Would Never Have Guessed.

I would never have guessed that my hyacinth from Janice would end up being a bit variegated! Are they all like this? I've never grown one of these before....so haven't had a chance to see one up close.

It's fully open and it's one of those oversized crazy freaks of nature! I think Mother Nature has a bit of a sense of humor. I'm going enjoy watching it die back and shrivel into wabi-sabi wonderfulness! 

And I would have never guessed that I would love this chunky junky joy journal as much as I do. I put it in the mail to Emily today....and I'll share a bit more about it soon. I'm getting to her just in time....her 2nd child is due in a few weeks....so pretty soon she will be a bit preoccupied.

I'll just share the cover today. 

One of my favorite parts was the fact that Patty participated in my journey. It started with her bags....and continued as I walked down the street several times to share my progress. Patty had endless patience and genuine interest in helping me make decisions. She even requested to follow along on the next ones! 

That's just what I needed! I don't get to share these journals in person very often. Thanks Patty!

I used part of the ramen noodle box for an overlay and it wraps around to the other side. Most of the rest of the box is somewhere inside. For the cover I wanted to knock down the shine and distress it a bit...so I sanded it and wiped it with a little gesso.

I was surprised how easy it was to stitch through cardboard. 

I used the natural folds and cutouts of the box to create the shape and needed to make enough signatures to fill it. I reinforced the spine with a layer of surgical tape then a final layer of fused fabric. I used the button hole stitch to bind the five signatures.

I forgot to take a photo of the back...but this is a screenshot from a video. 

I thought the salvage of the fabric was odd....so included it for a little offbeat humor: NOT SUITABLE FOR USE IN CHILDREN'S SLEEPWEAR.

I got oddly attached to this chunky junky joy journal...but it's on its way now.

I'll share some of the inside soon. I'm not sure I would have guessed that it would have turned out as well as it did! I'm tickled with this one!

Just For Me

Most of my creative energy has gone into making joy journals for other people....and that's been just what I've needed and wanted to do. But I also realized I needed to sneak in some creative time just for me here and there.

So a week or two ago I pulled out my latest Florals Upon Florals joy journal that I assembled back at the beginning of February. I've been tucking in florals that I've come across in my stash...and just recently I started layering them into the journal. 

It's been so much fun!

The base pages are gelli prints and other found papers....some are even just plain. They are different sizes and oriented either up...down....or centered because I wanted them to overlap so I could create a layered floral effect. It's a process I learned while making the Playful Pages journal. I want to work in that journal too!

I love the layered look! 

It looks a little crazy busy and intense in the photos...but when I'm holding it in my hands....it doesn't feel that way. It just makes me happy.

I do have a little regret about the orange fabric....I wish I would have chosen something softer like pink....but I'm making it work. 

What you can see here is one of Lynn's leaf cutouts...blue flowers from a Gudrun's catalog.....and the layers of pink florals at the bottom are from gifted tissues from Judy. 

As I uncover more found flowers I'm tucking them for in for the rest of the book. Some things I've had for years and it's so nice to have a place for them.

Here's a little tour of what I have so far....I'm not quite 1/2 way through.

Clearly something needs to go on the back of this page...but I'll figure it ou.

This is a copy of one of Connie's watercolors....so it gets a page all its own.

I'm having fun with florals upon florals....just for me.

Poopsies

I can hardly keep up with my Janic joy hyacinth....it's nearly fully open and can barely hold itself up! 

And I'm quite taken with blue underbelly of the individual blooms contrasted with the purple. Mother nature is an artist I admire! 

I noticed on my walk today that yesterday's crocus patch was all closed up....and they were just as pretty! It was the middle of the day....but overcast.  Maybe they were taking a midday nap.

 I love this graceful shape.

Sometimes joy feels like finding the perfect paper bag in my stash for Emily's joy journal. I still have some details to take care of....but I bound it today. It's a wild one and I can't wait to share it. I used ALL of her junk!

Paul and I lived in my home state of Wisconsin from 2007 until 2009. We loved living in Madison close to family and my dear friend Becky. But we missed our boys and the New England coast. So when the right opportunity came along for Paul....we seized it and moved back.

