Top Three Posts

Blogger counts each time a post has been viewed and of my 80 posts, the Eco Bundling - OMG post has received the most by far - 102 views and climbing. This post has been viewed almost every day since I posted it! My post Papermaking Adventures: Water Retting is second with 87 views and Experimental Printmaking I (carving into Masonite) is third with 81 views. In general, most other posts get anywhere from 6 to 35 views. I suppose these three topics have very little written about them although India Flint and her eco-bundling technique is getting more popular every day. She has spent much time traveling and conducting workshops and posts on her blog regularly. The popularity of the technique has folks searching for more, I suppose.

To those who have searched for information on these topics, please leave a comment and let me know if you found what I wrote to be helpful and share something about your own experiments and experiences. Thanks!

An Attitude of Gratitude Journal - Music

Continuing along with the month long Attitude of Gratitude Journal challenge, here is Day 15:

Music

 Oh, I love music!! It is a great passion! It is a huge part of my life and something I am drawn to and soothed and encouraged by as much as I am by nature and the natural world. I was raised on music and listen to it very often still today. When I was a teenager I wanted to be a rock star, but the fact that I could not carry a tune, play an instrument or feel comfortable in the limelight stood in the way! I still play air guitar and sing into my fist microphone when alone and enjoy my imaginary audience!

Yes, Music is today's theme. The technique challenge is to use a sheet of music on the journal page. Here is what I did.

                                                     Music was my first love

                                                     and it will be my last.

                                                     Music of the future

                                                     and music of the past.

                                                     To live without my music

                                                     would be impossible to do.

                                                     Because in this world of troubles

                                                     My Music pulls me through.

                                                                      John Miles, 1976

This song captivated me when I was 15 years old. The words spoke to my heart and they still do today. I'm sure they will another 36 years from now. I believe it is the first time I heard a combination of rock and classical music together. I love this combination and is one big reason I am a huge fan of the Trans Siberian Orchestra.

 Here is a wonderful live performance of the song:  Music by John Miles

And for fun:
God Gave Rock and Roll To You by Kiss

I Love Music by the O'Jays

An Attitude of Gratitude Journal - Childhood and Memories

Continuing along with the month long Attitude of Gratitude Journal challenge, here are Days 13 and 18:

Days 13 and 18 are similar. Childhood and Memories. Both ask which memories are you most thankful for. Day 18, Memories asks what your earliest memory is. Mine is visiting the 1964/1965 New York Worlds Fair in Flushing Meadow Park. I was either 3 or 4 years old then.

 The technique challenge for Day 13 is to use a tag. A few months ago I came across this photo of me, my brother John and my Grandmother at Rockaway Beach. It was the first day of autumn in 1970 and the weather was forecasted to be in the 90s. My mother said it would be too beautiful a day to be in school and that the only place to be was at the beach. Rockaway was a short drive from our home in Howard Beach. My mom took the photo. My brother Pete is missing. I can't recall if he was in the water or if he decided he wanted to go to school anyway. I printed the photo onto cardstock, cut it into a tag shape, colored loose leaf reinforcements and put over a punched hole. Added some fabric yarn.

 

The technique challenge for Day 18 is to use packaging in a creative way. I cut strips of a used tyvek envelope which I had colored with various paints, adhered these to the page and wrote on them.

The background was created using some new art supplies: Derwent Inktense color blocks and Niji water brushes. I had fun with these and will be using them OFTEN in all my mixed media work!

Holiday Bazaar in Guilford, CT

I will have packages of handmade paper, journals, small and medium sized framed and unframed prints and collages for sale. Please come by!

An Attitude of Gratitude Journal - Books, Education and Things I've Learned

Continuing along with the month long Attitude of Gratitude Journal challenge, here are Days 11, 14 and 19:
 

As I read each day's prompts, I make notes of what comes to mind, then work them out in the journal. Working on a few pages a week, I have the advantage of seeing what themes and technique challenges are coming up. I have noticed that my thoughts for one day can also be applied to another day in a few instances. Because of this, I have decided to combine some days. Here are Days 11, 14 and 19 - Things I've Learned, Education and Books.

