Today we catch up with Lynn from PrettyPapercrafts67 and find out more about her vintage grunge style. Lynn’s passion for creating junk journals transforms discarded treasures into remarkable keepsakes. Join me as we delve into Lynn’s world, where creativity meets compassion and where each page tells a story of past and present.

***Tell us all a little bit about yourself.***

I am a mid 50 year old married mother of 2
children. I have a gorgeous grandson and a
beautiful, very old fur baby. I live in South
East Queensland, Australia.

I am very much a homebody and enjoy spending time in my garden and my craft room.

The simple things in life are what bring me pleasure……….. a nice cup of coffee, a clean house and a good conversation. Op shopping, True Crime documentaries and chocolate are right up there as well.

My eldest sister is my best friend and we often spend hours on the phone discussing life, craft ideas and general chit chat. I would be so lost without her.

Recently, I moved to a new suburb and am finding it hard to feel settled and content, but hopefully this is just a transition stage and life will return to normal soon. My husband and I recently clebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary and I am very grateful for his relaxed and easy personality.

I LOVE all things paper and glue and have always found peace and contentment in creating and dabbling in arts and crafts. I work as a domestic house cleaner but have an employment history in customer service.

I absolutely love life and wake up each morning grateful for the beginning of a new day and the thought of what that new day might bring.

***What or Who inspired you to start creating Junk Journals?***

I don’t know if anyone person inspired me to start creating Junk Journals, but more rather the community as a whole.
I loved the relaxed idea of junk journaling and the notion of anything goes. I guess I did spend a good amount of time watching creators like Gayle Agostinelli, Tracie Fox, The Firefly Studio, Nik the Booksmith, The Paper Outpost etc until I honed my skills and became brave enough to try to create a journal myself.
I had wonderful encouragement by fellow creative friend, Kylie from PaperDaisyJournals and Bonny from Bonny and Clive which helped me to truly begin my junk journal journey.

***What is your process when creating a new***
***journal and are***
***there any specific factors***
***you consider?***

When creating a new journal, I guess my
first process is deciding on a theme. I think
of things like………..”will this journal be
Vintage inspired or Botanical, Floral or
maybe Grunge”.
Once that decision has been made, I then
hunt and gather within my stash for papers,
pages, items and inserts to match.
When I am happy with the number
of pages/signatures, then it is on to the
covers. I never seem to be able to truly
commit to a new journal until I have my
cover completed as I feel that this always
sets the tone of the journal for me.
Once my cover is completed, then it is full
steam ahead!

What is your first memory of being creative?

***Have you noticed any particular themes or trends recently in the junk journaling community that you would like to try?***

There are so many ideas constantly evolving in the junk journaling community that I sometimes find it hard to keep up.
I can become extremely overwhelmed at times and the want and desire to try something new evades me and I settle back to what I know.
I would love to perfect the art of Eco Dyeing, handmade paper making and true Vintage Grunge techniques.
***Do you have any unique features that you add into nearly every journal you create?***
In every journal that I create, I always love to add machine stitching, coffee stained elements, something metal and some type of textile.
I don’t really believe this is unique to me, as this seems to be the norm for most junk journal creatives, but for me if I don’t include these elements, then my journals appear unfinished or lacking interest.

Would you say you have a certain style?

I have asked myself this question many times and really don’t have a precise answer. I have been told that my style is eclectic. To be honest with you, i’m not even sure what eclectic means. As I love anything vintage, grungy, old-world or altered, I would have to say that my style is Vintage Grunge with a twist of shabby…………….if this is even a style.

Do you have any tips and tricks for fellow creatives that might help them on their creative journey?

I would tell fellow creatives to create what you love. Create with passion and NEVER compare your work to other creatives (although I guess we all do that from time to time). I would also say that good quality supplies and tools are important and somewhat necessary, but to pick and choose the tools that you spend good money on. Find inspiration from what is around you and use what you have. It is amazing what you can find in your stash! Never push yourself to create. Let the process find you and enjoy that process. If you aren’t feeling exceptionally creative today, there is always tomorrow. NEVER give up on yourself or your aspirations.

How do you strike a balance between functionality and aesthetics in your creations?

When creating a journal, I ask myself “what is the purpose of this journal”? A journal is for writing?? Well, not always……….I have never written in a journal and have never kept a diary. I create journals as a space to keep my memories ie, photographs, ticket stubs, greeting cards, notes or letters or anything special to me.

When I am creating a journal for sale, I consider what that journal might be used for and therefore always balance writing space with embellishments. Although I do find it difficult to stop the decorating side of things. lol I do love a chunky journal so in my opinion, the more embellishing, the better!

Ultimately, I create journals because I love the process of taking bits of this and bits of that and turning that into something that can be used, loved and handed down to future generations.

How do you engage with your community of creatives and how has this influenced your body of work , if at all?

I engage with fellow creatives through Facebook, YouTube and Instagram. I watch many videos and try to always leave encouraging comments or if I find a particular project interesting, I will recreate this project on my YouTube channel always advising my subbies where the idea has come from. I always try to be supportive and friendly and take great care in promoting other creatives and their work. This has influenced my work through finding new and exciting projects to try and building friendships with likeminded people.

