my parents would say that great things come in small packages. I feel that way about my art journal envelopes. What goes inside them is a precious photo or a bit of journaling where I've told a secret.

It's easy to add envelopes to your art journal or Anything Book.

1. Find interesting envelopes as you move through your day. Check your mail including the business reply envelopes you normally throw away.
2. Check through your mementos for the envelopes from old birthday and holiday cards from loved ones and family members. What a great way to keep their memory alive by adding the envelope to your journal.
3. Ask friends and family to start keeping interesting envelopes for you.
4. Pull together a collection of envelopes and your Anything Book or art journal.
5. Sort through them by size. It's okay for an envelope to stick out a little more than the regular pages. But in general, it's best if the envelope is slightly smaller than the regular pages.
6. Based on the layout of your pages, practice positioning your envelopes in different directions on the page. The best position might be up and down based on your book.
7. Decide if you want the front of the envelope or the back to be on top in the book. This determines if you see the front or back first when flipping through the pages.
8. Remove the page directly under where you want to place the envelope. You will use the holes in this page as a guide to punch holes in the envelope.
9. For smaller envelopes, you might only need one hole. For larger envelopes, you might need to punch two or more holes (depending on the number of book rings that make up your book binding.
10. When you are sure about how you want to position the envelope inside your Anything Book or art journal, use a standard hole punch to add holes using the page you removed as a guide.
11. Replace the page you removed and add the envelope to your art journal.
12. Begin decorating the outside and decide what you might want to put on the inside.

When I allow people to look through my personal Anything Book, I'm always surprised at how they skip over items without looking at them, and turn the page with envelopes without opening them. Perhaps they are in a hurry. Or perhaps they feel a little awkward going through something so personal.

A business reply envelope becomes a ready-made secret keeper in my art journal.

Now that I've inspired you, what sorts of envelopes will you add to your Anything Book or art journal? And what secrets will you have them keep for you?

Caraway Anything Book

Meet Caraway, a one-of-a-kind journal perfect for recording your thoughts, your stories, and your daily life. (see Caraway in my Etsy shop)

Caraway is made from a recycled Capri Sun box.

Caraway is 9 1/2 inches wide by 5 1/4 inches tall and is filled with 50 items, which means you have 100 layered pages to fill. The pages provide an inspiring background for you to record you treasures.

Caraway comes with a ring charm that includes a tiger eye donut made from a semi-precious stone.

The top binding ring contains a ring charm made up of beads and a donut made from tiger eye, a semi-precious stone. The ring binding on Caraway allows you to add in your own items. Simply remove a page as a template, and use a standard hole punch to insert your own items such as menus, letters, envelopes, product packaging, or photographs.

A receipt from the USPS adds color to this quirky journal page.

Each two-page spread contains several items to inspire you. Many of the items are narrower than the pages, adding layers of interest that show you a different background each time you turn an item. The mix of items and colors is a visual treat throughout Caraway.

Smaller items like postage stamp and a restaurant order form add visual interest.

Caraway contains an intriquing mix of recycled and upcycled materials including patterned paper, cardstock, menus, greeting cards, marketing materials, product packaging, paint chips, evelopes, postal receipt, guest check, and a door hanger. These items have been saved from the landfill and add beauty to each page of the journal.

Tabs line the journal edge so you can label pages for easy access.

The edges of Caraway are lined with paper and ribbon tags to help you find your way through the book. You can write on the tabs so you can quickly find the page containing your specific memories. Some of the pages extend beyond the book covers to add another layer of interest to this journal.

A library pocket with a decorated shipping tag.

Caraway contains a library pocket where you can stash smaller items that you don't want to glue to the pages. The pocket comes with a shipping tag that is painted and collaged--waiting for you to add your photos, ticket stubs, or other memorabilia.

Scraps of reclaimed paper from my studio add interest to the Caraway pages.

The colors inside Caraway range from greens to pinks to blues to orange to purple to red. In fact, every color of the rainbow appears inside this journal. Just turning the pages is a visual inspiration.

A Russian postage stamp coordinates with the patterned paper on inside of the cover.

Many types of small items appear to embellish the Caraway pages including washi tape, tabs, clips, postage stamps, rubber stamps, baker's twine and business cards. These small treasures inspire you to add your personal touches to Caraway.

Recycled envelopes and business reply cards are layered on patterned paper.

Envelopes like this business reply mail (above) envelope wait to hold your small trinkets and treasures. You can safely tuck things inside, or clip them to the outside, or glue them in place. It's all up to you!

The back cover shows the Anything Book name, bar code identifier, and my signature.

Like all Anything Books, Caraway takes its name from a word on an found item insider the journal. The name appears on the back above the unqiue bar code identifier, along with my signature. Caraway is a one-of-a-kind journal waiting to hold your special memories.

