Creative Quarantining: Library Pocket, Journaling Pocket By Judi Kauffman for The Queen’s Ink

To everyone quarantined at home: Stay safe, stay well, and stay creative! Time spent lost in a project is time spent without worries or fears.

I had the nicest compliment from a psychologist friend this morning: She’s seeing her clients remotely via phone and said she’s suggesting some of my ideas to her clients who are also quarantined, especially the one about taking photos of meaningful objects and then writing about them or sharing them. She’s even considering taking daily photos of her own to send to her friends and family during her time at home. It is making her see the objects around her in a new way. And seeing in a new way is always important, just seems like it’s more so now than ever.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been doing a lot more reading than usual the last couple of weeks. (I’m making a dent in the tall stack of books purchased last fall when the used book store had a half-off sale!)

To keep track of what I’m reading I die cut a library pocket and some cards for writing the title, author, and a mini review of a couple of words. (Die set: AccuCut) Of course, I had to decorate the pocket and cards! (Stamps: RubberMoon, Die set: AccuCut)

ANY envelope, pocket, index cards or notebook will serve well! If you have a printer, take a photo of the book cover and glue it onto the review card. Share what you’re doing, post your Library Pocket project on Instagram or other social media.*

Another option:
Instead of keeping track of what you’re reading, keep track of what you’re doing and feeling by writing on a 4x6 card; tuck the cards into a Journaling Pocket. Alternatively, make a collage, gel print, doodle, sketch, or other small art each day.

One pocket will hold an entire week’s worth of cards if the embellishments aren’t too chunky. Let’s hope the quarantine doesn’t require too many pockets!* (Die: AccuCut)

*If you share via social media, please help draw traffic to The Queen’s Ink by giving the link to this post and mention that you found the idea for your Library Pocket or Journaling Pocket on the store’s blog! (Thank you for doing whatever you can for the store during this challenging time. We all want it to hang in now and then reopen and continue to thrive.)