Do you have a memorable experience or story shared by one of your customers or subscribers, regarding their journaling or creative journey?

I have very loyal and genuine subscribers and those people comment on every video, even when I think that a particular video wasn’t my best. I really am not sure as to whether I have been memorable to others in their crafting journey, but I can certainly say that many have been memorable in mine.

Where do you find your inspiration for your creations and how do you stay motivated to create new and unique products?

I find my inspiration in many ways. I love to wander in the garden and take note of the different colour combinations of plants and flowers. I love the feel of different fabrics and textiles and find ways to mix combinations like lace and cheesecloth or sari silk with linen, old wallpaper with corrugated cardboard etc. All of these things make wonderful backgrounds or layers in collage.

I am inspired by many of my fellow creatives and watch many hours on YouTube. I really enjoy watching different techniques or methods of achieving the certain results I am looking for. At times, I am inspired by older pieces that I have created. I look back and study what I have done and always try to improve on my previous work with different or better ideas. Conversations about craft also inspire me and I love finding out how others put their knowledge into their creations. I am inspired by butterflies, dragonflies, vintage photographs and pieces of rusted metal. I just love old vintage receipts and old fashioned script.

Motivation? Well that is a whole other ball game!! To be fully motivated to enjoy my creative time, I have discovered that I need to be settled and relaxed in my environment. I need to feel excited and inspired as well as interested in my project. I also need to have a project in mind with an overview of the end result. If I am not in a good headspace, my motivation and inspiration suffer. Sometimes I just need to give myself some time to explore my thoughts, my books, my garden and other creatives until I receive a spark for an idea. Then it’s all systems go!!

We all lose our Mojo at some point and it can be frightening to think that it will never return. Do you have anything in particular that you like to do to help you get back into creating again?

Yes, losing your Mojo is a real thing. There have been many times throughout my creative journey that I have been lost for thoughts and ideas and have even contemplated just giving it up all together. It is a very frightening thought that something I have put my heart and soul into is gone and what is worse is that I have lost that desire to find it. When this happens, I just give myself some time. I pack away my paper and glue and spend some time outdoors. I will also work on a different project like knitting a scarf or do some diamond art. I love to draw as well so I will bring out my pastels or water colours and paint some landscapes or flowers. I will also give myself some time to play with my grandson or catch up on some sleep. To date, my mojo has always returned and when it does, I am happy to say “Welcome home”.

Do you have a dedicated space to work in?

Yes!! I finally have a dedicated crafting space again. I have taken over the second bedroom in our home to make it my own. It is full of everything that I love and I have once again been able to set up most of my supplies and tools so I can see them all.

It has a lovely big window which fills the room with sunshine and fresh air and I have been able to arrange my family photos, crystals and trinkets all around me. It is my happy place.

Do you have a favourite tool or technique?

My favourite techniques would be taking something new and making it look vintage. I love distress ink and water colour. Embossing with texture paste and gold leaf are also some of my favourite techniques. I also love to use fabric and paper to create collages and lots of layers on my projects.

My favourite tool without a doubt would be my sewing machine. I sew everything! My poor machine loves to hate me, I am sure. lol I also love my paper trimmer, my ink collection, bone folder, my printer, die cutting machine, tie dye kits and my big jar of coffee!!!! I can’t just pick one favourite!

Have you faced any challenges with regards to your creative journey?

My biggest challenge would have to be myself. I am constantly second guessing myself and my ideas. I am highly critical of my work and many pieces never made it past the craft room desk. I used to always compare my creations against other fellow creatives, but have learnt that this is not encouraging behaviour so I try very hard not to do that anymore. I guess my second challenge would be not having every tool or supply I would like to have. In these instances, I research ways to achieve the outcome I want on a very limited budget.

What are your future goals?

At the beginning of 2023 I made myself two major creative goals. The first was to find my place on a wonderful Design Team. I am so thrilled and grateful to have achieved my goal faster than I expected and now proudly sit on two wonderful design teams in Australia. The second goal was to reach 1000 subscribers on my YouTube channel. I am so excited to say that I have also reached this goal.

As to future goals, well the sky is the limit. I would love to be successful in my Etsy business. To master the art of distress ink and to introduce the effects of cyanotypes and to hone my skills with regards to this to higher levels. No pressure though of course!

If you could offer one piece of advise, what would that be?

Enjoy your creativity and don’t ever put pressure on yourself. Remeber that at the end of the day, our works of are are simply paper and glue. Yes, we all want perfection and if the end result is not what we had in mind, it doesn’t matter. It is not worth getting tripped up on mistakes or doubting your ability to create.

What is your favourite quote or affirmation?

My favourite quote is from the very lovable Winnie the Pooh………….”I always get to where I’m going by walking away from where I have been.”

Thank you so much Lynn for your amazing insight in to being creative and your wonderful journey thus far. You truly are an inspiration to me and many others.

If you would like to follow Lynn you can find her here -

YouTube - PrettyPapercrafts67

Instagram - PrettyPapercrafts67

Etsy - PrettyPapercrafts67

If you would like to meet more creatives like Lynn, you can also find some catch ups over on my YouTube Channel, PaperInspirationsAU.

Until next time, I hope you all get a little bit of creative time in.

Sue xx

'Meeting the Makers' with Lynn from Prettypapercrafts67