The postcard making spree continues

I've also been trying new bookbinding techniques, making little books, working in my book of days, trying out all the very cool altered book techniques offered in Amy and Natasha's free altered book class, and working on Life Book projects.  (how many times can I say book in one sentence?)
oh yeah - and I made my own alcohol spray inks last night.  Documenting this creative spree has NOT been one of my accomplishments.  The predicted snow storm for tomorrow will be the perfect excuse to stay in my studio all day.  (like I need one!).  I promis to take pictures.

Things Forgotten

Linking up to this week's theme at the Butterfly Effect.
After quite a few failed attempts at turning this into something else,  I'm posting my original sketch.

Post Card Mania

While I ponder whether my fictitious post card writers will be able to pull off some correspondence this week, I have been a prolific post card maker in real life.

I've got TWENTY, count 'em, TWENTY post cards (and two wee packages) addressed and ready for the post office.  Here are a few highlights:

Boy, oh boy, do I crack myself up.  It's a shame I have to sleep once in a while because I'm on a roll!

Jellied Chicken Loaf

Those are three words that should NEVER go together, but there they were -  in this recipe book:

It's the third edition of "Food for Fifty" - originally published in 1937, though this particular edition is from 1951.  I bought it for $1 at the library book sale last year.

The inscription just kills me:

It belonged originally to Mildred Smith, but written below, in another hand, it says "given to Marion Kurshbern by Mildred's daughter, Carol upon Mildred's death".  Doesn't it make you wonder about the lives of these people?  Did Mildred work in the food service industry?  Why was the book bequeathed to Marion?  Who donated it to the library book sale? Did it stay in Marion's possession until I bought it?

It's filled with out-of-fashion recipes ("Cottage Cheese Croquettes" anyone?), mysterious terms (what on earth could "French Dressing, Semipermanent" mean?) and institutional menu planning.  It's your go-to-guide next time you want to make raisin pie for the masses.

As cool as it is, I've decided to alter it.  In fact I started altering a few months ago as part of Amy and Natasha's FREE altered book class on Flutterbye.  As fun as it is to mess around with the book, it didn't really have a focus or a purpose.  I'd painted a few scary faces in it and that's all.

But then I decided to see what was going on in the Book of Days group and I decided this would be the perfect book for a year of art journaling and reflection.

I haven't decorated the cover yet - I need to work in a book for a little while so that eventually the cover will reflect the contents.

Here's the inside of the cover.  (recognize that painting?)

The next spread sets my intentions for the year.  I had a releasing ceremony on the Solstice to let go of the things that don't serve me anymore.  I also spent several contemplative hours on New Year's Day choosing a word for the year.  This spread has a little pocket on each page and some personal writing slipped inside.

Then a spread for the first week.  (with a fold-out page)

In addition to capturing this year's journey, I hope to pick up some cooking tips.

Next time you're planning a party for 50 of your closest friends let me know and I'll send you the recipes for Prune Whip, Veal Souffle and Sweetbread Cutlets.

Post Card Challenge

Last night I made the 11th-hour decision to join Darcy's Postcard Challenge. When she first described the challenge I was totally intimidated and thought there was no way in hell I could take it on.  But all day yesterday it nagged at me, and I stayed up until midnight making my first card.

The project, inspired by the Griffin and Sabine books, is a year long postcard correspondence between two fictional characters. Every week, Darcy will post the name of a country and we all work from there. (This week:  Austria).   I don't know that I'll be able to keep up with the weekly pace, but I'm full of ideas on where I want this to go.

The story begins:

Got nothing...

...or next to nothing, anyway.

It's been ages since I've played along with the Butterfly Effect.  

This week's theme is "The Woods" and all I've got for you is an elementary school art project.

(I kid you not.  The project idea was found on one of the of the many websites we use to get arts-and-crafts ideas for the kids at work.  I think the middle schoolers are going to do it after school one day next week.  It involves masking tape and watercolors.)

So, I've spent the past hour staring at it, trying to figure out what to do to it to make it edgier. 

Trying to make it more worthy of a dedicated blog post.  

And I was getting grumpy and coming up with nothing.

AND it's too big to fit on my scanner bed, so I scanned it in two parts and spent another hour trying to figure out if I had any software that would stitch the two pictures together. 

(I don't, so I'm going to pretend it's supposed to be in two pieces. )

( I was going to call it a triptych, but that's three paintings. ) 

(What do you call two?  A diptych?)

 ( Dipstick is more like it). 

 So now worrying about this little painting has taken about 5 times longer than it did to paint it in the first place.  

I need to get a grip.

So here it is, in all it's fifth grade glory.

Just trying to get back into the habit of making art every day and posting here more than once a month.

Plus, I miss the radiant glow of all the pretty people at the Butterfly Effect.

Re-entry

It's been a beautiful month of homemade presents and fancy gadgets, favorite traditions and delicious food, slowing down and paying attention, releasing and holding close.

At first I wasn't blogging because everything I was making was a potential gift, and since my entire lovely family reads my blog, I didn't want to tip my hand.

But then the gifts were done, and I just slowed down - basking in the glow of family.

And then, I lost the habit.  Of both art and blogging. But mostly blogging.  And the longer I went without posting, the harder it got to post.  There's lots to say, and lots to show, and this is part of what's holding me back.  Where to start?

But now, vacation is over, the guest room/studio is empty, skipptety jillion on-line groups are ramping up, we're settling back into our routines, and I'm taking the plunge back into cyberspace.

Yesterday I watched the first part of Traci Bautista's free workshops over at the Strathmore website (along with most of the blogosphere).

After playing around with the techniques, I made this spread for one of my traveling art journals .

 

So Happy New Year, one and all.  I've been stalking your blogs all month, but not commenting or interacting.  I hope to back up to full speed in a few days.