What Have You Got in Your Pockets?
I like to carry stuff around in my journal. I’m not sure if anyone else does this, but I love carrying stickers and little bits and pieces I pick up in the course of my day. At this moment I have some stickers, a couple of recommended reading lists, some bookmarks and a list of prompts tucked into the pages of my journal. These items are important to me right now. I don’t know why I forgot about it, but I used to glue an envelope into the back cover of my journal just for these kinds of things.
Today I received a funky envelope in the mail. I kept on looking at it and thought what a shame it’d end up in the rubbish bin. Not until later, as I sat at my favourite cafe, did it hit me exactly what I should use that envelope for; stashing my stuff, of course. I pulled out my glue stick, which I always carry with me, sealed the envelope, snipped off the top, decorated the front, and stuck it onto the back cover of my current journal. I promise to share a photo later, but the batteries of my digital camera are flat.
In fact, the process got me thinking. Envelopes make neat little surprises inside your journal. Why not glue in envelopes to hold your special memories from the day? You could stash whatever you feel like inside them; notes from your loved ones; movie or concert tickets; flower petals and leaves; business cards; invitations; confetti from a wedding you attended; a mini-book; newspaper or magazine clippings; or scraps of paper covered in doodles. What a joy to stumble on these little envelopes later while rereading your journals.
You can do as I did and use an already constructed envelope. Craft stores sell gorgeous little envelopes perfect for using in your journals. Or you can make your own. Check out these templates and these. I hope you see something to inspire you there. Don’t forget you can make envelopes out of anything you have on hand. Why not try making one out of a napkin, a greeting card or wrapping paper.
Related Stories
POSTED IN: General: Journal Writing
3 opinions for What Have You Got in Your Pockets?
Lei
Sep 15, 2005 at 4:11 am
I have a Moleskine journal that has a built in accordian envelope in the back, but I used to glue in envelopes just as you described to store love letters or whatnot.
Heather
Sep 15, 2005 at 9:38 am
That would be useful to have the pocket/envelope already in the back of the journal. ;-)
A Creative Journal » Prompts Everywhere You Look
Jan 10, 2007 at 5:43 am
[…] You can snip them out of magazines and stash them in the pocket in the back of your journal to use later, even if you don’t end up entering. Not all of the competitions are boring. I won this book by writing about something I really enjoy when I’m sitting around with the family in the evenings. If the prompt itself seems a bit narrow, use your imagination and write about an aspect of the question. Really, the idea is simply to write on something you might not normally consider. […]
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: