Spur of the Moment Inspiration

My happy new paper stash.

Yesterday, I bought some fun new paper at a local art shoppe.  I was putting them away in my studio this morning when I happened to come across a stash of mini marbled composition notebooks I have.  They are about the size of an index card and would fit so nicely in a pocketbook or by the phone.

I bought them some time ago with the intention of collaging them.  One of those projects that got set aside. When I saw them this morning, I had a sudden inspiration of what I wanted to do with them.  Since it's Saturday, and there is nothing I have to do, I set to work right away.  I got so engrossed that an hour had gone by before I knew it and my fingers were frozen.  (To save on polluting oil consumption, we leave the heat in the basement studio turned way down and I was too engrossed to remember to turn it on!)  The happy result of my hour's work was four little journals.

I used my Xyron adhesive machine from Michael's to adhere vintage sheet music to the front and back of each mini journal.  I then used book binder's tape to finish the left bound edge.  I then sponged a little black ink all around the other three edges, front and back.  I color copied (on my printer) and reduced four vintage newspaper fashion pattern ads from the 50's and applied adhesive to them as well.  I cut up four vintage envelopes, saving the cancelled stamp and postmark and applied adhesive to them.  Each journal received a stamp with cancellation wave, postmark and a fashion advertisement.

For the back, I stamped a vintage Dennison gummed label with my "Vintage Whispers Correspondence by Grandma's Girl Collections" (yup, that's me) logo, applied adhesive (the old gum surface just doesn't stick on its own anymore) and applied it to the back of the journal.

I plan on selling these at the Cooperage in Townsend, MA and hopefully, after I make a bunch more, on the Etsy site I hope to get up and running by the end of the month.  Each journal will be sold tied with a piece of vintage ric-rac around it.  Any feedback from you all on a fair asking price?  I'd love your thoughts.