During the summer, I hosted a Virtual Craft Retreat (now available as an online course/self-study workshop) where the idea was to create a beach-themed journal using my Driftwood Dreams digital kit.
Not only was the retreat a lot of fun, but I LOVED seeing the journals the other ladies made. I thought you might like to see them too, so a couple of them kindly shared some photos with me. Hopefully, you’ll get oodles of inspiration from these finished journals – especially if you’re making a beach or coastal-inspired journal like we did.
My Driftwood Dreams Journal
Let’s start with the journal I showed everyone how to make during the retreat. There was even a craft kit available – just in case anyone didn’t have access to a printer or were lacking supplies to actually make the project.
You can read more about the inspiration for this project here. But in a nutshell, I wanted to make a journal that resembled a weathered beach hut – complete with a window and ocean view in the front. I even had the idea to include a dangle on the side of the journal card, which were keys to the beach hut!
Okay, now you’ve seen the original project, check out how some of the ladies attending my retreat took the idea and ran with it! It just goes to show how you can all follow the same process, or take inspiration from the same place, yet your own creativity can power you through to result in a unique project you love.
Jane MB’s Journal
I love how Jane took inspiration from my project, yet decorated the journal in her own way. I adore how the shells look on the back of the flip-out pocket. Jane even used some of the leftovers to create extra ephemera and decorate some of her journal pages. Bravo Jane!
Here’s what Jane said about my Driftwood Dreams course: “Justine is an excellent communicator and craft tutor. She has a friendly and engaging manner as seen in her high quality videos. She is an encouraging, inspiring and helpful person who is highly talented in coming up with ideas and the creation of digital papers for use in lovely projects. Justine is a fantastic tutor who is very efficient and highly organized in everything she does, I thoroughly recommend her.”
Karen Eggleston’s Journal
I remember when Karen first shared her journal and mentioned how she went for a shabby beach hut vibe. Isn’t it beautiful?! Karen also added some extra details to her journal, such as an additional pocket, a window on the back of the journal and even a notebook on the inside of the flip-out. So clever!
Here’s what Karen said about her Driftwood Dreams experience: “I was struggling with finishing any project and felt that I needed to be re-energized and inspired. I love Justine’s YouTube videos and thought this might be just what I needed. This was such a fun and pleasurable experience. The kit was stunning and the videos Justine created were fantastic, clear and easy to follow.“
Do you want to make your very own Driftwood Dreams beach journal?
If you’d like to sign up for my online course, you can check it out here. The course includes:
✨ Lifetime access to my tutorials and digital papers
✨ Bite-sized tutorial videos and written instructions to guide you through every step of the process
✨ A free copy of my Driftwood Dreams digital kit to help you make the journal (usually sold separately)
✨ A ticket to my summer Virtual Craft Retreat where you can chat with me and the other students via live video calls. The next one will be in June 2025.
✨ Plus… you can also grab an optional craft kit, which includes all the main supplies you’ll need (saving you time from having to gather or buy them yourself)
Alternatively, you can grab my Driftwood Dreams digital papers separately from my Etsy shop if you’d rather use them to make a beach-themed journal of your own design.
Finally, if you’d like to join the waitlist for my future retreats, you can do so here. I plan on hosting a new retreat every quarter in 2025, and as with everything I do here at House of Mahalo, the retreats will be influenced by the seasons and the flora and fauna each season brings.
I hope to see you there! xoxo
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