Inch by Inch

Inspired by Ellen....I played around with collage turned into inchies. Here I watercolored circles then layered on a few paper and fabric circles.  Then I cut it up into inch squares and rearranged it....it has kind of a beachy vibe.  

This is kind of a wild and crazy cut up collage in one of the art journals.  I layered all kinds of circles from different papers, greeting cards, and doodle and watercolor scraps and added some dabs of gold paint.

My friend Lynn was sharing punched squares of watercolor rejects (rejects only to her) a while back....complete with the colored background square.  I framed some of them up for my bathroom....I think it goes nicely with my bottle pictures.

Splash of Color

State Beach
Martha's Vineyard

Images That Make Me Happy

Yesterday was a first....the first day since I started this blog that I didn't post.  You may not even have noticed...and those of you who subscribe by e-mail may have been a little relieved.  It's gardening season and there's always too much to do all at the same time....and I was exhausted last night.  

It actually was a good thing....kind of like that first scratch on your new car.  I will continue to post....I have more to show, share, and say...and I still love doing it.  But now I know that it doesn't have to be every day.

When I'm tired...like last night...I spend time on Pinterest and Tumblr just looking at images.  Here are a few from my "images that make me happy" Pinterest  boards. 


How can you not smile when you see this dog's tongue.



I have always been an image fan...I love looking through beautiful magazines and catalogs.  It drives Paul crazy that I often flip through them starting at the back.....it's because I'm just looking at the images.  I might read the words another time...but sometimes I just need the pictures....of nature, pretty things, crafty things, or something that makes me smile or chuckle.

My home page on Tumblr.

Some of you may be familiar with "Tumblr"...another blog site...kind of like Pinterest...kind of like a blog. For me it's another place to find and collect images that bring me joy.  Some of the images are GIFs...which were new to me....not quite a video but a moving picture......they just tickle me.

Here is a link to my archive page on Tumblr.  This archive page is just the thumbnails of images on my site...all of which are reposted from other beautiful sites.  You can click on any image to see it bigger....but there's something fun about the grid of thumbnails.  Like Pinterest it can always link back to where is originated.

So if you like images...put your feet up and take a peek using the links above...you might find something that makes you happy.

Gotta Love Hosta!

When I got home from Maine this afternoon I walked the yard and took these pictures of some of my hosta...yes, I said some.  I can't believe how fast they grow and fill in.  This grid is misleading on the sizes because some leaves are as small as a teaspoon...and some as large as a tennis racket. They divide easily and are maintenance free.  Gotta Love Hosta!

Here are a few photos from other years around my house in Lexington showing some of the sizes in a better context.  My sister Angie got me started on the miniatures...they are my favorites. Some of them multiply like crazy...I have them at every entrance.

There's always plenty....so come on over with a shovel...I have plenty to share!

Splashes of Color

The colors of the rainbow....to be exact.

The 2014 Pride Parade...Boston, Massachusetts

The 2015 Boston Pride Parade is coming up on June 13th.  It was an amazing experience to walk with folks from the church last year...and if I didn't have a wedding to attend I would be there again!

These may have been my favorite spectators.

Or maybe she was!

Glaze Pens

A while back I raved about the glaze pens I used in my altered book.  They create a slightly raised glossy black line...hmmm...like glaze...go figure!

Here are a couple of pages from an art journal.  These doodles were inspired by some of Denyce's art.

(Sorry I spelled your name wrong on the actual journal page Denyce.)

This little doodle was done in Ellen's journal.  At the time we went to the same church in Madison which had beautiful modern stained glass windows. I tried to replicate the windows in the church....the glaze pens really helped mimic the lead solder. 

By the way...Ellen is the one who taught me everything I know about liturgical arts.

Here are some pictures of the actual windows....I think they are really cool and kind of funky!

Planner Process

Planner number six is done...July through December 2015.  I chose this geometric fabric for the cover with a contrasting fabric for the spine.



