Welcome to International Fake Journal Month 2013!

What is IFJM?
Please read the page "What Is IFJM" for details.
Learn the difference between Faux, Fake, and Fake Historical Journals.

2019 IFJM Celebration
IFJM has been suspended indefinitely. Please read the pinned post about this below.

Participants who Post Their Journals
A list of 2018 participants who are posting their fake journals this year will appear near the top of the right side bar of this blog around April 6. Lists of participants who posted their pages in 2010 through 2017 appear lower in the same column. Please pay them a visit and check out their fake journals.

View a Couple of Roz's Past Fake Journals
Roz's 2009 fake journal takes place in an alternate Twin Cites, where disease has killed the human and bird populations. (It ends up being an upbeat tale of friendship.) Watch a video flip through of Roz's 2009 fake journal here.

Read an explanation of Roz's insanely complex 2011 fake journal.

Tips on Keeping a Fake Journal
Click on "tips" in the category cloud.

Remember, "Life's so short, why live only one?"


Saturday, March 9, 2013

New in 2013—Roz's INTERACTIVE Fake Journal

UPDATE: The Interactive portion of my 2013 fake journal celebration has ended as of April 18, 2013, at 11 p.m. (CST) when I filled my fake journal. Do not send any more entries. Information on ordering a button will appear in a separate post. Buttons to participants used on my pages will be sent out sometime next week (the week of April 22).

While letting the ideas of what my 2013 fake journal might be run through my head I had either a brainstorm or a mini stroke. I thought it would be fun to have my first interactive fake journal. That's right I'm going to involve other people in the creation of this year's fake journal—the creator/author of which still has not and may never have a name.

So here's the deal, as I so often say when explaining things—your task, if you'd like to participate in my 2013 fake journal, is to send me something in the mail which I can incorporate in my fake journal. (See below for a detailed list of criteria you'll need to follow.)

Each day in April 2013 I'll draw an envelope and use what's in the envelope on my page that day.

If I draw your envelope I'll send you a free 2013 IFJM Commemorative button (which is rectangle this year and really spiffy, but I haven't had time to post it yet!).

Here's what you can and can't send (there have to be some guidelines because I'm journaling with what you send).

Things You Must NOT Send:


1. No perfumed items of any sort. Sadly they won't even make it into the drawing pool. (I'm that allergic—and if I have to hover over the smelly journal for days while working on other pages, you get the idea…)

2. Nothing that has been sprayed with fixative of ANY type, or written on with any solvent inks.

3. Nothing that has been in close proximity to or stained by food (I just don't want to deal with the archival and bug issues). This includes fortune cookie fortunes. (I've got a ton of them I'm saving so there's no point.)

4. Nothing vegetative. (See item 3.)

5. Nothing animal—hair, fur, feathers, etc. (See item 3.)

6. Any original artwork of yours unless you are truly comfortable with my character totally defacing it and maybe obliterating it.

7. Nothing one-of-a-kind at all. (See item 6.)

8. Nothing of value, except that it is valuable because it interests you or you think it might interest my character. (See item 6.)

9. Nothing three dimensional! It must be flat and be able to be glued down. Cardstock thickness is workable, cardboard thickness is probably not going to get used.

10. Nothing you've already altered. (This includes everything from rubbing stamp inks on something to make it look aged, to dropping it in a puddle so the ink runs.)

11. Which reminds me—nothing wet or moldy!

12. Nothing commercial, unless it's simply paper scraps. So don't send store-purchased "fake" ephemera, but you can send a postcard, or scraps of marbled paper that you made or used on one of your own projects.

13. No photocopies.

14. No receipts for anything from your day—you'll probably need all that for your tax records anyway; and you don't live where my character lives so it would be difficult to explain how she came up with them.

15. Any personal records of any sort. My character doesn't need to  know anything about you.

16. Any whole or partial rolls of anything—i.e., no rolls of decorative tape which you could argue is flat, but which I would argue is valuable and excessive, and isn't flat in transit!

