Eclectic Mix

I get pretty excited when my neighbor's crocuses start blooming. To finally have some actual color other than blue sky makes my heart sing!  

I love all the seasons....and I especially love the excitement and anticipation in the transitions! So much joy!

I love the bud stage as much as I love the fully open blooms!

Debbie got her joy journal today. This layered fern cyanotype was one of my favorites. Paper type and exposure length can give such different results for coloring and I really like this deep aqua.The back was one of my very first experiments from a couple years ago. 

The belly band is part of a vintage piece of clothing...or something that I took apart years ago.

  

It's such a pretty textile....and it's about time I used some of it!

I added a layer of interfacing and a fused piece of fabric to the back to give it strength and stiffness making it easier to slide on and off. The button is just for looks.

Debbie's journal is full of her little treasures....as well as some of Connie's art (a mutual friend of ours) and the snippets from my Ounce of Joy giveaway. It was fun trying to make everything work together. There was lots of blue and white...with pops of color here and there. 

Speaking of pops of color....there was a little surprise color hidden in this spread.  Most of these things came from Debbie. 

The bird pocket was from one of her postcards and the tag was cut from some heavy card stock. I attached her Stitcher sticker to the front of the notecard that she used to write me a note that she included with her papers. There's a little surprise on the back.

When I sent my Ounce of Joy snippets I wrapped them in a couple of pieces of tissue so they would stay distributed in the envelope. If they piled up in one corner it wouldn't fit through the guide slot and would have cost more than one stamp. 

Debbie's snippets were wrapped in this colorful tissue...and that is exactly how I got them back....still wrapped in the tissue. I glued a piece of it on the back of the card and I love how you can still read the note she wrote to me. And now it's now going back to her. 

Several full circle moments in this book.

Here's how I used some of my snippets...

and I cut out her little teapot to tuck in the pocket

Did I tell you that Cherie sent me more clothing tags to use in other people's journals? I attached one to a little painted cyanotype in the front pocket. And you can see the piece of grandma Dorothy's tatting there on the joy calling card! 

Here are the new tags from Cherie! 

Who even knew this was a thing!

Here are a few more pages...not all...but you get the idea.

This was fun to make...and I hope Debbie enjoys this eclectic mix!

Living Thing

Subtitle: The Box

"I have been collecting junk for "some day." I don't really have a vision for it other than I'd love to see your take on how to put it together. I would love to treat it (this journal) as a living thing where I could write little things or add tiny bits as I continue to collect additional joy." Emily Finnerud 

I put my 13th joy journal in the mail to Debbie C. just yesterday...and I'm looking forward to sharing more about it.  Here's a glimpse at her cover....I especially love the vintage belly band.

I have a new set of papers junk (using the term affectionately) from my goddaughter Emily...and at least one more set of papers coming in the mail from Julie! Emily's journal may end up being my biggest challenge so far....so I've been watching junk journal YouTube videos to help me think outside of the box. 

Emily included food labels and other packaging as well as a whole pile of fortune cookie fortunes. There are some practice painting doodles which I'll tell you more about in another post and lots of seemingly random kitchen and household stuff.....all meaningful to Emily in some way....or at least interesting to her. For whatever reason...she saved these things. THIS will be another unconventional materials challenge! Maybe I need my own show...I could call it Project Joy! Make it work! (Project Runway fans will get that!)

Like with Cherie's pile...there's not a lot of base papers to work with to create the actual book...but I know for sure it can't be scrapbook paper or gelli prints for this one. 

I knew I would find just the right materials in my stash....and knew I will figure it out. But then just today I had a visit with Patty down the street...and because she had interest I talked through my challenge and told her what I thought I was looking for. She had JUST what I needed to propel me forward to make this living thing for Emily. (more later on that) I'm excited about this one! I think I say that every time....and I really mean it every time.

Emily literally included a Ramen Noodle box. Now I'm thinking outside of the box as I figure out what to actually do with the box! I've got this! And it's a good distraction and counterbalance to the chaotic and scarry world.

Out of the Nest

Paul and I treated ourselves to lunch out and a enjoyed the crisp air and blue sky at one of our favorite spots. We both love being home...walking from home....biking from home. But it's also nice to get out of the nest once in a while. 

We used to live within walking distance from the Bug Light...so it kind of felt like home.

Fun and Fabulous!

Thank you for all the fun and fabulous chatter about Max's birthday Pocket Book! And it even sounds like some of you might make a book of your own! 

