Journalfest Trades

I had read on the Journalfest Yahoo page that people often bring items to trade at these events.  Apparently it started at Artfest (which is a similar event organized by Teesha and Tracy and held at Fort Worden in the spring, only it's a lot more people).  Bringing trades is not a requirement, it's just something fun to do.  So the week or two before heading down to Port Townsend, I put together 90 little packages with a bunch of collage items.  I included a bunch of paper items for collaging, cut in various shapes.

Here's a picture of the page in my journal showing all of my trade items:

For Canadian content, I cut tag shapes out of security envelopes with Canada Post stamps on them and included a stamped piece of cardstock with a maple leaf (to which I added my contact info and blog address on the reverse). I also cut up a piece of Hallowe'en fabric I had bought in France, added a playing card and an antique milk coupon (I love to imagine how people used to put these coupons out on their stoop in an empty milk bottle to place their order with the milkman!), punched tag shapes out of orange construction paper and stamped them with Hallowe'en designs, copied some of the fabulous old black and white photos I had picked up at the vide greniers in France and cut up a little book of French train schedules and stamped those pieces with a fleur-de-lis.  As a final little treat, I added confetti shaped as skulls and ravens and a few sequins for good measure.

As it turns out, not everyone had things to trade.  I took 90 packages and came home with 22, having traded some and otherwise just given mine away to anyone who wanted one.  I did receive several really cool items in exchange, including other collage packages similar to mine as well as several unique items, such as this magnet that a woman named Sue made as a ghoulish self-portrait for Halloween:

and a little package of Hallowe'en paper, candy and stickers:

and some lovely artist trading cards, like this one with an Alice in Wonderland theme made by a woman named Kate:

I have put many of the trades I received in various parts of my journal.  One of my favourites is a cardboard flag that one woman made that has colourful ribbons and strings hanging from it.  I've positioned it so they dangle out of the bottom of my journal and I really like the bit of colour and pizzazz it adds to the book.

I love having the various bits and pieces I received as trades placed here and there in my journal to remind me of the talent and generosity of the people who gave them to me - thanks, everyone!