SPRING BREAK DAY 5

And on the fifth day I rested. Phew, it's been a busy week with all the journal making. Woke up tired so I decided I needed a rest, but wanted to do something creative. My old standby for when I'm feeling this way is to pull out my watercolors. Painting with watercolors makes me slow down. There is no rushing this. Have to let things dry thoroughly before proceeding on. I'm noticing the return of many of my favorite birds, so I decided to make them my subject. Here's number 1--warming up

Number 2--getting there

Number 3--Now I'm having fun. Looking forward to lots more painting this Spring and Summer.

SPRING BREAK DAY FOUR

I finished my garden journal today. Just did a simple binding with fibers and ribbon. Added a little bird impression I made long ago using MODEL MAGIC and a rubber stamp.

I added a variety of blank pages and left a few of the color photos from the original book. This one I included because it reminds me so much of the garden of one of my parent's friends. It's the simple curve of the garden that takes me back to that long ago garden in New Orleans. The other pictures are of my first entry and a little poetry. Looking forward to all the wonder this year's garden will hold..

SPRING BREAK DAY THREE

I have always wanted to have a journal just for gardening, so since I've been on a journal making roll the last few days, I decided to make one today. I have an old copy of THE GARDEN ENCYCOPEDIA that is in pretty bad shape so I decided to take it apart and recreate it into a journal. I also decided to do a album style binding so that I would be able to easily add paper when I needed to. This requires creating a hinge which is very easy to do. I cut a 3/4" strip off of the left side of the front cover and a 1/4" strip off of the left side of the remaining section of the front cover (the larger section). I placed the two cover sections down on my cutting board with a 1/4" gap between the two pieces and then connected them with a piece of duct tape that extends vertically all the way around to the inside of the front cover. That 1/4" space becomes the hinge.

Then I fused both the front and back cover with fabric and ribbon. Because the covers are pretty thick, I drilled the holes for the binding. This requires two people. One to hold the  book in place and one to do the drilling. Tomorrow I'll add the papers and finish the binding and maybe even make a few entries into the journal. This is a perfect time to start a garden journal with this being the first week of Spring. I have already taken a few pictures of what is happening in my garden now, so I am looking forward to documenting it in my beautiful new journal.

SPRING BREAK DAY TWO

Being a fiber artist I've always liked the idea of having a soft cover journal. So today's project was to come up with  a journal  cover using some of my hand painted fabrics. For the outside cover I choice a piece of sunprinted fabric that I made a few years back. The fabric was actually from a silk scarf that I painted and was unhappy with. So I repainted it and did the sunprinting with some maple leaves.

For the inside cover I choice a piece of commercial fabric that I think cooridinates well with the outside cover. I fused both pieces to a piece of fast 2  fuse interfacing, rounded the edge and then edge stitched the cover with a zig zag stitch. That's as far as I have gotten. Still have to add the 5 signatures of canson mixed media paper and make a few adjustments on the closure. Hopefully I'll get to that tonight after dinner. This journal is 5"x5" so it's a nice size to fit into a purse or tote bag. I'm really enjoying using supplies I have on hand and not going out to buy every little thing I "think" I need.

SPRING BREAK DAY ONE

It's Spring Break here in Colorado and I have been itching to take some time off for a creative workshop. Lacking the funds because of having one child in college and another going next year, I decided I'd  create my own workshop at home--no lugging supplies, no travel headaches, no spending huge amounts of money. Just spending the whole week exploring ideas that have been brewing in my mind all winter. So after morning yoga and coffee with a creative friend to get my juoices flowing, I can home to put together this journal that I can't wait to start using.

For the cover I used 140# watercolor paper, two sheets glued together for both the front and the back cover. When dry I fused pieces of this luscious batik fabric (from BOLD OVER BATIKS, http://www.boldoverbatiks.com/) to both the inside and outside covers and stitched around the edges to secure. I used Canson mixed media paper (my new favorite paper because you can use both watercolor and acrylics on it plus it is nice to write on) for the signatures. The papers were left over from another book I made awhile back, so I didn't have to go out and buy an paper for this but used up what I already had. I bound it with waxed thread using my favorite coptic stitch. I love using this binding stitch because the pages lay flat when the book is open so it is easy to paint or write on.

The book measures 4.5"x5" which is a nice small size that fits in my purse so I have it with me at all times. Looking forward to another day of creativity tomorrow.

KEEP DREAMING

So yesterday I had the MIGRAINE FROM HELL. This morning I wake up feeling like I've ben hit by a truck, but I find this message from my sister.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g-T46ja95s

TUESDAY TEXTURE--SPRING PHOTOS

Photos from my morning walk. Maple trees are sprouting. Love the texture.

A slightly blurry robin who wouldn't stand still for a picture.

One inch high daffodil shoots. Love the texture they provide in the garden when they are at this stage. Everyday there is something new to see. The miracle of Spring.

PINK TREE

It's going to be a long while before we start seeing trees like this in Colorado. I'm trying very hard to stay in the present with the only sign of spring so far being the tender 1/2 inch high daffodil shoots. We are at the very beginning of the "springing of the year".

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;
And give us not to think so far away
As the uncertain harvest; keep us here
All simply in the springing of the year.
                     from A PRAYER IN SPRING
                             by Robert Frost