Repurposed Old Book Covers

Old Reader's Digest Covers

Now there is something to be said about cruising the library's used book sale, for lo and behold was a box of vintage Reader's Digest Condensed novels from the 1940's - 50's with those beautiful hardback covers.  Nobody seems to read them anymore, because there are literally tons of them that get discarded and nobody is buying them.  Lucky for me, I snagged them before they hit the recycling bin.  They are just perfect for making personal journals to haul off to the Little World's Fair in Grahamsville.

I like to mix the covers for more interest.

 

Measure papers 1/4" shorter on 3 sides, (I also include some of the end papers that are aged..some have that linen quality), punch a few holes, add some binder rings...and voila.  A very cool personal journal, or art journal that you can remove and add more papers to as you go along.  ENJOY!

 

 I have a supply of library DATE DUE cards to use for tags.  It was a great day at the Catskill fair!


 

Random 5 Friday...on Saturday

A rose is a rose...a wonderful "scent-ual" gift from a friend.

Once again it is Saturday when I get around to Random 5 Friday hosted by Nancy at A Rural Journal.  I'm just always too busy on Fridays at work...and today I loafed...all day!

So here goes...

1.  I love avocados...with a bit of cider vinegar, in a salad, on a sandwich (especially on top of chicken salad), on tacos...just love them.

2.  I am in denial about my 3rd child leaving home to go to college in 13 days.  The baby.  I am strong...deep breaths.

3. I always have such high hopes in the spring in the garden. I try, but I guess I have to just leave the real gardening to my friends Nina and Andrea whose gardens are AB FAB!!!  The weeds, well, they have become my friends...C'est la vie!

4.  I belong to a great group of "talented chics", known as the Arty Tea Party Guild.  We share our collective talents and meet once a month at a different location to learn new techniques/skills, etc.   We eat, drink and are very merry. 

Check it out...Arty Tea Party.

5.  My yellow lab is stepping up to the plate to be Alpha Dog now that his older black lab "hero" has passed.  He sure does have some big paws to fill and I continue to shake my head wondering what he is thinking half the time.  He sure is cute though, even while he is out there howling at the moon.

Meet Harley...with his tangled Christmas bow.

And my best dog ever, Higgins with a local box turtle.

Thanks Nancy for hosting...

Wordless Wednesday

The lovely gardens of Happy Herbs Soap

@ Two Crow Cottage

Finally Hit 10,000 page views/Giveaway!

And the winner of my Shabby Fabric Pin sitting on freshly picked
patchouli leaves and lavender buds from the gardens of Happy Herbs Soap...
to celebrate my 10,000 views...is...

Kathy McB... drawn at 8:08 pm on 8/8...
visiting from "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"...stop by to congratulate her!!!
THANK YOU TO ONE AND ALL FOR STOPPING BY!  ALOHA..

YAY...here's my happy, happy hula~la dance for hitting my 10,000 mark on blog page views!!!  Actually, 10,167 and no they are not my own page views!!!  So, thank you all very much for stopping by and helping me to achieve my blog goal!

  

And to celebrate this great event in my blog world, I am giving away one of my "Shabby Fabric Pins"...

It won't be this one, but one made from white denim!

 Please enter for a chance...and I will pick a name on Thursday...8/8 at 8 (am or pm, depending on when I get my butt in gear, since it is my day off).

To enter, just leave a comment with a link back to reach you if you are the winner.  (You need not become a follower, however, I will do another hula happy dance if you do;)

And since I have just found out about Miscellany Monday via Kath at "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out", I'm going to make this my first link for that party too!  PARTY ON...

ALOHA AND MAHALO

Random Five Friday...on Saturday

Napali Coastline/Kauai

RANDOM FIVE FRIDAY...ON SATURDAY
(better late than never...in my opinion...I use that excuse for work, too)

1.   The above photo is the first stop on my bucket list...one day hopefully not to far off.

2.   I recently got to see the Eagles in concert at Bethel Woods, formerly Woodstock. GREAT SHOW!

3.  I have experienced a soul awakening...no really, and the Universe is having a conversation with me! It has given me great peace and great joy!

