It all goes by so fast...

The holidays come and then they go...and all too quickly!  It was a wonderful, beautiful time with family and friends, and I am completely exhausted, yet excited to get back into the studio to create...something!  And I have many "somethings" on the agenda to tackle!  

# 1 on this list is the altered book/scrapbook that I started last year for my island brother of our time together in Hawaii....with our lovely Mama on the cover of James A. Michener's book titled...HAWAII! 

Here's how it all started...Altered Book/Hawaii 

Onward in 2018...for more of my "creative chaos"!  

Yep, that's my middle name! 

Aloha...and mahalo for stopping by!

 

Happy New Year of Everything...

It's a brand new year, and I for one am fully engaged! The whirlwind of Christmas is a beautiful memory as we embrace a new day, a new month, a new year...

And this is my New Year 2017 studio share with you.  Hope you enjoy!

After some much needed shape-shifting before Christmas, this is my new studio space with incredible sunlight and a fabulous view of our woods in winter.  It is here, that the altered books and journals come to life. 

One finished journal tied up with a stick of palo santo wood, sitting next to a lovely cedar slice.  Two other covers lying in wait to be filled with some of this fabulous coffee stained paper.  One cover is a gorgeous upholstery sample and the other is a salvaged piece from an old purse.

These papers have been kept in a wooden box layered with sticks of palo santo wood and cedar slices, and with the smell of coffee lingering, it is such a fine combination to entice any journal experience.

Yes, it's a passion for paper...

Thank you for stopping by.  Here's wishing you all the very best for this New Year of 2017!  May it be full of great love and peace and JOY in abundance.  And as I burn the incense crows of Blessed Be, Prosperity and Friendship from my friend Nina of Happy Herbs Soap at Two Crow Cottage, I am mindful of this beautiful moment in time that is a new day, of a new month of a brand new year!

I am blessed and I am grateful...always!

Aloha!

December Beauty

Old Man Winter has arrived!

It's magical...and while I have many book projects and journals in the works, there comes a time to rest and breathe!

For me it is hard when I have this wonderful collection of gorgeous coffee and tea stained papers just calling my name, begging to be included in one of my creations.  

The stash has grown since this photo was taken, and it is filling an entire wooden box that smells so good with the wonderful coffee scent, and layered between the papers is palo santo wood sticks and cut cedar wood circles.  It smells AB FAB!

Oh, I'll get those journals done.  Not in time for Christmas, 

but oh, I can hardly wait to tackle this stack..soon!

Aloha!  FA LA LA and all that jazz! 

 

Journal-mania and a GIVEAWAY!

This was from the last post of a work in progress.  Below is the finished product...but just a sneak peak, not the entire book.  Also, a giveaway!

 

I have included an inked embossed sheet under the ribbon tie just for fun.  

Delicious Autumn leaves always stop me in my tracks, so I had to add one here.  There's also a giant mighty oak leaf enclosed!

So much more in this one...Lots of pockets and tags and plenty of journaling space.  I think this one is my all-time fave.  At least for now...until it goes, or I make another all-time fave...ya'll know what I mean!  

                                     Now for a giveaway!!!

If you would like a pair of these lovely bookends, just leave me a comment here...you can follow if you like...and then visit my friends at the Arty Tea Party and leave a comment there, too!  I will pick 2 winners to receive a pair of bookcovers and a postal envie full of ephemera...lots of papers, tags, vintage postage stamps and so much more!

Drawing for the giveaway will be Thursday Dec. 1st! 

Glad you stopped by...and remember, there is always something to be thankful for...so do give thanks!

Junk Journal

I love used book sales...the best place to score wonderful discarded books to turn into Journals.  I always scoop up the Readers Digest Condensed books for their amazing covers.  

Recovered Book Covers

 Now, by recovered, I mean "salvaged" from the discards and on the way to the recycling bin, not covered again or covered over.  

