Junk Journal Making Experience at the Farmland Museum - May 2025

Yesterday's junk journal making experience taught by our guest tutor Zakiya - bookbinder & junk journal artist from Fanoggins - went really well. We had a lovely group of ladies attend and each one of them created their own unique journal under the guidance of Zakiya.

In addition to our guest tutor experiences that we host in our Blended Monkey studios, we enjoy holding some of the larger groups at the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey in Waterbeach. It's one of our favourite venues and a wonderful setting.

The classroom sits alongside a field which was occupied by a beautiful herd of cows yesterday. So alongside the soft music that we play in the background during all our experiences, we were accompanied by the occasional "moo".

The morning started with each of our students selecting various papers and ephemera to make covers for their journals. Zakiya had provided a wonderful selection of lovely papers, washi tape, ephemera, stickers ... it was like a sweet shop of colour and texture!

Just before lunch, the students each chose 25 pages for the insides of their journals. Zakiya then helped them to use the spiral binding machine to bind their pages into their covers.

After lunch, everyone enjoyed the remainder of the afternoon providing embellishments and decoration to their unique journals.

Zakiya taught the students how to make envelopes, and also how embroidery threads can be used to sew elements into the journals - whether as edging or to provide raised details (we particularly like the fish that one lady sewed in her journal).

Everyone was very much in the zone and relaxed. It's such a therapeutic craft!

Our next junk journal making experience is on Sunday 3 August - again at the Farmland Museum:

https://www.blendedmonkey.co.uk/product-page/beginner-s-junk-journalling-workshop-farmland-museum-sunday-3-august-2025

If you've not been to the museum and abbey, it's worth a visit! It's perfect for families too, with plenty of play area space & climbing equipment.

I love their garden areas, and especially their vegetable garden that sits alongside the education room where we hold our workshops.

And, just saying, Simon and I also have some ceramic and woodturned pieces in the shop alongside work form some other local makers.

All our experiences make lovely crafty GIFTS & you can also purchase open certificates so the lucky recipient can choose their own experience.

Here's the link for our gift certificates:

https://www.blendedmonkey.co.uk/product-page/blended-monkey-gift-certificates

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We can also provide private journal making experiences for parties or friend groups. We can come to you, host in the Blended Monkey studios, or at a venue of your choice!

Here's a link to the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey - https://dennyfarmlandmuseum.org.uk/

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Blended Monkey at the Farmland Museum & Denny Abbey

Buttons and threads for the junk journals

Ladies enjoying their junk journalling experience

A junk journal in the making

Busy students making their journals

Clever use of a button

Some of Zakiya's previously made journals

The cows in the field alongside the classroom

Junk journal making well underway

Lots of fab ephemera and papers

One of the lovely journals in the making

Student learning how to use the spiral binding machine

Mother and daughter enjoying the junk journalling day

Beautiful junk journal

Lovely embroidered fish

The journals as a group

Lovely junk journal in the making

The Farmland Museum kitchen garden

All the journals together - so unique and beautiful

The lovely junk journal students!

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Students enjoying their junk journalling experience

Flip through of one of the student's journals

REVIEWS

“A brilliant way to spend a Sunday - alongside  likeminded people - and a chance to learn and/or develop new skills with a knowledgeable tutor and her helpful assistant. Good venue. Plenty of space and easy to find. Thank you.”

 - Sarah -

“My Mum and I had a wonderfully relaxing day at the Junk Journal workshop set in beautiful surroundings. It didn’t matter if you were a seasoned crafter or new to this craft as it’s a small group with lots of coaching and ideas shared. Highly recommend and would give 10 stars if the app had that facility 😬”

 - Mel -