4.  I have no idea where all these clothes have come from, that nobody seems to be wearing, yet they keep ending up in the laundry pile...again...and again...so now, they are off to Goodwill.

5.  I am on a mission...a mission of true happiness.  It feels wonderful!

Thanks Nancy for hosting...

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

© 2013 hula~la

Eagles © 2013 hula~la

Sneak Peak ~ Art Journal Hop

Recently, I started an Art Journal Hop/Swap with a group of 9 Talented Chics...some of the gals of the Arty Tea Party Guild.  Each participant started their own book, and passed it on to the next in the group (alphabetically) to work on.  We gave ourselves 1 month to complete a spread, before it passes to the next person.  At the end, we each will receive our own Art Journal Book back with the beautiful artwork added from everyone.  So far so good!!!

The Original Title page kept as is...appropriate for an Art Journal, I thought!

My ART Book Cover

Sneak Peak...of one of my pages...

Nina's Coffee Table Book with doily and wine cork feet and Rosebud Sandy's Swirls

Original Title of Nina's Coffee Table Book; HOME

Sneak peak into my addition to Nina's HOME book...with sea glass from Judie!

 For more information on how to start your own Art Journal Hop/Swap

visit here...Art Journal Hop

Wordless Wednesday

Postcard Swap HOP

These are the terrific works of art I received from the LIBERATE YOUR ART postcard swap!
 

THANK YOU ALL...ESPECIALLY KAT!

Elizabeth Slade

ShellyG Photography

Lisa Wright

Suzee Ramirez

Heather Black

Our Wonderful Hostess, Kat

This is the piece that I made my postcards from.

Original art from Traci Bautista's Doodles Unleashed Workshop

Copied onto cardstock, cut to size with matching envie!

 

YAY ~ MAY DAY...

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

SAY NO MORE...

Art Journal HOP

Rosebud's ART JOURNAL

A while back I won a bunch of goodies to start an ART JOURNAL SWAP...I called it a HOP, though.
Our first exchange took place, and this is the spread I added to Sandy Rosebud's book.  Everyone knows she is all about pink and lace....several layers of paints, papers, rubber stamps, images, yarn, ribbon, buttons...and doodles...and it is now off to Victoria...next in line, to add her little bit.

When it is all said and done, each of the 10 artists will get their own book back with everyone's art included!  I can hardly wait...I will post my entire book when I get it back.  For more on the ART JOURNAL SWAP/HOP...visit here.Traveling Art Journal

Note Card Party

Winter

Spring

Summer

Fall

I have joined The Note Card Party

Thank you Vee for hosting!

Birds and Bees

Honeybee Earrings

What a wonderful surprise in my mailbox today from Rachel @ Blue Finch!

These lovely earrings sporting the wonderful honeybees, 

that we must save!

(See more on that topic here...Saving The Honeybees)

THANK YOU RACHEL!

  I thought it was quite fitting to send me bee earrings on a bird card...BIRDS AND BEES...FLOWERS...TREES and the moon up above...

well, you get it!

I will wear these with my new HONEYBEE shirt!

 This was just one pair of many that Rachel sent out to everyone who stopped by during the Grow Your Blog Party hosted by Vicki.  The blog hopping is still going on, so visit Vicki for a list of participants. 

Art Journal "HOP"

OK, so this is not a picture of my book that has just been "swapped" in the Round Robin Art Journal "HOP".  But, it is a beautiful photo of the lovely purple crocus that definitely tells us that SPRING HAS SPRUNG...YAY!!!

So, about the Art Journal "HOP".  A while back I won a sack of art goodies from the ladies of the JOY IN THE POST BLOG PARTY.  I rounded up 10 of my local Arty Tea Party friends and we each chose our own book to "alter" and swap around the group of 10.  The 1st swap took place last Saturday, and we now have 1 month to complete a spread in the book we have received.  I will post photos as I get them done.  This will continue until each of the 10 books makes its way throughout the entire group, and your own book ends up back in your hands with original artwork from each of your "HOP" swappers.  But check out the original post and look up the gals from the giveaway.  They are awesome!