• Art - Blog

    So go explore

    February 8, 2015 - By 

    I really couldn’t wait to starting using my newly prepped journal. I grabbed it an opened it randomly to a page and applied some gesso. so go explore endview

    See…a very random selection. In fact, I don’t ever start from the front of a journal. Something about doing that intimidates me. It’s as if I feel like that first page is going to set the tone for the whole book.  This is way less pressure. so go explore journal page

    The background may look familiar to some of you as I did a painting a while back using the same technique.

    Once I got the background colors down and dried, I felt like writing.  Not my usual thing but you have to go with it when it strikes.

    ” The road of our lives is paved with so many possibilities. Things unimaginable to us.  We make choices. Turns. Detours. What is around the next corner? It could be a brick wall or it could be the greatest opportunity you will ever find. You will never know unless you put one foot in front of the other. Be open to new things, experiences and people. Not all of them will be good but they will shape you into a better person if you let them. Either by learning from your mistakes or by teaching you how incredible you were meant to be. So go explore….”

    Wowsers…I usually don’t get deep with my journals but when the mood strikes I must give in and go with it.

    I’m linking up with Inspire me Monday this week.

  • Art - Blog - Creativity - Tutorials

    Tutorial: Journal prep of a vintage book

    February 8, 2015 - By 

    Since I was starting a new journal I thought I’d share with you my process for prepping the book.  First find yourself an old book that appeals to you. For me it was the size of this book. Not too small or too big… Just call me Goldilocks.journal prep5

    Look inside to see what kind of binding you have.journal prep1

    This inside cover gave me a really good indication that I had a sewn binding but I had to make sure.journal prep4

    Yep…sewn binding. Perfect! Now we’re ready for the thinning of pages without leaving chunks of torn pages along the inner spine. Removing pages reduces bulk since the altering of a book whether journal style or a themed altered book adds lots of bulk!

    I find the center of each signature (as seen in the above photo) and remove the page from each side.journal prep3Like this. I go back and carefully pick out all of the torn fragments. It will appear as if nothing has changed until you look at the page numbers. You’ll have a definite gap which would make reading the story a real challenge at this point.

    I remove at least one page from each signature, sometimes more. You can always go back and remove more. journal prep7

    Here you can see the gaps along the spine and how the book is more narrow going toward the outer edge. This is exactly what you want. journal prep8

    You have a nice stack of pages for your altering pleasure when you are done.

  • Blog - Crafts - Creativity - Tutorials

    Dress pattern ball

    February 7, 2015 - By 

    After Christmas I decided to really change up the fireplace mantel from my standard color scheme. I usually stick with warm colors but was definitely ready for a change.

    After a month of feeling as if something was missing I decided to make a decorative ball to set on top of my stoneware pitcher.

    20150205_7430

    I used a 2.5 inch foam ball as my base. I cut a dress pattern into roughly 2 inch squares.

    20150205_7432

    I stacked 2 in a crisscross manner then put a pencil into the center. I then dipped the tips into white glue and pressed the tip into the foam ball. I continued this until the entire ball was covered. 20150205_7433

    I think it looks a bit like a dried hydrangea sitting on top.