Best Table of Contents

The cover for my seventh art journal is now finished! Last week, I think I began by saying, rashly, that it would be my best cover ever. I take that back, but I do assert that it’s my best table of contents so far! Here it is:

The finished cover for my art journal number 7

I’m so happy with it! Here’s where I left off last time:

Where I stopped last time

Something that struck me at about this point was the predominance, not only of blue and white, but of blue and white fabrics. Most of the collage pieces on the back cover (left side) were photos of fabrics from clothing catalogs. And mama rabbit’s outfit is also blue and white fabrics, since the image is from a watercolor portrait I did of my needle-felted rabbit. (See last week’s blog post for a larger photo of her here: https://www.kaarenpoole.com/post/best-cover-yet.)

The Best Table of Contents

So where did the theme of clothing fabrics lead me? To the baby rabbits’ laundry, of course. The table of contents would consist of baby clothing hanging on a clothesline! I’d write the titles of the art journal spreads on those pieces of laundry.

So I drew fifteen little pieces of baby and toddler clothes on a separate piece of paper that was the same size as the back cover. That was to ensure that, in the end, all the laundry would fit on the cover. It was really fun doing that step, sort of like drawing doll clothes.

Anyway, I cut them out and laid them on the cover to get the effect. Yes! I liked it! Onwards!

laying out the table of contents on my art journal cover

So I glued string on the back cover for the clothesline, then the bits of clothing, then painted the clothespins. I think it was a good touch to have the leftmost piece of clothing on the second clothesline slightly overlapping the line beneath it. Just a little variety, you know.

the table of contents in place

But What Else Needs Attention?

Now that the table of contents problem was solved, it was time to return to the piece overall. I thought it needed more color and also some attention to the little rabbits on the front.

For more color, I added blotches of alcohol ink, particularly pink to repeat the color of the pink flowers at the top of the back cover. Although I didn’t do it for color, I antiqued parts of the clothing by rubbing with a wet teabag, then dripped some very strong tea here and there, especially on the back cover.

I was feeling that the baby rabbits were getting lost, so I painted them. I also added blue paint around them and around the mama rabbit.

Finishing Touches

The whole time I was working on the cover, I was wondering how I would make the number “7.” I’d wanted to get a vintage enamel number tag, but couldn’t find one, so in the end I glued a quarter of a small paper doily at the top right corner of the front cover and then wrote the number. I tried to use a vintage-looking style for the number.

As for the closure, I decided on a tie. So I made two twisted cords from the same string I used for the clotheslines. To secure the ties to the covers, I selected two vintage white buttons from my extensive (!) button stash. I pushed an end of a tie up through one whole on a button then down through the other, pulling the cord through the holes just long enough to have a short tail. Then I glued them in place using Finnabair Art Basics Super Heavy Gel. This is a great product that I often use for gluing heavier or odd-shaped items.

the finished cover

Final Thoughts

When I couldn’t get the vintage enamel tag, I was soooo disappointed, as I thought it would be absolutely perfect. I even thought of making one—imitating one, that is—with polymer clay, but in the end I didn’t and I’m happy enough without it.

I really like those old white buttons. And I also really like the collage pieces behind the rabbit mom’s head. The part I glued on first was a blue and white platter image I cut from a magazine. Then, on top of that, I put a cut-out image of a napkin tied in a knot. Doesn’t it just perfectly echo the shape of the rabbit’s ears? And then there’s the sweet little flower that repeats the touches of pink.

This was so fun and rewarding. Can't wait to start on volume 8!

---

I recently started a YouTube channel and there are several videos there about art journaling, most of them around 15 to 20 minutes long. You can access my channel by clicking the button below. Why not check it out? And if you like what you see, please subscribe. Subscribing is free and helps my videos get found.

Check ouf my YouTube Channel

---

I publish a weekly email newsletter, An Artful Path, which contains brief articles on art, animals, writing, the garden, and musings on life. You can subscribe on the home page of my website (just click the button below and scroll to the bottom of the page). Don't forget to claim your thank you gift for subscribing - access to my private web page with free goodies for subscribers only. And while you're on my website, www.KaarenPoole.com, take a look around!

Visit my Website to Subscribe to my Newsletter, An Artful Path

Your email address is safe with me. I don't share that information with anyone! And you can unsubscribe at