Friendship CD

Just finished a CD...altered, of course. I'm proud to say that the beautiful fairy is actually my paternal grandmother. I never had the chance to meet her but have been told I take after her. I'll accept that as a wonderful complement.

Learned something new

Our family attended the Minnesota Renaissance Festival yesterday. I went to a paper making, print making and bookbinding demo. It was very informative as to the history behind paper and books. They were making all the paper at the festival at the mill where this giant hammer type thing pounded cotton clothing until it was back to fibers. They used wool felt as the couching sheets. They also had a basket that you could donate an article of clothing to go be made into paper. I really want to try this process with cotton but am not sure how I'm going to pound my cotton into oblivion.

The printmaking was cool for the history but didn't learn anything I
could use.

The Bookbinder showed us a 200+ yr old book from Spain and explained that the pages were made from 100% cotton. The pages were still quite white and in excellent shape. I tried to volunteer to be the apprentice bookbinder but the guy picked a cute young girl that wasn't even volunteering...figures. She got to keep the blank journal that she made.

Handmade journal

This is my hand bound journal made from an old book cover with signatures of watercolor paper backgrounds and cardstock. Each of the 9 signatures is different adding to the very eclectic look of this blank journal. The inside is lined with some store bought handmade paper...if that makes any sense. :)

Altered binder

Finished another project... I've been in a bit of an art slump but am finally getting back into gear. A while back I made myself a new address book binder so I had the old boring black one left over. After some gesso and lots of paint, papers, paints, inks and rubber stamps... this is the result.

Like many of my projects, I have no plan for it...yet. I think it might make a very nice project journal since I can take pages in and out and rearrange them as I please.

BookArtz house swap

I'm over half way through making all my little houses for the chunky book swap I'm participating in on BookArtz.

The little house measures 3 inches wide by 7 inches tall. The little chimney is one of my handmade paper beads.

8/10/07 UPDATE:

I finished all 34 of my little houses! I'm proud of the fact that I didn't buy anything to do this swap. It was a self-challenge. I've been spending too much on supplies lately so I decided I wasn't going to participate unless I could do it VERY INEXPENSIVELY. I used cereal and cracker boxes as my substrate, painted pages torn from a book I altered...I used bits and pieces and scraps for everything. I guess you'd say that glue, paint and UTEE for the paper beads I had to pay for but that is from long ago so I wouldn't really count that.