• Around home - Art - Blog - Creativity - Outdoors

    T Tuesday: handmade journal edition

    April 16, 2018 - By 

    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.

    T stands for Tuesday
    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??
  • Blog - Creativity

    I missed my bloggerversary!

    April 15, 2018 - By 

    Wow…11 years!!

    I am just 4 days late for my 11th bloggerversary!  I never thought I’d still be at this after all this time. You see, I tend to get really excited about new projects then when the next obsession crosses my path and I drop everything for that. Eventually I do circle back around to older things but it can take a while.

    Growing up, writing ranked up there with pulling teeth. This is yet another reason I’m impressed that I’ve continued post after post, month after month, year after year.  What is very more crazy to me is that I’ve grown to enjoy writing. I find it very freeing. It unclutters my mind. I don’t worry about the little things like the squiggly red line under unclutters telling me that is not a proper word. I don’t care. It’s the word I’ve chosen to use.

    I do find it very ironic that my first post was about a handmade book I had just created…and now 11 years later…it’s a handmade book that I created that had me sitting down at the keyboard today.

    More on my new book in the next post…

     

  • Art - Blog - Creativity

    T Tuesday: Spring snow day? edition

    April 2, 2018 - By 

    We all have our fingers crossed for tomorrow. We are getting snow and seemingly lots of it so we might as well have the day off if we have to have snow after Easter. The weather reports are saying 6-9 inches.

    ❄ UPDATE: Snow day!!! ❄ 

    Enough about the crummy weather and on to the art journal.
    collect beautiful memories

    I created this page with a layer of randomly cut squares and rectangles using both heavy card stock and a textured chocolate box.

    collect beautiful memoriesI used a combination of stains, distress paint, gelatos and charcoal sticks to create the variation of color.

    collect beautiful memories

    I layered my “found relative” image over a fussy cut flower photo, paint stained baby wipe and frayed fabric. The paper clip had just the right patina so it found its way on the page as well.collect beautiful memories

    I adding some distressing to the photo which started as a printed image. I used gel medium to adhere it to card stock to give it the weight and stability of a photo of that age. I scuffed up the edges then wet misted them before dragging across a distress ink pad. I ended up accidentally creasing the image in a couple of places with added authenticity in my opinion.

    Linking up with Art Journal Journey for the theme: Recycle and Collage

    Art Journal Journey
    I also need to share my photo challenge recap. 

    16. Money …..accidental collection of money I’ll never spend

    17. Green

    18. Bread ….lunch

    19. Season ….it’s supposed to be Spring…right?

    20. A note

    21. Oh No! …someone is disturbing Marvin’s peace

    22. Last thing I bought …arrows

    23. Candy

    24. Perspective ….grilling with snow on the ground  (imagine that I’m having a nice glass of wine with this…photo not included) 

    I’ve officially abandoned the rest of the month. This month was difficult and not very inspiring. I’m taking April off from the photo challenge scene.

    So Tomorrow…Tuesday…I’ll either be shoveling the going to work or just shoveling. I’m hoping for the latter.

    T stands for Tuesday

    What are you doing today?