Belly Band

Our life is shining and alive at the present moment. It is not in the past, not in the future, but right here and now. This is where our life has always been - waiting for us to notice it, to live it, to be fully present with it. Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara, the lead monk on the Walk for Peace

I tried to be fully present with everything that landed in my day today. It was a good day.

Marilyn's joy journal made it to Rhode Island and she seemed pleased.

As I mentioned...Marilyn's pile of papers and notions had a vintage vibe. And the minute I saw this long floral strip I knew it was going to somehow wrap around the journal to become the closure. I just needed to figure out how.

I'm not exactly sure what the material is...but it seems it might have been wool felt. The tiny pink flowers had bead centers..and the whole thing was carefully hand stitched. It seemed like a treasure...so I had to honor it somehow.

In the end...I turned it into a belly band as the closure. Because the band would be a horizontal feature...I chose to do the vertical strip quilting with the papers as a contrast. I think it turned out pretty well.

I carefully stitched the band closed and attached a button to give the illusion of a closure. 

It gave me a chance to add a little something vintage from my grandmother Funk's button box. 

I also tucked a vintage postcard from my 

grandmother Miller in the front pocket.

The band easily slides on and off with room for the journal to 

grow as Marilyn adds her own touches.

Every page is from Marilyn's papers...she didn't need any of mine. There are lots pockets and Marilyn provided cute little bags and envelopes that I worked in. Now it's time for Marilyn to make this even more her own.

There are a few others who have expressed interest in my Joy Journal Project...but I haven't gotten any more papers yet. There is no hurry...this is an ongoing offer and I am nearly finished with one using my own papers that I will offer up as a giveaway soon.

That Magical Shed

I have been so moved by the Walk for Peace....and just today...after walking 2,300 miles the Monks reached Washington D.C. The images and stories have been so moving. 

I will certainly be tuning in tomorrow for the Loving Kindness Meditation. 

The final arrival is not an ending. It is a moment of collective awakening...a reminder that peace is not a destination we reach, but a path we choose, step by step together. 

I've got a little story to tell. If you have time and interest read on. If not...I hope you have a lovely.....and peaceful day.

Back in 2019 my sister Nancy and I took a trip to England. I'm not much of a world traveler....so this was big for me. We took advantage of our niece Holly living in Bristol for work and we had a wonderful time with her and her family. Then Nancy and I forged out on our own and went on to do so much more. The whole trip was magical and one I will never forget. 

After our time in Bath...we spent a delightful couple of days in Brighton where we met up with Philippa Stanton. As many of you know she has been a mentor, teacher and friend. I've spoken about her so many time over the years on this blog.

Behind Philippa's home was a gnarly and magical garden...and an even more magical shed. Philippa would often film Instagram videos from the shed where she was surrounded with her eclectic collections and works of art. The door would often be open in her videos...with a view of the sky and her lush garden.

Inside the shed was like a secret fairy land with sometime to look at in every direction. It was absolutely enchanting.

Why am I telling this story now? Read on.

Several years ago I belonged to Philippa's year long puzzle club. I got a puzzle a month for a full year...most of them beautiful arrangements on her famous wabi-sabi Table. I've written about all of them here as I've done them....except one.

This one was different. It was not colorful bits and bobs arranged on her the Table...but the view out the door of that magical shed. 

She called it Cheeks and the Shed. Cheeks was her cat.

I started sorting this puzzle a couple years ago...but it felt a little overwhelming at the time for whatever reason. So I put it away. And as I was shopping the closet for my next puzzle...it called to me. It seemed like the perfect puzzle project for the end of this particular very cold winter as I dream about spring. 

I started with the sky.

It will barely fit on my table from top to bottom. But I will make it work like I always do. I'll start with the top and move it up under my puzzle gang as I go along.

There are lots of browns and neutrals in these boxes...a little daunting actually. 

But there are yummy subtle and earthy colors...loads of wabi-sabi textures and moody atmosphere. All things Philippa taught me to notice and appreciate. 

Now is the perfect time to be assembling that magical view from the shed. 

Here is my photo of Cheeks...from 2019.

The Table....where almost all of the puzzle designs were assembled.

Holding Onto Hope

Some days all you just need is a morning with a friend catching up and sorting through fabric. 

I can't transport Jane to your living room....but I can send a quote that caught my attention.

We humans have a lot of work to do while all while holding on to hope....humanity and decency. 

Mandy Ford is the artist/author. 

I found a little joy this afternoon adding a touch of watercolor to my cyanotype. 

Something Different

Subtitle: One Man's Trash....

Several years ago Paul moved all of his CDs (yes...he still has CDs) into some sort of a binder...and he got rid of all the cases and inserts. I rescued the inserts from the recycling because what I saw was collage ephemera: colorful artwork....and interesting text. They've been sitting in my studio closet for several years.

As I already mentioned....our son Nate just turned 40 and I wanted to do a little something personal for him. 

Following in his dad's footsteps....Nate is a big Bob Dylan fan. I skimmed off some of the Dylan CD inserts from his dad's collection and made him a collage. 

I adhered them to a thrifted board canvas that I had painted with black paint. I glued them on with gel medium...and coated the whole thing in matt medium to seal it all up. 

It was a deep canvas...so I was able to collage all four sides with snippets.

I was pretty happy with this trash to treasure project....

and Nate was pleased too. It was fun to do something different.

 

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.