Master Board Book No. 3 – Double-Sided Handmade Junk Journal Master Board & Ephemera Book

A Book Made to Become Something Else

Sometimes more isn't really the point.

Sometimes a smaller collection gives every individual piece a little more room to shine.

Master Board Book No. 3 contains just eight large pages—but this time, there is no quiet side.

Both sides of every page have been transformed into traditional junk journal master boards, built from small pieces of paper layered together until the original pages became something entirely new.

Soft neutrals meet faded pinks, bits of printing, florals, hand-colored surfaces and unexpected scraps. Turn a page over and the collage simply continues.

That means there is no front and back when you eventually reach for the scissors.

Choose whichever side speaks to you.

Or don't choose at all.

Sometimes both sides are worth keeping.

About This Book

Master Board Book No. 3 is a one-of-a-kind handmade master board book created by Butterfly in the Attic for junk journaling, collage, ephemera making and creative reuse.

This book contains 8 large pages measuring approximately 11 × 8½ inches, and unlike the first two Master Board Books, both sides of every page are decorative master boards.

Each surface was created in the traditional junk journal master-board style by layering and gluing many smaller pieces of paper together.

The materials include the same wonderful mixture used throughout this collection—found papers, upcycled papers, vintage pieces, hand-dyed papers and miscellaneous scraps gathered over time.

Because both sides are completely collaged, every page gives you two decorative surfaces to work with.

Keep the book together and you have a wonderfully unusual foundation for further collage and mixed-media work.

Take it apart and you have eight large, double-sided handmade master boards ready to become something else.

This Time, Both Sides Are Decorative

This is what makes Master Board Book No. 3 different from the first two books in the collection.

There is no designated writing side.

Instead, the collage continues on both sides of all 8 pages.

That makes this particular book especially well suited to makers who plan to harvest the pages for handmade ephemera.

When you cut a tag, journal card, pocket or other piece from one of these master boards, you don't necessarily need to cover the reverse.

Turn it over and there is another handmade composition waiting for you.

Of course, you can still add a small piece of writing paper wherever you want journaling space—or simply allow both sides to remain decorative.

Keep the Book—or Take It Apart

As with all of the Master Board Books, you have complete permission to change it.

Keep the eight pages bound together and continue building upon them.

Add pockets, photographs, stitching, fabric, stamping, focal images, writing panels, labels and more collage.

Use the existing master boards as backgrounds and let the book grow into something entirely your own.

Or...

Take your scissors to it.

At approximately 11 × 8½ inches, these are generous master boards.

One page can become several tags or journal cards. A larger section might become a pocket or book cover. Narrow strips can become belly bands or page edges, while tiny remnants can find their way into clusters and collage.

And because the pages are decorative on both sides, even a very simple cut can produce a nearly ready-to-use piece of double-sided ephemera.

Even the cover can be cut apart and reused.

The book form is simply where these master boards begin.

Traditional Junk Journal Master Boards

Every surface was created by joining many smaller pieces of paper into a larger composition.

There was no attempt to make the papers perfectly match.

That's the magic of a master board.

A pale scrap can sit beside an old printed fragment. A hand-dyed piece can overlap something rescued from another use. A little pink may suddenly appear in an otherwise neutral area, while torn edges and visible layers remind you that this surface was assembled one piece at a time.

Viewed as a whole, each page is a collage.

Cut it into smaller sections and entirely new compositions emerge.

The corner of one page may become a tag.

The middle might make a journal card.

And the tiny piece left over?

That's probably the one you'll end up loving most.

Eight Pages—Sixteen Decorative Surfaces

Although this is the smallest Master Board Book in page count so far, those eight pages shouldn't be thought of as only eight usable surfaces.

Because both sides are completely collaged, you're receiving:

8 large handmade pages

and

16 decorative master-board surfaces.

Each page measures approximately 11 × 8½ inches, giving you a substantial amount of handmade collage material to work with.

For a journal maker who intends to cut the book apart, that makes this little book something of an ephemera pantry.

Take what you need.

Save the rest for later.

