Susan's Journal

My friend Susan takes online classes on a regular basis. Sometimes I'm fortunate to be gathering the crumbs from what she absorbs and learns.

Yesterday she brought a new kind of journal she had put together. The two signatures needed bound to the cover which we learned how to do together. Two heads in this case are better than one. Separately, we were perplexed at how to proceed.

It is a curious and intriguing mixture of textiles, vintage ephemera, and oddities. Holding it and turning the pages is a completely gratifying sensation. It feels good. Raggedy good. Jumble sale good. I can't wait to see what it looks like filled in with her personal words, inked.

Enjoy the pics. The online class she took was found on Dispatch From L.A. 

I will be trying to put one of these together soon. Never before have I seen the beauty or usefulness of a
window business envelope. I am envious of the hair net envelope page.

A change of perspective is marvelous........the possibilities abound when I see things with a different point of view.

Ruskin's Wisdom

Who Does She Think She Is?

I saw the documentary Who Does She Think She Is? It made me cry. This is my attempt to redeem those derogatory, disparaging, cryptic words hurled with sarcasm. The implications can sentence us to a life of hiding, withholding, and not offering ourselves and our gifts to a world that needs what we have.

I beg you, don't listen. And repeat after me, "I am beloved. I am an artist. I am brave. I have gifts to give. I will be who I am created to be."

The borders are ink and marker versions of Sandy Steen Bartholomew's Totally Zentangled book. Zentangles are most relaxing and meditative. Try it.

Confessions of a White Collar Bas Bleu Homemaker

This is made from up cycled/repurposed coasters from a restaurant. Small dimensions of 4 X 4. Cotton cording, hand bound. I built each page up in layers, starting with torn Vintage Workbasket magazines and old atlas pages. I drew borders prompted from Sandy Steen Bartholomew's Zentangle books. They are incredibly fun and inspiring. Zentangles are like free, fun therapy. You can get lost in thought. When I'm concentrating on these repetitive patterns my brain is loosened to think up a great many ideas.