Wise Old Dr. Seuss...and what to do about sticky journal pages

It probably seems to you all as if I have been doing no artwork, but actually I have been doing some almost every day. I've been working in my art journal, but most of it is pretty personal, so I just keep it to myself. However....I've been experimenting and learning a ton!

I normally draw with india ink and paint with watercolors in my journal. Lately, in addition to those favorites, I've been using acrylic paints, paint pens, and acrylic medium to collage elements onto the page. It's been fun, but I found that later when I closed my book, all that acrylic sticks together....and peels off when you try to open the page...UGH!

Some journalers put a nonstick paper between the pages, but I like to do double page spreads, and it kind of ruins the experience of flipping through the book if I have to move a paper every time. 

I went searching for answers and found that you can seal the page with wax when you are done. I did not have the wax recommended, but they described it as "kind of like clear shoe polish" on the website I was reading. Sooooo....I used clear shoe polish and it worked great! It created a wonderful finish and the pages no longer stick together....but they smell terrible! So I broke down and ordered some Dorland's Wax Medium, which is what many journalers use to seal their pages and prevent sticking.

Dorland's Wax works great. You just apply with a soft cloth, wait for it to harden up a little, and then give it a good buffing. I actually prefer the way the finish from the clear shoe polish looks, but Dorland's is good and does not smell...and is supposed to be archival, so I'm sure it's probably the better choice. Unless of course you really love the scent of shoe polish.