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    T Tuesday: handmade journal edition

    It’s been a weird week…or two weeks. I missed T stands for Tuesday last week. It just wasn’t in the cards to get something posted or even attempt to make the rounds to my fellow Tuesday bloggers…or anywhere else for that matter. So moving on…

    The next weirdness was the crazy weekend blizzard the weather folks were hyping up.  Well there weren’t wrong!! We got 16.2 inches of snow here.

    And guess what…school went on here as scheduled Monday. 

    As I walked in the building this is what I saw to my right. 

    Here’s the drift that reached the roof that was to my left as I walked into the building! Crazy! We have more snow in the forecast for Wednesday. UGH! But then 60°F by the weekend. So weird. Mother Nature has lost her mind!!

    Ok…I know you are tired of hearing me complain so on with the creativity.

    Last week I sat down with an idea in mind. Creating a scrappy, handmade, hand bound journal. After creating my signatures I needed to come up with a sturdy yet pretty way to bind this journal.

    This was my idea. It’s very fine plastic canvas…like needle point size grid. I used a Japanese screw punch to make the holes to stitch my signatures through then glued it to the lace panel with E6000.

    I don’t think I exactly follow the hand binding rules but…don’t care..it’s the way that works for me. I’ve been doing it this same way for over 11 years!

    I decided to use this book cover, covering the inside with scrapbook paper before gluing the lace bound signatures down.

    I’m pleased with this little book. I’m planning to use it for random thoughts and quotes along the way.

    Last weekend…or I guess that would be the previous weekend when we could actually leave the house…Mini-me and I treated ourselves to coffee.

    These Minnesota-isms just don”t seem to get old especially when we have feet of snow on the ground.

    This week holds a solo/ensemble contest for Mini-me and getting ready for the end of the school year wrapping up. I was told that there are 38 school days left. YIKES! That kind of freaks me out. There is so much to do!!!!
    What are you don’t today??
  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    A new happy ending

    Some quiet reflection brought me to this page.

    new happy ending

    I used light cardboard for my substrate adding layers of paper and paint.

    glass-look mason jar using punched plastic

    Gelatos were used on this paper pieced mason jar. I punched a jar from a plastic sleeve and adhered over the butterfly giving the illusion of glass.

    charcoal doodles with white pen journaling

    Before punching holes in the page for my polka dot journal I did a bit of paint scrapping, doodling with charcoal pencil and personal thoughts in white pen.

    nearly full polka dot journal

    My polka dot journal is basically full. I may do two more pages that I can adhere to each of the inside covers before called this one complete. I originally thought I’d do something on the front cover as well but unless it’s non-dimensional…which has not been my MO lately….it’s likely better that I leave it just plain.

    I hope you forgave me for being so insensitive…so long old friend.

  • Art - Creativity

    Beginning to blossom

    Another art journal page on the books…er…the book. *wink* I was heading in a different direction with this page when I began last night. I walked away while waiting for the gesso and a bit of light green paint to dry. I was feeling as if I’d make another abstract geometric type page. Those have been my favorite kind lately. I feel as if they are becoming my “signature style” so to speak. This morning my muse took a sharp right.

    beginning to blossom

    I was in the mood to use some gelatos. I used a light hand when applying several shades of green and yellow. I used a baby wipe to blend.  At this point I was at a loss so I started looking though my scrap bucket for inspiration. I found a book page with the words and knew then I had direction. The scrap of vellum got me thinking about a sweet paper pieced daisy I recently received from a generous fellow blogger…more on that in another post. (em-hem…Tuesday)

    Daisies are really one of my very favorite flowers. I journalled a little about how they make me feel before stamping the date. Incidentally while doing that I realized that I had inadvertently stamped August on the last two pages I did. DUH! I’ll have to go back and fix those.

    I’m once again linking up with Art Journal Journey for the current months theme of In my garden.

    Art Journal Journey