The technique challenges for each day are: use the Vaseline resist method; use the liquid pearls technique; and use a book page. I do not currently have Vaseline in the house, so was not able to try this technique. I did watch the video and it looks really cool. I will try it on a future page.

For the page on the left, I added book pages from a tree identification key guide, wrote the scripture and journaled my answers to the questions. I noticed that the blank areas formed triangles. I thought that the black & white checkered tissue paper I have would look good there. I looked for it but could only find a piece that has a thin coat of gesso applied to it. This wasn't bold enough so I drew in the triangles and checker squares and colored them.

On the right I added another book page, from an old Peterson Guide to Birds book I bought at a library book sale. I added the piece of checkered tissue paper to tie it in with the other page. I don't own Liquid Pearls but I do have pearlescent paints, so used this instead. I scraped it over a stencil as demonstrated in the video. I chose to add texture by blotting the paint while wet with a sheet of paper. On this page I wrote about my favorite books and made a list of places where I have taken classes.

I love books and I love learning! Thank you Lord for these treasures.

An Attitude of Gratitude - My Neighborhood

 Continuing along with the month long Attitude of Gratitude Journal challenge, here is Day 12:

 
Today's topic is My Neighborhood - what sort of neighborhood it is and what I am most thankful for. The technique challenge was to use or draw a map of my neighborhood. Since I had used a map for Day 2, I chose to use a photo and stencil my zip code. The photo was taken in the Fall of 2010 on a  particularly foggy morning. I tweaked the contrast of the colors a little, the yellows really were like that! I printed it onto store bought mulberry paper, sprayed it with fixative and glued it into the journal.

Here is what I wrote:  Though my zip code would be identified as a suburban neighborhood, my particular area is a little treasure. Thirteen family-owned acres that contain woods, meadows and wetlands, it is such a blessing to live here. So much beauty every day.  I am captivated every morning, noon and night. I am also thankful that several of my husband's relatives are our neighbors.

An Attitude of Gratitude Journal - Emotions

 Continuing along with the month long Attitude of Gratitude Journal challenge, here is Day 10:

Today's theme is emotions. One of the questions: are you an emotional person? Oh, yeah!!!!

I really like the quote for today: "Feelings are much like waves, we can't stop them from coming but we can choose which ones to surf." - Jonatan Martensson

Isn't that so true?! I don't usually interpret quotes literally, but when I read this, I saw the words and emotions following the curves of the waves, so had to put this to paper.









The prompt says we should concentrate on our positive emotions: love, compassion, enthusiasm, joy, happiness, desire, wonder. I had not considered wonder to be an emotion. I always thought it was a quality or character trait. I am often filled with wonder and awe at the natural world and how things in life work out - the connections are so often uncanny and even mind-boggling! For instance, I read this just this past Sunday and it fits so well with today's theme and prompts:

"The loss of mystery has led to the loss of majesty. The more we know, the less we believe.  No wonder there is no wonder. We think we've figured it all out. Strange, don't you think? Knowledge of the workings shouldn't negate wonder. Who has more reason to worship than the astronomer who has seen the stars? Then the surgeon who has held a heart? Than the oceanographer who has pondered the depths?" - Max Lucado, In The Grip of Grace






Here's a peak at my work area. I like the paper that is developing underneath as I use up the excess paint each day. Can you tell I'm left-handed?

An Attitude of Gratitude Journal - Strengths

Continuing along with the month long Attitude of Gratitude Journal challenge, here is Day 9:

Today's theme is strengths. Questions to answer are:
What do other people think are your strengths?
Do you agree with them?
Which of your strengths are you most thankful for?

The technique challenge is to incorporate fabric on the journal page.

This page was created by writing on a sheet of my handmade marigold dyed cotton paper to which I had embedded, at the sheet-forming stage, three pieces of eco-bundled fabric. I attached it to the journal page with double sided tape.