Here is a short version of the steps in my process.

Connie and I came up with a format that would work for her that I designed in my "Pages" program. I like to add images of her art all through the book and I print the pages on both sides on heavy cream card stock.

I use the scoring slide on my cutter to make the crease for easy folding.  

photo from Michaels site

Three pages get folded into what's called a signature. Generally you use more...but I use such thick paper that three works well. The signatures get stacked up and stitched together using a coptic and kettle stitch.









I pierce the holes with an awl.

photo from Michaels site

Here are the clearest set of directions that I have found online by Michael Shannon. I don't do all of his steps...I choose not to glue my binding because I have trouble with that...I don't have a proper press. My technique still needs some work and my stitched edge doesn't always look pretty...but it gets the job done. The cover hides a lot of imperfections.

I have to work at getting and keeping the stitches tight....practice practice practice.  I may try waxed cord at some point.  When it's time to stitch I have to refer to the numbered image above...until I get into a groove.  This book has six signatures.

Next I prepare the cover boards....I have been using up old matte board. It tends to bow a little...so I may find another alternative...but it's what I have at the moment...and I'm all about using what I have. The two covers boards are cut a little bigger than the book and the spine is cut to the thickness of the book.

Then I make some sort of a cover...and like I said earlier I chose this geometric fabric and used a contrasting polka dot to wrap around the spine.  It took a little fiddling to get the pattern to fall just right....didn't think of that when I picked the fabric.  

Now it's time to glue the cover boards to the fabric.  I use bookbinding glue from the Paper Source and cover one side of the boards completely...being careful not to use too much.

Then I put it under heavy weights for several days.  My basket of magazines works well on top of a nice flat board and a heavy book. Once that has dried I fold in and glue the edges and add a ribbon book mark along the spine.

Now it's time to glue the bound book to the cover and put it under my magazines again for a few more days. Finally I handwrite in all the dates.

A Splash of Color

The sun shining through the stained glass of the Tabernacle
Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts
Martha's Vineyard

The Martha's Vineyard Project

Since I'm in my glass mode....I thought I would share the story of a major stained glass project I took on over 10 years ago with my good friend Gail.

Gail and her husband Doug own one of the well known gingerbread cottages on "the campground" in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard.  The campground is an early 19th century Methodist "campmeeting" site. Groups gathered and tented in community circles....and came back to the same spot every year. Over time the tents became more permanent structures and eventually these charming cottages. You can read more about this rich history on the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association website found here.

It's a spectacularly beautiful place...like nowhere I've ever been before.  It's a perfect place to sit on your porch...it's almost a requirement.

I have a lot of pictures and couldn't decide which to show....so here are several of the charming cottages...starting with a larger view of Gail and Doug's...it's appropriately called "Respite!"

In the center of the campgrounds sits a beautiful Tabernacle that was built in 1879. The amazing structure has open air sides and beautiful stained glass. It is still in constant use for religions services, hymn sings, family movie nights, and numerous community events and fundraisers.  

I should mention that Gail was my assistant and partner while I was a special education teacher in Falmouth, Maine. She and I made a great team....in and out of the classroom.

Now onto the project.  Gail and Doug were active in the Martha's Vineyard Camp Meeting Association and were working on fundraising projects for the 125th anniversary celebration of the Tabernacle.

Gail and I worked together to design and mass produce these small stained glass pieces honoring the stained glass in the Tabernacle.  In the center was a black and white image of the Tabernacle and the commemorative information. The image was printed on clear transparency sheets and sandwiched between two pieces of glass....so you can see through it.  We made 50 in the blue and gold scheme...and 50 in the red and gold scheme and they were sold at the Museum Gift Shop.



Many of the windows in the cottages are this gothic style.  I made this window for a raffle drawing.

This was quite a memorable project Gail and Doug! Thanks for letting me be part of it.

Have a good summer on the Vineyard!  I hope to make it back sometime!