Ode to the Humble Glue Stick

Stickers are key to any good journal experience

I think the glue stick might be the most overlooked and underrated of the art supplies. Well, to be more honest, *I* did not see it for it's value until recently. ⁠

⁠I saw the glue stick as a holdover from grade school, something that little kids used. But when it came time to make the things I wanted to make, it was the glue stick that came to my aid and the glue stick that saved the day. ⁠

The other day I took a short online class about different ways to make a sketchbook more than a sketchbook. The class looked at ways to add different papers, we explored the addition of envelopes to store treasures, and other fun ways to add variety and pizazz to a sketchbook.

I took the class because I wanted my daily journal to have more freedom. More doodles, small paintings, and designs, but I was having a hard time breaking out of the confines of what I thought a journal was supposed to be. 

I don’t think I am alone in this conundrum, of wanting a pretty journal filled with thoughts and doodles, so here is what worked for me.
I started small. I started by adding small emojis to the words that I was writing, or using fancy script, and things naturally grew from there as my emojis became more intricate and colorful.  

These are some of my favorite doodle paintings

The instructor for the class introduced us to paper cutting, along with stamping, the use of stickers, and other simple techniques that I haven’t thought of for years. The paper cutting though, called to me. During the class I recalled my mom telling stories about my childhood. Apparently, my mom would sit me down with scissors and a stack of catalogs and I would cut shapes for hours and hours.  There is something about the simple act of cutting and gluing that makes me so happy. I think it’s the simplicity of it, not a lot of technique, or stress, just fun.

I have used the glue stick to plant a quote garden in my journal. I found some beautiful origami paper that I had and used this paper to make a specific place in my journal to record quotes, sayings, and song lyrics that I want to remember.  I also glued an envelope into the back of my journal to keep tickets and other slips of paper that I want to hold onto. 

My Quote Garden

This journal is now my favorite “place” to spend time. It has my thoughts, feelings, ideas, drawings, paint, and glue. It’s so lovely. Where is your ultimate happy place? Please let me know in the comments below.

Happy gluing, I hope you glue your fingers together, but in a fun way,

Jill