Vintage Bits and Bobs

We had a delightful family celebration last night....it set the tone of gratitude and joy for my weekend.

I've had a couple of days to mull over Marilyn's papers....and got a good start on her Joy Journal today.  There's a vintage vibe to these bits and bobs and it will be fun to puzzle them all together. 

I was excited to see so many butterflies in the mix....even the stamps on the package were butterflies. 

Here's a sneak peek at my start on the cover. 

I took more of a strip quilting approach featuring one of her butterflies in the corner. 

There was a small...but mighty group downtown today. 

It was cold and raw...but Paul and I were happy to be there.

When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time they may seem invincible, but in the end they always fail. Think of it: always. Mahatma Gandhi

Favorites

I spent most of the day getting ready for a family party tonight...so this post is all about  favorites!

They snickered at her life full of many patterns...but she smiled knowing she was only being true to herself. Alisson Burda

This is of my favorite quotes...it seems like it was written just for me. And it's perfect for what is now of my favorite puzzles. 

I'm sorting the pieces for the next one....and it's so different. I tried to start it once a while ago and had to put it away. It's a treasure....but it's also going to be a big challenge for me. But it seems like the right time for a big challenge.

More on that another time.

I've used this many patterns quote in all kinds of art projects and journals...including this page for our accordion book with my art group. Which...by the way was one of my favorite shared art projects. 

You can read about it here:

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2023/04/patterns.html

I also used the quote here in this post...in the start of my Funky Faces in Stitch class  with Gina Ferrari where we embellished blind continuous drawings of our faces. It was one of my all time favorite classes!

It took me back on a journey to all the posts of my projects during and after the class. We started on paper...and I loved the process I went through coming up with background designs and developing a style.

 

We ended thread painting on fabric....and OMG I had fun and learned so much. Lots of patterns in these projects! At some point it will be time to get more stitching back into my life! I have so many favorites things I love to do!

Speaking of faces...remember the post about Dotty's found faces. Turns out they were all found in ONE neurographic drawing. How cool is this. You can read her post...and fabulous predawn walk poem here.

Florals Upon Florals

I just got the first envelope of papers for a Joy Journal in the mail today from Marilyn in Rhode Island...and I'm really looking forward to getting started! What fun this is going to be!

It's going to be interesting to face each journal as a little puzzle....and you know how much I love puzzles. 

This moon was lovely early this morning!

It seems like a good time to do a little recap on the project. If you've sent an envelope already....I'm looking forward to getting it. If you haven't...and are still interested you can look back at this post for how it works. Please read through the guidelines.

Email me if you need my address: joyfulputtering@gmail.com

I do want to remind you not to send too much....it should only cost you a stamp or two to mail your papers to me. I want the finished journals to fit in a regular envelope...so a little will go a long way. And it's also OK to send just small amount because I can fill in the gaps. 

I have also come to wonder if the process of gathering and committing to a set of papers is overwhelming for some. My hope is that these journals be personal to you....with papers and colors that sing to you. But maybe any papers and colors would sing.

So given that possibility....over the next few weeks I might be able to make a few joy journals from my own papers...and offer them up to anyone who might be interested. More on that to come as I have time.

In the meantime....I started another on of my own over the past few days.

I enjoy collecting and creating floral images so I decided to assemble some of them together into a journal format. I thought it would be fun if the pages were layered....where the florals on one page could interact with the florals on a page that is peeking through. 

I'm pretty excited about it.

So while I was waiting for the first set of papers to arrive...I got started. I made the cover...chose my papers...and assembled the book.

I used the same patchwork technique I used for one of Judy's journals. The cover floral papers are from a calendar, wrapping paper, a pretty package invoice, copies of Connie's art and a Common Ground Fair flyer. 

The button is mounted on a daisy I colored that has been on my bulletin board for years and a ribbon closure this time.  

Florals Upon Florals! That's what I'm calling this one. And I'll certainly be using some of Judy's floral tissue in this book.

I'll set it aside for now as I work on Marilyn's book...but I'm excited that it will be waiting in the wings. 

Grounding

This happened today. It may seem a bit silly...but it felt grounding. 

They are actually tree trunks grounded in the  colorful soil...and of course I was tickled that they connected the top to the bottom in three places!

I am absolutely loving all the patterns in this puzzle! 

Back in 2024 I posted about some large plexiglass sheets that Melodee gifted to me years and years before that. I posted about one of them here. 

They were several designs that were samples for office dividers (I believe)...and she thought I might have a use for them. In 2024 I started using this one for my cyanotypes. But the piece was quite large and hard to manage...and impossible to use indoors with my small UV lamp.

So yesterday...Chris at the hardware store cut one up into smaller pieces. And today I used one of them to print a cyanotype thank you card. Of course I should I send a thank you card to my hardware store guys for being so kind!

I will mostly use this as a background texture...but I think a watercolor wash would be pretty on a print like this.

I picked up and pressed this plant in Perry when we visited Patsy and Brian this last November. Today...I made a cyanotype print. It has two layers of the plant..and a third layer with the grassy plexiglass...which didn't really come through. 

I love this plant as a print. It's pretty as is ...but would also be fun with a little watercolor. 

I used the plexiglass as the second layer on a scrap and I like how it gives the background a subtle grassy texture. THIS is why I wanted manageable pieces of this plexiglass.

I will print something on the back of this and turn it into a bookmark. Bookmarks were a hit in the free Tiny Art Gallery last summer...so I'll be doing that again this next season.

Doing a little cyanotype printing today also felt grounding....and back to my roots.

Too much? 😉

One of Those Days

Believe in yourself like a groundhog who thinks he's a meteorologist!

Yesterday was Groundhog's Day...but it was also our son Nate's 40th birthday. Paul and I treated him to breakfast at Miss Portland Diner this morning....and we're having a festive family celebration on Friday.

Nate is remarkable young man who has overcome some daunting challenges and obstacles in life...and he has grown into one of the most interesting and resilient adults that I know. 

Spending time with our boys brings us so much joy.

And that alone would have been enough for one day....but there was so much more. So if can put up with my rambling....settle in....it was one of those days filled with everyday magic. Hopefully you had some too.

On our way home....Paul gladly chauffeured me around for some errands that were lingering on my list. He introduced me to a second....kind of hidden in plain sight downtown post office. It's now my favorite post office. 

Paul waited in the car while I ran into Trader Joe's for more Unexpected Cheddar Cheese Spread....which by the way....is one of my favorite treats. Especially on my homemade seeded crackers. And he knew I had a piece of plexiglass in the back of the car that I wanted cut at the hardware store...and he sat in the car while I did that too.

I love my local hardware store. The guys are so friendly...and ready to help with whatever I need. Chris cut the plexiglass for free and was even interested in knowing what I was going to do with it. 

I knew Paul was waiting in the car...and wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer while I explained my plan. He knows me....and still loves me and knows when to let me shine.

I got a beautiful hand drawn thank you card from Judy with a little surprise inside. When I wrote about one of her journals I swooned over a beautiful floral strip...and wished I had it in my own stash. Judy didn't miss a beat...and now I do. Turns out...it was from a tissue pack...you know...like Kleenex. 

And after separating the ply I adhered a few of my own strips onto some backing ready for a new project I'm excited about. More on that another time.

 

I took a mid afternoon walk on the first warmish day we've had in a long time....I didn't even need my lined pants. I looked for shadows and ice lace as I walked and soaked in the sunshine. I took a lot photos and will need to edit and narrow it down to a few favorites to share. Here's just one for now.

I haven't even covered all the bases...but you get the idea. 

Even on a day like this....maybe especially on a day like this filled with simple joys....I am painfully aware of the uphill climb we face as a country. There are hideous things our government is trying to get away with....and we have to keep showing up and keep saying NO!

Joy is an act of resistance...and days like this feed my soul and remind me that I should show up even more.

Fabulous Found Faces

My friend Dotty has been working on a series called Let's Face It With Friends where she finds faces in her contour drawings. She has been posting them on her blog and I am finding the series absolutely delightful...and thought you might too. 

This one is called The Friend Who's Getting Used to Drug-Store Reading Glasses. She makes me smile from ear to ear.

Dotty is not only an artist....but also a poet and most of her blog posts include a thought provoking poem.

This friend can be found here in this post called Doing What We can to See Clearly and Make a Difference for Good along with a poem about how she is making a difference in her community protests.

This one is The Friend Who Holds Others Conversational Hostage. We all have a friend or two like that! 

She can be found here in this post along with her poem i fall in love today.

This poem really hit home with me. I hope you take the time to read it...it will remind you to fall in love with simple mundane things again.  

This fabulous face is called The Friend Who Pickles Her Cucumbers. I just love her...and I know her!

She can be found here along with a poem called what in the world. where Dotty took us on a nine year olds journey to her parents' attic. I loved it!

