martina calvi
@martinamartian
Online creator and craft business owner Martina Calvi has kept a journal ever since she was able to draw and write. Being able to document and collect thoughts and memories, as well as experiment and find inspiration, is what Martina loves about junk journalling. “To be able to flip back through the pages and see the origins of an idea you had months ago is like sifting through files in your own mind,” she says.
Based in Sydney, Martina is never far from stickers and stationery – her business Martina’s Tiny Store sells various crafty things. Her sticker-filled, colourful journals are a combination of art and function. “A lot of the pages aren’t actually that pretty,” she says. “At the end of the day, you have to remember that your journal is for you and it doesn’t have to follow any rules.”
Her tools of the trade are Fiskars cutting tools to collage, Beacons Zip Dry glue or tape glue, and a Cricut Maker 3 to make her own scrapbooking stickers. She especially loves vinyl sticker material: “It doesn’t leave a sticky residue. You can usually lift and reposition the stickers if you need to and they don’t seem to fade,” says Martina.
Inspired by Sofia Coppola, pre-internet childhood memories, Y2k nostalgia, I Spy books, kindergarten crafts and – we’re flattered! – frankie magazine, Martina’s scrapbook pages are often shared online. Martina gets messages and comments every day on social media from people she’s inspired. “One of my favourite messages was from a girl who said I helped her tap into the ‘creative girlie inside, trapped behind survival mode’,” says Martina. “Some days I feel a bit self-indulgent constantly sharing all my crafty things and personal projects online, so it makes me really happy when I read messages like that. It reminds me that sharing creativity and inspiration is always valuable.”
Martina’s book The Art of Collecting Memories is due out later in the year, and she hopes it will encourage more people to start journalling and scrapbooking. To get started, Martina recommends collecting interesting keepsakes and tokens from your daily life (such as receipts, menus, coasters, ribbon, buttons and stamps). “By the time you go to open a blank page in your diary, you’ll have plenty of personal, tangible memories to paste in and play with.”