contributions to others:
self-portrait
5 things to do before i die
10 things you never knew
colour swatch
sensory awareness
perfect day
recipes to share
summers of childhood
the book of us
christmas shared
glimpse into your life
poetry i love
i am
i enjoy being a girl
violet & gold
destinations
glory are the days
i was a child of the...
altered time
christmas traditions
songs in your head
glamourbombing
after midnight
never forget
tags of home
how do you feel today?
art inspiration
discovery

you'll see them called different things in different places: circle journals, circle journeys, round robin journals...they are all the same concept, really.  a journal with more than one contributor.  that's the only real rule.

most of the journals at the left are circle journals, because a group of artists form a 'circle' wherein each of us begins a themed book at the same time, then every so often, we pass our book to the next contributor, and when the books are filled, they come back to us to keep.  most of our circles work on two week or monthly cycles, so i tend to work on one each week in some fashion or another.  for an example of a finished journal, check out the work in the handbag project.

other projects involve just one book rather than a whole circle full.  for the 1000journals project, you get to keep any books you start, but you can contribute to a variety.  1000journals can also be a bit more friendly to those who haven't done this sort of thing before -- you can write more rather than worry about the art of it all.

interested in joining in?  you'll have to prove your responsibility, basically.  lots of online groups organise circles, but journals often go missing and it can be completely disheartening to work so hard only to find out your journal won't ever return home, or when it does, it's obvious that some people didn't really care about what they put in.  but there are plenty of places to look.  if you do your best and always mail on time, you'll find yourself being invited to more circles and then you're in the system for good.  no escape.  ever.

if you're in the uk, try ukscrappers: a message board that discusses way more than just scrapbooking.  there are sign-ups for new circles often.  participants from all over the globe can participate at the new 1000journals project (the original is pretty much filled for sign-ups but still worth a look).  you'll need to join the livejournal community, but livejournal is free and you don't have to post on your account.

the other option is to start a journal with one or more of your friends.  it's just like exchanging letters, except all the letters stay in the book.  start one to just write back and forth with one out of town friend, or pass one around to several friends who you don't see very often.  just be aware: not every book you send out like this will return.  as long as you're happy with that, it's cool. 

enough already.  click on something at the left to look at pretty things.  thank you.