The Jambalaya Journal #1

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ Welcome to the Jambalaya Journal Series! ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

This swap was born out of my previous swaps titled "Send a Journal Spread" with a better focus on the goal of the swap series with a better explanation of my idea. Plus I thought up a catchy name to hopefully bring in the kind of creative journal people who enjoy this kind of thing!

This swap is for long-time journal enthusiasts AND newbies who want to get into journaling! It's more for those who enjoy being creative and artsy in their journals, but is NOT based on skill! So please! Don't shy away if you feel your artistic abilities aren't "enough"! All skill levels are welcome! :)

THE IDEA:

Each swap in this series you will be making and receiving one journal spread. Over time you'll build up a collection of journal spreads from different people that you can bind together into it's own journal (There are many wonderful bookbinding tutorials on youtube), thus a Jambalaya Journal! It is entirely up to you how many swaps you participate in and if you decide to bind them together. It is what I will be doing with the spreads I receive and I'm so excited to have a beautiful collection of journal spreads made by others from all around the world all in one book!

🦋 Jambalaya Noun (figuratively) A miscellaneous assortment or collection of things.

WHAT IS A "JOURNAL SPREAD"?

A journal spread is two pages of a journal when the book is lying flat and open. You'll be making a spread like you would make in your own journal, but it's on a single sheet of paper that's folded longways to make a "book".

This is SENDER'S CHOICE. It is entirely up to the sender to make it however they'd like, whether that'd be more like an art page, a page with lists, stream of consciousness, a day in their life, a memory, favorite quote, etc. As long as you're putting effort into it so that you would be proud to have it in your own journal, thus it would be something someone else would enjoy receiving.

You will have one partner to send one folded 8.5x11 journal page spread to. You will have ten days from swap close to mail by date.

THE JAMBALAYA JOURNAL SERIES

I am planning on hosting these swaps around once a month, every month! However I am also pregnant due in September, so expect to see me take a break for a bit during that time. :)

INSTRUCTIONS

1 🌼 Paper! One 8.5"x11" printer paper, sketch paper, whatever paper you have that's 8.5"x11". Fold in half with the long size horizontal and now you're ready to decorate and write on the inside!

2 🌼 Decorate! paint, stamp, glue in textures, pictures, use washi tape, stickers, draw doodles, etc. Be Creative and Have Fun! ~Please put effort into this, not just throwing down a few stickers! Make something you would be proud to have in your own journal! You only need to decorate the insides of the "book" you made.

3 🌼 Write! Journal about your day, answer a couple journal prompts you can easily find online, or write about what's on your mind, stream of consciousness, however you love to journal!

4 🌼 Mail it to your partner by the deadline! A 6"x9" mailer envelope works great for this kind of swap!

REQUIREMENTS

Swappers with well filled out profiles and at least ten (10) completed swaps and ratings. Swapper must have at least a 4.97 rating and no unexplained 3s or unresolved 1s within the past 6 months. I will check profiles before assigning the partners and reserve the right to remove those that do not meet the requirements. (Please feel free to message me to explain a recent low rating if you would like to be considered) No flakers!

Remember to include the swap name and your swap-bot username in your swap so your partner can rate you quickly!

RATING PARTNERS

If you receive a journal page within a reasonable time frame that is decorated and written on based on the instructions rate them a 5. If your partner put a lot of effort into the journal page, consider giving them a heart! ♥ Remember this is sender's choice! Your partner's design or what they wrote about may not be quite your cup of tea, please still give them a fair rating. PLEASE communicate with your partner if there is any delay in getting their swap to them!

🐸 I will angel if necessary. Please reach out to me with any issues. Happy swapping! 🐸