Before the move Becky and I spent a couple of nights in Galena, Illinois....a charming small town along the Mississippi with plenty of shops and fun things to see and do.

We went to a toy store called Poopsie's....and I have saved my shopping bag for 17 years. This was the perfect moment to cut it up and it became one of the pages in Emily's journal. It's a little nod to my friendship with Becky....Emily's mom. Our nearly lifelong friendship is why she is my goddaughter! 

I went to the Poopsie's website to see if they were still in business...and they ARE! While I was there I learned that Poopsie is what a beloved grandmother called any and all of her grandchildren when she couldn't remember their names. Now I love this bag even more. 

I used a coordinating page from the CD box set insert to line the inside. All the pages in Emily's journal are double thickness....and I love that Poopsies is on the other side. I think Emily will feel the love.

Tiny Things

I stumbled across this tiny patch of crucus on a walk in a very scruffy corner of our condo complex. 

It's another reminder that spring is here...pushing through the winter grunge.

This tiny puzzle with these 4 tiny houses captured my heart! 

Thanks Becky!

And right on cue....these tiny hyacinth buds are opening. 

And finally....I found this on the living room rug.....a corner snippet from someone's joy journal. They go flying when I clip them off...and I must have worn this for part of a day somewhere in a clothing fold. Tiny things make me smile.

Bones

I could almost see my hyacinth moving today! It's a little Janice Joy in my kitchen!

To think that all of these little buds will open into one big bloom is kind of astonishing. I'm already awestruck!

Emily's line about her journal really resonated with me....she wants it to be a living thing where she can write little things or add tiny bits as she continues to collect joy. 

Living things need bones. Journals need bones...paper bones to hold all the ephemera and joy stuff. The bones of Emily's journal needed to complement her crazy mix of packaging and product labels...and the first thing I thought of was paper bags.

I mentioned my idea to Patty when I was visiting a few days ago....and she immediately kicked into gear and went through her bag collection in her garage. 

This is what I came home with to add to my own bag supply.

I was off and running!

I cut them all open then cut them into medium...and small pieces. 

I made a random collage with the small pieces for a possible cover...and I'm never really sure when I start one of these how it's really going to turn out. 

But stitching changes everything and in the end I was pleased. My only regret is I wish I would have used black thread. I've switched to black for the inside...and I like it so much better.

This will be just part of the cover....I've figured out a way to use part of the Ramen Noodle box as an overlay. This journal will have multiple chunky signatures which will require a different binding. I hope it works! 

I'm well on my way....all I needed was the bones! 

Thanks for your contribution Patty!

Sunday Catch Up

I have a few joy things I just can't leave dangling without a shoutout! Let's start with the fact that at least 8 million people were in the streets yesterday for No Kings 3.0! I I have to believe that makes a difference. 

I finished a puzzle yesterday! This is another one of Philippa's puzzles called Vivienne's Buttons. It's the second time I've done it....and I loved it again!

Last time I put this together I pulled out some of my own favorite 

vintage buttons and arranged them on top of the puzzle!

You can see them better in this photo!

I'm a big button fan!

I didn't waste any time before I sorted out these precious little pieces 

for the next one! They're are smaller than a dime.

This little mini was a gift from Becky....and it will be a quickie!

Janice brought me a hyacinth a week or so ago. At the time...it was just peeking through the soil...the first photo is 4 or 5 days later and the second one is just today. 

I love how it's  pushing its way through the foliage! I've never had an indoor forced hyacinth before...it's really going to be fun watching it open! 

And both amaryllis blooms are in their full glory!

Thank you for sticking around for my Sunday joy catch up! 

Standing With Neighbors

It was a beautiful crisp spring day today.....a good day to be outside in the sunshine! 

I wish there no reason to be taking to the streets...but Paul and I were proud to be standing with our Portland neighbors for No Kings 3.0. We were protesting against corruption and chaos and demanding decency and democracy. 

 

Sometimes it can be as simple as love over fear and caring about each other.