17. No shredded paper.

18. No chips of anything like paint or pottery, even if they are very flat.

19. NOTHING WITH ANY GLITTER or small micro beads on it.

20. No money or gifts of any kind—this is just about sending something I can collage with. If your envelope doesn't get drawn in April I'd never know would I?

Things I Think You Probably Should Not Send:

1. I don't know how I feel about scanned things that you then print and send the print of to me. Right now I think you shouldn't do this. But just maybe you're more in sync with my character than I am right now and you know she would love a scan of  the tread of your running shoe. Just know this is an iffy category to enter with.

2. I'm also not sure how I feel about very thin fabric swatches or bits of thin ribbon. The page I'll be working on isn't very supportive (thick) for thicker collage and this will be border line. But it might hit just the right creative nerve.

Things to Send:


1. FLAT, paper items like the following:
•scraps of paper
•scraps of decorative paper
•postcards
•photos (old or new, but if they are old they should not be one-of-a-kind, and they should not be valuable!)
•Newspaper or magazine articles or bits of articles from March through April 30th 2013 only. (So any day between now and April 29 because even if you live near me you have to mail it, you can pick up something, read it and send it to me.)
•Paper ephemera you picked up during your day—small handbills, flyers, etc.
•paint swatches from the hardware store, and anything similar to that, but flat. (Don't send any Pantone Swatches—that's like sending coals to Newcastle.)

2. Before you send anything please re-read the list of "Things You Must Not Send" and make sure your item isn't on that list.

Where To Send Your Bit of Stuff and How It Will Work.

1. All envelopes should be sent to me at  Roz Stendahl, P.O. Box 141434, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Nothing should be sent as an email attachment. 

I'm thinking that your item should ideally fit in a number 10 business size envelope or something similarly small. If you're sending a whole article you need to use a larger envelope, but then you might also want to reconsider what you're sending and just send me the headline to save postage!

2. Include your name and postal address CLEARLY printed on a separate slip or sheet of paper so that I can send you your commemorative button if your piece is drawn and used. (DO NOT WRITE ON THE ITEM you're sending to me.)

3. I will NOT be announcing receipt of any items in this drawing. You'll find out if your piece is used either because you are reading the blog and following along with my posts and spot your piece on a page, OR because you receive a button in the mail back from me.

4. Do not write on the item and don't send any explanation with the item.

5. Each day in April I'll draw an envelope, open it up and see what's inside. If it contains something on the "Things You Must Not Send" list it will be tossed and another envelope will be drawn.

6. Any envelope drawn from April 1 through April 30 containing a useable (as determined by the guidelines) item will have that item used on that day's journal page. The sender will receive a commemorative button for 2013 IFJM.


That's it! So if you would like to join in on the interactive journal now you know how to do it. Keep your eyes open! And mail early so I have something to work with. Thank you.

UPDATE: The Interactive portion of my 2013 fake journal celebration has ended as of April 18, 2013, at 11 p.m. (CST) when I filled my fake journal. Do not send any more entries. Information on ordering a button will appear in a separate post.

5 comments:

Mary Harper said...

An interactive journal is a great idea! One question: can I send in more than one envelope? Or are you limiting it to one envelope per interactive participant?

Roz Stendahl said...

Mary, I didn't think about people sending in more than one envelope. Hmmm. Since I don't know how many responses I'll get I obviously don't want to limit the pool of stuff I have to draw from, but then again at the end of 30 days if one person's stuff has been used multiple times then others don't get drawn…

Let's just say yes you can enter more than once.

If I get a lot of responses I'll decide what to do at that point. I need to think on it. Probably what will happen is if I draw someone who's already participated I'll draw another for the day, just so as many people as possible can get buttons this way.

So you increase your chances of being drawn, but not used?

Thanks for asking Mary.

Margo said...

Roz are you allergic to dried India Ink? Dr PH Martins to be precise.

Roz Stendahl said...

Margo, nope, I am not allergic to Dr. PH Martin's india ink when dry!

Thanks for asking!!!

Margo said...

Well allrighty then, I know just what to send you! Are you as stoked about this years IFJM as I am? Who knows I may even post it this year, depends on how personal it gets.