I found this by accident at B&N when I was looking for a craft book on sock monsters (which I didn't find) -- and this is just too silly not to try. This is the copy I purchased to send around in a ring.

My copy

Starting the list to play --

Laui (Netherlands - EU preferred)
KiwiinEngland (UK - EU preferred)
contraforsa (Greece)
NMreader (US preferred)
whiskeyjane (US preferred)
indygo88 (US preferred) <---book is here
Guinneth (US preferred)
Llednyl (US preferred)
obxwami (US)
hyphen8 (US preferred)

Requests on this ring:

1 - Whomever is last, please just mail it back to me, just tape it up and drop it in the mail, no packaging necessary. Anyone else is welcome to mail it that way as well, but I request at least the last person to do it!

2 - Take pictures!! add them to the Flickr page Wreck this Journal bookring Or send them to me and I will add them, or add them to the journal entries. :-) (if you want to add them to the Flickr page, drop me a PM with the email you use on Flickr, so I can add you to the group)

3 - have fun! There are no rules. if you think of something else fun to do with the journal that isn't in the book (or you don't find in the book) - do it! document it in a journal entry. and oh yeah...Have Fun!!!

(and I am about ready to get this thing going...getting Laui's address and then off it goes!)

Ahhhh, it's arrived!

First thing I set out to do was cracking the spine. I'm a spine cracker, I have a lot of trouble restraining from cracking spines (which is when it's not my book, or it belongs to someone of whom I don't know if they don't mind the spine being cracked). Well... that was one bloody task! I had to use two hands and put a lot of force in, but I managed and it's done. The spine has officially been cracked (and I don't care if anyone minds, it's one of the first assignments, I'm just doing what I'm told).

First page I opened the book on was actually 'Document your dinner' and as I'm having lunch I'm thinking this would be a good second thing to do, just hoping that I can manage to spill more than a few crumbs. (Poor little book though, it's been here for about 10 minutes and I'm already at it with my lunch...) (See photo)

May 27: I'm really getting carried away with this thing. It was so empty and there were so many fun tasks and I (being Libra) couldn't choose... So I'm putting a stop to this, I will only allow myself to add a few Dutch Fruit Stickers and after that I'm sending it off to Kiwi (I've already got the envelope ready). But I will make the largest journal entry in history first to tell you all what I've done. Don't worry, there's enough empty pages for the rest of you, and should there be a lack of space, don't feel sorry to overwrite my entries. Or just glue a white piece of paper over them.

So, as soon as I got The Journal out of its envelope, I used it to spill my lunch on (well, I cracked the spine first, but that's no major deal anymore). Which was great and left enough space for someone elses dinner/breakfast/tea.

After that I took out my surgical set and performed surgery on the 'Scratch This Page'. It now has a tiny window in it (because my scalpel was too sharp for scratching, it would only cut, as it is designed to do).

Next thing I knew I turned a was digging through my drawer with office supplies. With a blink of the eye I was stapling like mad. Oh my!
I outlined my hand, Peace Up! Though for good measure on the photo you'll see my actual two fingers next to it and that they're not quite as fat and stubby as the drawing.
I made a Dress Up Doll, which I haven't dressed yet, that's up to someone else.
The worst thing I did, though, was the doodling in the back (one of the last pages), after that I decided I would make a stain with my favorite mix of apple and cranberry juice. What I didn't know is that my felt tip pens (that I had used to deface the rest of the journal) were anything but waterproof. So the stain got purple. I decided that accidents happen and I threw some more water on the doodling page. Some parts of it look nice, but it is not intended that way. No photo taken though, it first needs a bit more water I think ;)
I also colored outside of the lines, which was very zen. I don't have a picture yet because it is not quite finished (I will finish it before I send it out, it just takes a little time & patience). And I glued in a bunch of Dutch stamps.

The real wrecking happened today. I figured that for The Journal to be in the Netherlands, something utterly Dutch had to happen to it. Soft drugs (such as weed) is sort of legal here, but I don't do drugs. Neither do I own a pair of clogs (wooden shoes), because they are very uncomfortable. I didn't feel like eating herring. And I wasn't really up for a dress up in Volendam. So what can you do? You can run it over by bike! I own a Batavus, which is very Dutch, but also quite modern. So I needed a really old bike. An 'omafiets' (grandma bike). At my parents we have an old one with an unoriginal steer. But it's proper enough. So here's what happened: The Journal + the bike = the deed = the result (check which page it actually is, pure coincidence, strike of faith as you will, it was meant to happen, haha).

