Recreating an AI-Inspired Junk Journal: 5 Things I Focused On

Okay, friends. Let’s have a little heart-to-heart about a crafty curveball I didn’t see coming! I had posted a Pinterest pin made with AI (you know, a dreamy little junk journal that looked straight outta grandma’s attic meets fairyland), and a sweet gal emailed me asking where she could find the tutorial. Cue dramatic pause… there wasn’t one. It didn’t exist in real life. YET!

But here’s the thing—I ONLY make AI-generated stuff that COULD exist. So what did I do? I rolled up my sleeves, hit record, and brought that baby to life IRL. This is the story of how I recreated my own AI junk journal vision, and it turned out SO DARN COOL!

Recreating an AI-Inspired Junk Journal: 5 Things I Focused On

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Why I Wrote This Post…

So yeah, our Pinterest gal unintentionally launched a whole convo with my email peeps (hey, y’all!)

The general consensus? If I use AI in a creative way, it’s cool as long as I’m transparent about it. I’m still noodling over how to handle AI disclosures on Pinterest, but for my videos and blog posts? I’m disclosing whenever I use AI images!

Now let’s talk about the FUN part… the actual recreation process!

Walkthrough Video Of Recreating An AI Journal

PRODUCTS USED IN THIS VIDEO

Recreating Things You See on the Internet

We live in a magical (and mildly chaotic) time where the internet is bursting with AI generated images. It’s easy to fall in love with a piece and then be like, “Wait… can I actually make that?”

I decided to put my own AI vision to the test and recreate it using REAL supplies. Spoiler: it was a BLAST! Here are the 5 things I focused on to bring this journal to life:

1. Breaking Down the Components

Before I grabbed a single scrap, I dissected that AI image like a craft detective… (all those true crime videos I watch finally paid off!)

It had:

Vintage papers galore
Buttons and a brad
Colored paper layers
Dried flowers
A horizontal band across the journal
A fan of ribbons spilling out from the top and bottom

2. Making the Components

Then it was time to gather the “stuff”. I pulled from my stash: old book pages, handmade papers, buttons from my estate sale treasure box, and even made custom paper colors with my Tim Holtz paints (shoutout to Vintage Photo and Shabby Shutters for doing the heavy lifting). Oh, and yes—I painted, I tore, I corner-punched, I grunged. It was a whole vibe!

3. Assembling the Bits

After making all the pieces and parts, I started pulling together the layers and layers of paper, adding the belt, lacing up the layers and generally getting it to look sorta-kinda like the inspiration piece!

4. Making It My Style

Now listen—I couldn’t not put my spin on it. So yes, I added some rusty bits, a few extra florals, and maybe one too many vintage ephemera pieces, that’s my jam! That’s what makes it mine.

And when YOU recreate something you see, I hope you do the same. Don’t make a carbon copy. Make a heart-shaped remix!

5. Recreating AI or Other Artists’ Work

Here’s the thing: artists have always borrowed and built upon each other’s work! The old masters literally recreated each other’s paintings as practice.

Inspiration is meant to evolve. My pal Anja took my Broken Hearts washi tape project and made it EVEN BETTER (go Anja!). So recreate away—just add your sparkle, your sass and your signature touch! Check out her post on the Artsy Fartsy Facebook page!

Recreating AI Wrap-Up

The AI debate is just getting started, and I know there are lots of opinions flying around. But for now? I’m staying in my lane, being honest about what’s AI, and keeping it crafty!

Whether it’s from a Pinterest pin, another artist, or your own beautiful brain—take inspiration, get messy, and MAKE SOMETHING that lights you up!

Here are some great junk journal posts you might love: