Journals!

So this weekend I decided to make some journals.

I have been working so much on drawing and painting so much lately, that I decided that I needed a little break.

So I made some journals.
It was a lot of fun, challenging fun. I haven't made a journal in some time, and I kinda had to re-learn a couple of things...and make some of it up along the way.

I also decided to make some book cloth. Which I haven't done in years.
Book cloth is an easy thing to make. You take some material, any material really, make some wheat paste, and wheat paste the cloth to some paper. I like sketch book paper.

The wheat paste is easy to make too.
It's one cup of really hot water, mixed with a cup of cold water and 3 tablespoons of flour.
Brush the wheat paste mixture onto some paper, and place the fabric on top. You will also want to brush the wheat paste on top of the fabric. It takes awhile to fully dry.
It makes a great material for using on your books or journals.

On another note...
One of the hardest things about being a working artist is not knowing how much income you are going to have at the end of the month. It can make paying bills really stressful sometimes. I've done okay so far, but this month was looking grim. I ran out of quite a few supplies this month, and I also purchased some space on Poppytalk. I didn't realize how much those things all added up! Well, thank goodness I made the front page on Etsy today! I sold quite a few things, and will be able to meet the demands of all my bills this month! Yay! I am VERY happy about that! Thanks for EmmaLambs treasury! :D

Mini Art

I made a lot of art today. Yay for me!

I decided that I would make some collages on printmaking paper for my shop.
When I was in college I worked really really small. I loved it. I still work relatively small, but that's due to a number of factors I won't really get into right now. Anyway, they measure 2.5" X 3.5" and they are just some mixed media collage pieces.

They are very reminiscent of the work I was doing in school. I find this way of work so cathartic for me. Tearing paper, painting it down, all while not really thinking about it or planning it out. Just making something almost subconsciously. Really getting lost in my thoughts and later looking down to discover what I made. It sounds kinda weird and almost hippy like...but I remembered how much I really like working like this.

So you can check them out in my shop. All together I made 8, but I felt only 6 were really successful.

I remembered this little cupboard I made for one of my book arts classes when I was working today. I had forgotten how much I love it and loved making it. I found the cupboard itself at a Ross Dress for Less and collaged it with the graphic design paper samples that I had gotten for a class. Then I made all the tiny little books to go inside. There are little photos on the inside of the doors that are just the contact sheets I got from the photolab. They are pictures of San Diego and Disneyland...

So yeah. That was my day. You can see the destruction of my house in my photos. Ah! Working at home has so many joys....I had more pictures, but my computer is hiding them for me. It likes to see me get angry.