Visit my Etsy shop to see Caraway and my other Anything Books.

Valentine's Day Commision

A friend of mine commissioned me to make an Anything Book for her husband for Valentine's Day. Of course, I was thrilled to help her out.

Here's the cover with the ring charm and book belt.

He's a huge Dr. Pepper fan, so I started out with a cover made from a fridge box. She told me a few of his favorite things and that his favorite color is green. So with that jumping off point, I went through my stash.

I added a green book belt to hold the pages together while he carries his journal around with him. As it gets filled up with items and grows bulky, the book belt will help to hold his treasures inside and keep them safe.

A local area map lets an IKEA ad peek out and a luggage tag overlays a patterned page page.

Normally, I love the mish mash of colors, but it was a lot of fun to see what I could do focused around a single color. I love the way the map colors pull out the colors of the striped paper (above).

A Russian postage stamp pulls out the blue distressing on this polka dot paper.

The recipeint is a journal keeper, so I added in extra journaling sections of blank pages. The vertical shape makes this Anything Book perfect for someone who like to write a lot. With this shape, it's more like writing in a tablet. You can keep a journal in a horizontal Anything Book, of course, but it's a different writing experience. And I'm all for mixing up experiences, too.

A green paint chip adorned with baker's twine hides part of an Apple advertisement.

Some company brochures and marketing materials are so beautiful that I love to incorporate them into the Anything Books. Apple is one of those companies. The green paint chip pops against this ad and the baker's twine adds a touch of elegance.

In the center you can see the rich assortment of materials that went into this Anything Book. 

Photos like this of the depth of the book are my favorites. I love seeing the mix of materials that came together for this book. I also love the variety of materials that made up the page tabs on this book (below).

An outdated London travel guide adds a reminder of the recipient's favorite place to visit.

Her husband love to visit London, so I added in a page from an outdated London travel guide for some memory triggers. There wasn't much green on this page, so I added a paper strip to the bottom of the page, attached with washi tape that brings the brown into the green area.

An envelope with a string closure provides a safe place to tuck away small treasures.

I have a few favorite books that I like to use. On the left is a page from a mythology book that is filled with interesting illustrations. Even the printed pages are beautifully laid out. The variety of colors makes it easy to accent the green in this two-page spread.

This Anything Book has its unique bar code identifier and its name on the back cover.

Inside this book, I found the word "Thames" which is the name of the river that flows through London. So I named this Anything Book: Thames. Like all Anything Books, it has a bar code with a unique identifier on the back, along with my signature.

I got the sweetest note back from my friend after her husband received his gift. I'm honored to have a small part in helping her celebrate her love and her marriage.

Would you like to commission an Anything Book for a special person or event in your life? Check out my Etsy store for details.

Heartstrings Anything Book

Here's my freshest Anything Book straight from the studio. (see Heartstrings in my Etsy shop)

An Anything Book made from a recycled Mike and Ike freezer pops box.

 Today, I was inspired by the bright colors on this recycled Mike and Ike freezer pops box to make a cheery Anything Book. This book is 7 3/4 inches high by 4 1/4 inches wide, making it the ideal format for journaling. It has four journaling sections for writing longer thoughts and memories, mixed into its 50 items. With each item, you can scrap or journal on each side, giving you 100 pages (or sides) to work with.

The charms include a glass bead, a music note, a bone bead and a leaf point.

The trim on this one is a charm on plumbing chain and it includes a musical note. The open edge has many colorful tabs, file folders, and ribbons as page markers. You can write on the tabs to identify sections of this book.

The mix of materials include papers, file folders, book pages, and marketing materials.

Most of the pages in this Anything Book are full size, but there are a few places with layering. In the photo above, the pineapple is part of a file folder cut down as an overlay over a brown cardstock page. On the reverse side, the file folder has a green leaf scroll patterns.

There are recycled reply cards, a return mail envelope and this air mail envelope waiting to hold treasures.

 This delightful Anything Book contains a wide range of patterns papers, cardstock, book pages, and marketing materials linked together by color. Under the air mail envelope in the photo above is a page from a foreign language book. You can see the variety of tabs along the edges on both sides.

A page decorated with a stamp and overlaid with a product tag.

Each two-page spread is color coordinated to give you a beautiful backdrop to add your words, found items, photographs, and memories. Each turn of the page reveals yet another striking combination of fun and inspiring materials waiting to hold your treasures.

Found items like calendars, greeting cards, and playing cards get a new life in this Anything Book.

The Heartstrings Anything Book takes its name from an item inside the book. I'll let you discover the item on your own. Its pages are embellished with washi tape, postage stamps, paper remnants, business cards, and clips to give it a unique look.