While I was there I took The Journal to the horses. But they were a bit reluctant to touch it. So we fed them candy. The gelding took the sweet and wouldn't touch The Journal, he's a bit peculiar with his food. The mare was more willing to rub her nose on the page. Horses are just too clean, because it barely left a mark... though whenever you put on a nice clean shirt, just washed and everything, they know exactly how to get it dirty in a split second! (and again, I didn't take a picture)

I didn't take photo's of everything I did, so some of it will remain a surprise, because I did some minor things too. The front cover is bound to change, too, because whatever you glue to it, will come off (sello tape will stick, though ;) )

Links are photo's, feel free to upload them to flickr, I could change the links.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Posted to Kiwi today. I hope everyone will have at least as much fun as I've had, this was the most entertaining bookring I've ever been a part of. Thanks for sharing, innae!
The downside is that now I'm really really tempted to get my own copy, haha.

Arrived today, it looks like lots of fun!

I enjoyed this book, it was fun to be creative. I didn't enjoy the messy things much - there was quite a lot of suggestions involving smearing food or mud or dragging the book along the ground.

I managed to add to the stamp page with some great stamps I got from Germany and England. I completed the rubbing page by putting coin images from New Zealand, the UK, and some euros onto it.

Then I thought I should get a bit more distructive and undertook the "burn this page" command. Well, the paper was very dry and I nearly ended up buring the entire book (and my flat). I managed to run the page under water to put out the flames before there was a disaster though.

Finally I wove some postcards through one of the pages.

I've taken photos and will send them to someone with a flickr account when I have access to a different computer.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:






Posting to the next on the list via Royal posts media mail rate.

Arrived safely and WOW, this one will be so much fun! I have already started with the wrecking (will be no big problem for me, I quite often wreck things accidentally, imagine what I am able to do, in case I do it on purpose!). I will update you on the process and its results soon! Laui and KiwiiEngland, well done so far! Both creative and effective ;-))

Just jumping in to say, I have added pics from KiwiinEngland to the Flickr page :-)

I will have to start by apologizing to everyone involved in this ring for the big delay which I have caused. I am very, very sorry. Part of the delay has to do with me being overwhelmed by rings and part of it has to do with my holidays which lasted far more than I had expected them to and during which I could only have very rare internet access. But still I know it is a very big delay :-(

Now to the Wreck this journal project itself: you will soon get to see my photos, which I have mailed to innae, as I don't have a flickr account and I hope you will be able to appreciate the artistic work I've done (just joking- my work is nothing but artistic!) One thing is sure however: I had lots of fun wrecking part of this journal. Especially since when reading books there is normally a big conflict between my inner self (who is quite messy and chaotic in general) and the part of myself who is in love with books and cannot afford them being torn/ dirty/ wrecked and so on. So this one was like a small party for the suppressed part of me!

Here is a list of my interventions/ artistic creations, which I am not sure everybody will be able to appreciate, but I am ok with this because most great artists are only appreciated after death (again just joking!):

1. (I think this is the one the suppressed part me enjoyed the most) I am a big coffee junkie, who has managed so far to wreck a keyboard by spilling coffee on it, but no book. So you can imagine how excited I was with the page indicating "pour/ spill/ drip etc. your coffee here" which I did and because as i've already stated I was trying to create an artistic effect, I formed the words coffee-junkie using my coffee!

2. I poked holes using a pencil and used glitter to connect the holes. I imagined the holes I was poking were a newspaper describing politics in my country so the whole thing was quite easy and had a therapeutic effect :-) I do find the fact that I did not imagine the politicians themselves reassuring. The glitter was then used to make me appear less destructive!

3. I coloured red an green stripes and cut them, I could not bring myself to rip them out because I really liked green and red together!

4. I closed my eyes and tried to connect 6 dots from memory which kind of worked, I got to connect 4 dots out of six and was really impressed :-) !

5. I decorated a small part of the "page of good thoughts" with the motto "everything will turn out (is) fine and a drawing of sea and sun which I am sure Van Gogh himself would surely admire (at the age of 3). But I do wish it for all of you! That things will turn out or are already fine! I left most of the page empty because I hope the rest of the participants will have more good thoughts to share!

6. I dripped red nail polish on the page indicating "drip something here, close the book to make a print". I found once more the result quite impressive and I could from then on start on dreaming of a future carrier as a painter (of walls?).

7. I tried to document a boring event in detail, which brought me in contact with the author in me. I am waiting for critics and acknowledgments from the rest of the participants, who have to (pleaaaaaaase) take under account that it was supposed to be a boring event, so making the story sound interesting was quite difficult. As the documented event was apart from boring one that had made me really angry, I was able to avoid the "inner monologue" page, which had been very tempting for me from the beginning. This one will remain a challenge for some other participant.