And here's just a sneak peak at some of the pages enclosed.  I actually salvage the end papers and use some of the book text, too.

A revamped library pocket full of tags and such!

Lots of spaces in here to personalize and make it your own.  Blank pages, pockets, tags, and a postal envie full of ephemera!

  

Yes, even the kids guitar string packs make a neat place to journal!

A little postal pocket full of goodies!

So much more in this wonderful journal.  I love them, I love making them.  Some are going up for sale to the Bethel Woods Holiday Market with my Arty Tea Party friends...others will go to my etsy shop and any leftovers will be given as gifts.  

 Here's the start of another one!  Will post a sneak peak at this one.  This one has taken on a life of its own!  I love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Finally..long overdue book returned!

Back in April of 2013, my art friends and I began an art journal book swap...hop. The idea was to snag a discarded book from the library book sale, alter the cover, make it your own, then pass it in round-robin fashion to each member.  Each person is to add their own art flair and pass it on.  Well, since we are a lackadaisical group of talented chics, and some of us still have to work for a living...this book swap hop has taken years to complete.

ALAS...I have FINALLY had my LONG OVERDUE BOOK RETURNED TO ME!

This is my cover, painted, with fabric square, vintage button, yarn scrap..I left part of the title words ART and BY...

This inside cover page has a library pocket with library card for each member to sign in when they received the book, and sign out when they pass it on.  I also left the original owners name "BETTY HARRIS" in this discarded book, thinking that she would enjoy the ride and artful companionship along the round-robin route.

I left the title page as is...thought it was an appropriate addition to an art journal hop...I am guessing that Betty Harris was an art teacher.

Oh my...this was my page that I totally forgot about since April of 2013.  And I plan on re-vamping this baby.  What was I thinking?  Ha, I even put in a little sticker...HAWAII or bust! And since I went  to Honolulu to see the fam in 2014, guess I can cover that up, too!  But there is a real dried red zinnia flower from my garden underneath my wooden pineapple.  Yeah, this page needs a makeover!

 

This lovely spread is from a very talented painter, Victoria. I wish I had this talent.  Fine details here. 

 

    Wow, I guess she was the first one to have it...way back in 2013!!!

 

Next up is Alicia's 2 page spread.  She always has something to do with her endless supply of sheet music.  And how fitting it is that my ukulele club has just added this little ditty to our repertoire.  Thank you, Alicia for joining our red, red, round-robin.

This spread is from Andrea with lots of fabric and lace, and wonderful textures.  And oh, those wonderful pineapples...Love this!  And hey, I spy those rooster postage stamps!!!

Thank you Andrea for all of your fiber goodness!  

Lucy was going for LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!  Lovely, Lucy!  Love is all there is!

Now Victorian "Rosebud" Sandy, always puts a flourish on her work.
Paints, and stamps, and of course ribbon and lace.

Next up is Judie, who just happens to have beach sand and shells hanging around to add to her work.
With a lovely mirror to capture the sunshine...she wonders where I am in this landscape.
Ha...I'm off to gather beach glass...or drinking a cocktail with an umbrella somewhere!

And check out the stained glass ukulele that Judie added to her page...
dangling along the bottom edge with all the other bead, button, bauble additions! Love this!

And our Kitty Kat has that ALOHA SPIRIT going on here...
and I spy those ALOHA postage stamps!  Oh, I'm there!

Now I wish you could smell these pages from Dear Nina of Happy Herbs Soap.
With a backdrop of large dried tobacco leaves, to the edgework of dried patchouli leaves, she made a rope heart filled with dried lavender buds.  After all these years, it still smells AB FAB!

  

 At Two Crow Cottage...

Thanks to all for adding to my book...I will be re-doing my own page though.  

And I have a couple blanks so that I can continue the art journaling...trying out a few new techniques that I learned from Mixed Media Jenn and Dee Dee Catron

So happy to have my LONG OVERDUE BOOK RETURNED!!!  NO LATE FEES!