Looks what's fun and fabulous in my kitchen! The first photo was yesterday....

....and today it opened up! 

Pocket Book

I'm nearly finished with Debbie C's joy journal....but a week or so ago I shifted gears and worked on another handmade book...this one for Max's 3rd birthday. For those of you who don't know...Max is the son of my goddaughter Emily. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin and will be a big brother soon. The new baby is due to arrive in April.

I made Max a Pocket Book. Happy Birthday Max! 3 is my favorite number!

I repurposed a very loved copy of We Hide, You Seek that was a cast off from the Emerson Elementary School Library where his grandmother (my lifelong friend Becky) worked. It was likely headed for the landfill.

Many of the pages were held together with scotch tape but the colorful drawings captured my heart.

I collaged the cover with small cutouts from the book saving my favorite larger images for the inside.

I glued them down with a glue stick...then topcoated it with medium.

I have been adding fused fabric to the insides of my journals to create strength for stitching. For Max's I did a little patchwork of colors to coordinate with the cover.

Then I stitched in concentric squares...

just like I did for Diane's colorful joy journal cover.

This animal page was one of my favorites. I ironed fusible webbing to the back of the page...then cut it out and fused it onto the inside of the front cover. 

The book has pockets on every page...and in the pockets are two sided tags with images from a sticker book I've had for a long time. The stickiness of stickers was kind of weak...so they are all reinforced with glue.

 Max can find all the hidden images in the pockets.

There were lots of butterflies in the sticker book....so many of the tags have a butterfly on one of the sides. You know how I feel about butterflies these days.

I used another recycled book with nice sturdy paper to make the base pages. 

I reinforced the pages with images from the We Hide, You Seek book folding the papers around the base paper to create extra strength on the edges and along the centerfold.

Then I folded up the pocket which also has a double fold to create strength. 

In addition to the fold up pockets......others are also glued in. 

Many of the pages also have side pockets that are fold over pieces.

I saved the card catalog pocket from the original book...

and tucked it in the pocket on the back cover....with a little note to Max.

Here's Max painting a big 3 for his big boy birthday party! I wish I lived closer so I could have gone to the party this past weekend.

I don't think this 3 is going to fit in in the Pocket Book...but it's going to look great on the wall

Three years ago! My how time flies! 

Handkerchiefs

 Winter is hanging on here in Maine.

I thought these were snowdrops...but my plant app tells me they're winter daffodil. Either way....they'll be just fine. 

I enjoyed the comments and conversation about tatting after yesterday's post. Linda shared this comment: 

I saw my first tatting as a school child - the lady janitor was sitting and tatting in quiet corner in our elementary school once and I happened by. I was fascinated as she was shuttle tatting lace edging on a handkerchief. She was friendly and kind and let me watch for a couple of minutes before shooing me onward. Stuck with me for many years. 

I couldn't love Linda's memory more. These were Dorothy's handkerchiefs....with their tatted edging.

Dorothy was a school teacher....and apparently it was proper to give your teacher a handkerchief as a gift at the end of the school year. Dorothy made her own...but she was gifted many more. After she died her handkerchiefs were spread out on a table at a family reunion...and we all got to pick several. 

I chose the tatted ones...and a few others that were hand embroidered. I've used some of them over the years in projects...but I still have several that I'm holding onto.

I adore Dorothy's handkerchiefs...but I think they aren't doing any good being stored in a drawer. I think they should be used and shared.

In Honor of Dorothy

I've been thinking about tatting since I shared Debbie's stash yesterday which included a couple of sweet tatting projects.

There was a bit of it in Susan's stash...and I added this little daisy to a collage that I tucked into her joy journal.

Paul's grandmother Gunderson (Margie's mom) taught me how to tat. I never got as good as her...but I made a handful of lace over the years. This pink lace is something grandma Gunderson made.

I think I was the only relative to show any interest in learning....and I have such fond memories of that precious time with Dorothy. She was so patient with me as my fumbly fingers got the hang of this delicate work.

I pulled out my little red tatting shuttle today to see if my muscle memory would kick in. Although I still know how to do it....I could tell after just a few stitches that it will be too hard on my hands. More tatting is not in my future.

But I will keep my eyes and ears open for someone I might be able to pass this onto....in honor of Dorothy.

It was windy and a bit chilly today...and it would have been really easy to just stay tucked in at home. 

But Paul and I headed downton for the protest...and we are always glad we went. I am hoping next week's NO KINGS protest is bigger than ever!