By Sharmini Jayawardena
โฆI move from Brick 
Books to Book Pots to Box Books, Miniature books and Vintage Books to enter in to an entirely new genre in book making 
, which is Junk/Art Journaling 
and eventually, to My Fairy 
Handbook!!! Book binding by hand 
, not excluding!
https://www.leafblogazine.com/2020/02/23/boys-junk-journal/
Thereโs no saying this is the end, either. I wonder what will appear next , as I continue to be educated and inspired by Pinterest.
This book making has been a most exciting pursuit and Iโm determined to explore all that it has to offer, as I venture deeper and deeper into its recesses with absolutely no fear or favor 
, as the saying goes.
Next on the agenda is a book collage inspired by patchwork book shelf wall hangings, which involves needle and thread 
! Now, Iโm a bit vary about this area of work/play, however good I may be with needle and thread! It involves acquiring specific skills, tools like frames and needles, and material like backing and purpose made thread and so on. I really am not interested in procuring new items to work with, at this stage. Working with scraps acquired by chancing on them quite by accident, as in found items or by swapping with other like minded enthusiasts, and working with leftovers from previous artsy craftsy projects, is more like my cup of tea 
As I venture into this hitherto unknown area of my life, as I would like to call it , I will keep you posted and updated as to what travails and tribulations I stumble into or stumble upon , while treading this all too magical 
path.
Let me start with the Book Shelf collage for which Iโm in the process of gathering scraps, right now.
My idea 
is to come up with anything from 8 to 10 books on a shelf of varying sizes, along with odds and ends like a lighted candle 
, a potted plant 
, a cup of tea on a cloth doily, a framed picture, and the like.
I will work with different colors and textures of paper, board from discarded cereal 
and other boxes, cloth and some needle work, and printables of stencils, print outs, to begin with. I like working with mixed mediums or mixed media.
Possibly, a combination of elements of the different design styles, of, shabby chic, boho chic, vintage chic, industrial chic and steampunk will go into making my junk journal.
Iโve decided to make a trip to the flea market at the basement of AmCorp mall, in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, to find myself some nice pieces of antique locks with keys and such to decorate my junk journal with. I hope 
my hunt for antiques will turn out successful.
Ok. Now, here I am cutting out a cloth book spine of cream color silk to be decorated with stitched title to the book and additional colored cloth parts to the spine including the seams right round.
Iโve decided on the titles so far as being: VitaBella, Lindt, Tillamook Mudslide, Arm
and Hammer 
, The Silk Route, Journey of a Seed, Food for Thought 
and Your Microbiota. Thatโs just the books 
alone. I guess it can be filled with the odds and ends Iโve already spoken of.
You see, just as I said, itโs going to be something really different . Think 
about the bizarre prospect of uniting supermarket shelves with library shelves!!! 
Neither are self explanatory. Meaning we are what we eat after all. At least as far as the saying goes.
Besides, the new findings are that your microbiota directly communicates with your brain 
as to what the stomach microbiome wants to be fed with!
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3983973/
So, in effect, this collage of mixed mediums is also one 
of mixed ideas , telling an unusual story!
Keep your eyes 
open for what happens next. Iโm flying by the seat 
of my pants
, as it were, here. Just as I do in my writing 
Here is another vintage book of mine while in the making.