Dotty is an artist...and poet I admire.

Thank you Dotty for adding so much joy to my day! 

I am also grateful for my tech support. 

Some of you may have noticed that I am able to respond to comments again. Clarke has been trouble shooting with me and we have discovered the issue is with my Chrome. Switching to Safari to reply to comments seems to be working just fine. Phew! 

Full Moon

This was our sunset this evening. I was awestruck.

It took me a while to get into a rhythm on this new puzzle....but once I did I was completely engaged. I started with this circle of  blue circles.....a delightful illustration of a full moon...perfect timing since the actual moon is full today.

 

I stepped outside before I published this post....and there it was. 

A Little Bit More

The healer also needs healing.

The planner also needs surprises.

The giver also needs to receive.

the thoughtful also need to be thought of.

I belong to an online Buy Nothing sight where people in my community can ask for things they're looking for and post things to give away for free. No money is ever exchanged. It's a kind and generous community.

I've posted several things...and I love that the things go directly to someone who wants or needs them....hand to hand.

Just recently someone was looking for magazines for a vision board. I had magazines! After chatting with the woman online I learned that she liked to color and hoped to do some journaling.

I went to my stash....found some magazines and some coloring pages to share...and also made her a joy journal. 

The journal was simple.....a calendar page for the cover and 

plenty of  places inside to write and color.

I put it all in a bag and set it outside my door. She picked it up...and I never even met her. 

It started with a stranger looking for magazines....and it ended up being just a little bit more. 

And it felt really good.

Splatter of Gold

Finally I saw that worrying had come to nothing. 

And I gave it up.

And took my old body and went out in the morning singing. 

Mary Oliver

I came across a snowflake papercut in my stash....and thought it would make an interesting mask for a cyanotype. I've been preparing papers for Kelly...who is going to do cyanotype workshop sometime soon....and I couldn't help but play around a bit myself.

The papercut worked well with my UV lamp and I'm tickled where I ended up with it.

I exposed the prepared watercolor paper to the UV light a little too long so the cyanotype print was really dark blue. I cut off a chunk....and using Connie's rainbow watercolors...I started painting in one corner letting the colors bleed into each other. 

It was a relaxing way to spend an evening and escape in color.

In the end....the very dark blue seemed to soften and be just right against the rainbow colors. It's like a colorful snowfall in the middle of the night.

And it all came together with a splatter of gold. 

Mary Oliver set her worry aside and went out in the morning singing....and I splattered some gold paint.

4 x 9 Journal

One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day.  (Thanks Ann!)

My next puzzle matches Judy's second journal. I got it from the library...and it looks like it will be an interesting challenge. 

This second journal has a whole different feel. The purple and red print was done by a friend of Judy's...and I found some commercial art paper in my stash that seemed to coordinate well and bring in some other colors. This cover is so much prettier in person. The accent paper has a little metallic gold in it to match the gold flecks in the print. 

I'm quite fond of this long skinny format and it fits perfectly in a legal size envelope for mailing. 

I added fused fabric on the inside to give the cover more strength. The iris was Judy's...and I believe it was made with bits of glued fabric on paper. 

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED this floral strip on the right...and I wanted to sneak it into my own stash. I left it as it was and it made a beautiful edge on the first page. There's still room for whatever Judy wants to add.

Judy provided the pink foiled paper...but I added one of my bold powder prints and another purple gelli print with some gold swirls to create the layers. 

I edged the gelli print with some of the leftover purple from the cover. So many opportunities on these layered pages. 

The serendipity was in Judy's stash.

The pink paper is folded over to create a tiny pocket on the back.

Right now it has some scraps...but Judy will find something fun to tuck in.

Clearly this has become one of my favorite quotes at the moment. 

I edged the graph paper with scraps from Judy's pile.

The flower motif in the center of the journal is from a thrifted children's book.

The colors are much prettier than this photo shows and it coordinated with the scrap papers perfectly. 

It's fun to find things in my stash that I can add to these journals. 

I do have plenty of stash. 😉

The purple heart paper is from the reverse coloring book that Becky gave me and is meant for dooling and altering. More leftover scraps are in the pocket. 

I'm going to try and remember to add a butterfly in every journal...and this one is on the last page. There is one in Judy's other journal too. 

I still keep thinking about the butterfly effect! 

On small act can create a tidal wave of change! 

There are several more pages in this 4 x 9  journal...but you get the idea.