The unique bar code identifier and name make this one-of-a-kind journal even more special.

 Like all of my Anything Books, Heartstrings is signed by me and has a bar code with it's unique identification code. It also comes with a book belt, a lime green rubber band that holds the pages closed and keeps your treasures safe.

Tabs make it easy for you to jump right to the section you want. Write on them for easy access to your memories.

You can add your own words with the ultra-fine tip permanent marker included with this Anything Book. I'll also send you an archival quality glue stick so you can add in your own found items, photographs, and even the menu from your favorite restaurant.

A glimpse at the range of materials and colors waiting for you inside the Heartstrings Anything Book.

Because of the book ring binding, you can insert your own pages. Simply open the rings and take out a page for a template. Use a standard hole punch to add holes to your treasure, and insert it into Heartstrings where you want it. If you book starts to get too bulky, you can upsize the book rings to 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 inch book rings which you can find at most office supply stores or in the office supplies section of discount and department stores.

Check out my Etsy shop for the Heartstrings Anything Book and others like it. They make wonderful gifts.

Travilla Anything Book

Here's a great Anything Book for the logical, left-brained, and mathematical person. Travilla is an Anything Book made from a calculator box!

The Travilla Anything Book has a ring charm and a book belt.

The Travilla cover has a shiny plastic coating, so it was a bit tricky to photograph it without lots of glare. My apologies for this. It measures 5 3/4 wide by 7 3/4 tall and has a ring charm with an assortment of beads and an elephant charm.

An air mail envelope provides a space to hide treasures safely inside.

The larger and nearly square size of this Anything Book makes it great for a combination of journaling and scrapbooking (or smashing) your daily treasures. Many of the two-page spreads have layers, meaning that there are narrow pages in-between the full size pages. This give you more space for attaching things.

On the right is a page from a photo book layered over the full size page underneath.

Like all Anything Books, Travilla has 50 items inside, meaning you get 100 sides to hold your thoughts, inspiration, photographs, and items from your every day life. The green book belt holds the book closed, and keeps your treasures safe as it gets bulky. The ring binding also allows you to insert your own items. Simply remove a pag for a template, and use a standard hole punch to make holes.

A look into the variety of materials inside Travilla through the binding.

Travilla contains a wide variety of materials including patterned paper, solid paper, journaling (blank) pages, foreign language book page, file folder, luggage tag, playing card, shipping tag, and a library pocket. The pages are embellished with washi tape, baker's twine, recycled silk yarn (from Nepal), postage stamp, tabs and clips.

Patterned paper joins with a greeting card to create an interesting mix of materials to inspire you.

Travila would make a great smash-style journal. Let the pages and items be the background for capturing the story of your daily living. You might use a two-page spread for a week and attach items like your grocery list, a photo of you with your friends, the ticket stub from a movie, or a recipt from your dinner out. Your imagination is the limit. Travilla would hold a year's worth of memories.

The edges are lined with paper and ribbon tabs to help you move through Travilla and label sections.

Are you making a lifestyle change? It doesn't matter if you are stopping smoking, training for a marathon, losing weight, or going vegan. Travilla would make a great journal to record your thoughts and progress towards you goal. Be sure to add in photos to capture your progress along the way.

A page from an outdated San Francisco travel guide provides a beautiful background for your own items.

By adding in pages from books, like the San Francisco travel guide page above, each time your turn the page you discover a surprise. Why not add in new pages that tell the story of your life. With ring binding, it's easy to incorporate new pages. You can even upsize the book rings to 1 1/4 or 1 1/2 rings you can find in most office supply stores or the office supply area of discount stores. Travilla can grow with you!

On the left you an see a vellum page that lets you add some transparency to see through to the page below.

You can use the vellum page (seen here on the left) to hold a collection of stickers or stamps or anything else small. You can line up things on each side of the page so you can see through the gaps to the page below. The vellum gives you a fun page to experiment with your artistic flair.

A library pocket with a shipping tag has recycled silk yarn from Nepal.

Inside the library pocket you'll find a decorated shipping tag from my studio. You can use it hold wallet size photos, or other small items. Or perhaps you can write your favorite quote on it and use it like a book mark in Travilla or another book. There's plenty of room inside the library card to hold other items, too.

A postage stamp adds color and interest to a Travilla page.

Travilla has two journaling sections where you can collect more of your thoughts or inspirational quotes or stories from your daily living. Need more writing room? Add more journaling pages. Travilla can be anything you want it to be.

Like all Anything Books, Travilla has a unique identifier on the back along with its name and my signature.

I sign and date each Anything Book before it leaves my studio. I keep an inventory of the Anything Books using the unique identifier in the bar code label. My Anything Books are truly one-of-a-kind and unlike any other journal or scrapbook you will find.