8. What I did not do but really wanted to: Take the journal with me in the shower (I did not want the journal's trip to end in my bath-tap, so I strongly resisted the challenge) and find a way to wear the journal. My artistic skills are limited.

So that was it! The journal will be heading to the US tomorrow, where I hope NMReader will enjoy wrecking it as much as the rest of as did and this way will forgive me for the delay.

PS: All remarks above were my way of trying to write a funny entry and I hope you can understand that no way do I consider myself an artist/ author or whatsoever. Well nor funny ;-) Once more, I am very very sorry for the delay.

I have managed to get a double entry :-( so I am editing the second. The first one was already big enough...

Arrived. will try to work on tomorrow or the next day

This book is still with NMReader, i am just checking in to advise of an update to the Flickr page (the link is in the third journal entry) -- I finally got contraforsa's pictures uploaded!

Thanks Contra!! And thanks to everyone for Wrecking this Journal so beautifully!!!

I am so sorry I have had this book so long. I am sorry that the uproar in my personal life has affected this ray. I am glad I found this book in the first book box I opened after the move. I have now completed my entries into this book and will mail to the next person once I have their address.

March 24: I have tried contacting Guinneth a couple of times with no response. I sent a pm to whiskeyjane today for her address so I can mail this to her if I haven't heard from Guinneth by Friday.

CONTROLLED RELEASE NOTES:

Hope to mail on my way home from work today

Delivery Confirmation #: 0309 3220 0001 8477 6518

This journal arrived safely a day or 2 ago. Will wreck it somehow and send along to next on list.

The journal is ready to go in the mail this week. I have PM'd indygo88 for her addy and will mail out very soon. Loved this - thanks for letting me participate!

In the mail to next reader.

WELCOME TO BOOKCROSSING Congratulations! You found a traveling book! This book has been set free. Please take a moment to make a journal entry to let me know the book has found a new home.

I had almost given up on this journal ever making it to me, but guess what...?!....here it is! Great fun already looking through all the "wrecking"...there's a lot of stuff packed into this little journal. I think I'm going to enlist the help of my kids in helping to destroy it. More to come.....!

P.S. -- I am a friend of Guinneth's, who was skipped before me. I will try to get her address & will probably send this to her after me. Stay tuned....

Alrighty....I think the journal is just about ready to move along. I just took it in the shower with me (only very briefly) & am now waiting for it to dry out. I haven't taken any pictures because although I did a fair amount of activity w/ the book, it's not particularly photogenic. Some of the other things I did: folded the covers, some staining, some glueing of pages, added some sticky stuff, added some circles & office supplies, chewed on a page (my daughter helped me with that one w/out my immediate knowledge), added some fruit stickers, added some things on the "white" page, added some things on the "random" page, sent a page through the washing machine, added some lint, added another hand tracing, added a head to the dress-up doll, did some drawing with abnormal writing utensils, wrote with my left hand & with my mouth, & added some additional suggestions & additional pages.

This journal was crazy fun! LOVED IT!!! I envy the people at the end of the list...getting to see all the wrecking from the people previous. I'm more or less in the middle & it's already quite full, although there's an endless amount of "stuff" I think you can do to this journal. If I ever happen along a new copy of this, I will snatch it up immediately!

I have Guinneth's address & will be shipping this off to her within the next day or two. Thanks again, innae, & happy/safe travels, little journal! :')

I shipped this off to Guinneth earlier today. Happy travels! Have fun!

DC#: 0309 1830 0001 1789 3579

This has arrived safely and MAN! Do I want one!!! innae, I hope you don't mind if I steal your idea and get a copy to send 'round. It's quite fabulous and I'm sure you will love it when it gets home. Everyone is so creative!

Thank you, indygo, for thinking of me. I'm very glad I didn't miss out and will keep a more careful eye on my BC email account. :-D

This was SO much fun! I'll be mailing this to Llednyl today. Thanks again for letting me participate, innae.

Sorry, I mailed this off on July 30 and forgot to make a note. Delivery confirmation #0308 0660 0000 9883 1086. :)

Woohoo! Arrived today! This is funner than fun.

Sent this off yesterday via media mail.

I had so much fun with this! I added some random bits and pieces to a few of the pages (fruit stickers, stamps, office supplies) and did some dirt and grass stains, sewed one of the pages, cut vegetable stamps, ripped out a piece to compost, and attempted sleeping with it. Thanks so much for including me!

I just applied to join the Flickr group, so look for pics soon :-)

I got a HUGE surprise in the mail today...who knew this book would EVER make it home. It survived a Hurricane :)!!! and ended up hiding out in the Hurricane supply box for two years :-)

I am happy the book finally found its way home. I will get some pics of the book soon and add them to the flickr page --

Thanks obxwami for sending this home!! :-)