Wonderfully Thick Pages

Just like the other books in this collection, the original pages have been built up with many individual pieces of glued paper.

The resulting surfaces are thicker and more substantial than ordinary journal paper, making them especially useful as foundations for handmade ephemera.

And because this book contains fewer pages, there is less accumulated bulk through the binding.

The center pages therefore do not protrude nearly as much as those in the larger Master Board Books, if at all.

There may still be variations in page alignment and thickness because of the handmade construction, but the overall profile is somewhat more even than the first two books.

About the Shape of This Particular Book

Like the other Master Board Books, this piece began with an old advertising flyer or booklet that was repurposed as the foundation.

The original printed piece has largely disappeared beneath layer after layer of paper.

Because these are reclaimed foundations rather than new blank books, their original construction influences the finished shape.

Pages may not align perfectly. Edges can vary. Layers overlap. Some areas are thicker than others.

Those aren't manufacturing defects.

They're evidence of how the book was made.

With only eight pages in this particular book, however, there is considerably less accumulated thickness at the center than in the previous books, so the center-page projection is minimal or may not be noticeable at all.

Approximate Size

11 inches × 8½ inches

This is a handmade, heavily layered piece, so measurements are approximate.

Your Master Board Book Includes

• 1 one-of-a-kind handmade Master Board Book
• 8 large, thick layered pages
• 16 decorative master-board surfaces
• Collage covering both sides of every page
• Approximately 11 × 8½ inches
• Found papers
• Upcycled papers
• Vintage paper pieces
• Hand-dyed papers
• Miscellaneous collected paper elements
• An upcycled advertising flyer/booklet foundation
• A cover that can also be cut apart and reused as ephemera

Every surface was individually assembled from many small pieces of paper, so each contains its own combination of colors, textures, printing, marks, layers and irregularities.

This is the exact one-of-a-kind book shown in the listing.

A Note About Handmade & Upcycled Materials

Please expect imperfection.

These Master Board Books are built from found, vintage, hand-dyed and upcycled materials rather than commercially uniform papers.

You may find wrinkles, marks, old printing, uneven coloration, creases, torn or irregular edges, visible overlaps and differences in texture or thickness.

Some papers have already lived another life before arriving here.

That's rather the point.

These books are about taking what might otherwise have been overlooked and giving it another opportunity to become useful, interesting and perhaps even beautiful.

And if you cut these pages apart and place them into one of your own journals, their story continues again.

Made With Journal Makers in Mind

This collection was created especially for junk journal makers, collage artists and paper crafters.

Master Board Book No. 3 may be kept intact, but its double-sided construction makes it particularly tempting to dismantle.

Cut journal cards.

Make tags.

Build pockets and tuck spots.

Create belly bands.

Cut narrow strips for page embellishments.

Punch shapes from the scraps.

Add focal images, labels, stitching or fibers.

Or use a beautifully composed section exactly as it is.

Because both sides are decorative, pieces cut from this book can be especially useful in projects where the reverse remains visible.

You don't have to preserve the book.

You get to decide what it becomes.

Perfect For

Junk journal making, handmade ephemera, double-sided journal cards, tags, pockets, tuck spots, belly bands, collage, altered books, mixed media, master board projects, paper crafting, creative reuse and journal makers looking for handmade decorative material to incorporate into their own work.

It is particularly useful for makers creating journals for themselves or using handmade ephemera in journals they create for others.

From the Hidden Drawer

Master Board Book No. 3 comes From the Hidden Drawer, where small handmade paper collections, journals, useful scraps and curious little things are gathered together.

These Master Board Books celebrate the wonderfully resourceful heart of junk journaling.

An advertising booklet doesn't have to remain an advertising booklet.

A scrap doesn't have to be thrown away because it's too small.

And a finished book doesn't have to remain a book simply because somebody bound the pages together.

Things can change.

Paper can have another life.

Sometimes several.

No two Master Board Books are exactly alike. Their dimensions, page counts, original foundations, colors, papers, thicknesses and personalities are determined by whatever materials happened to find their way onto the worktable.

Thoughtfully created by Butterfly in the Attic.