New journals...

I woke up early this morning and began making a new personal journal for myself. So far I've done the inside and outside cover. The bottom photo is of the back and front of the journal. The top two photos are of the cover and inside cover of a journal I have started that I've titled "Altered Chronicles". I am trying to figure out exactly what I want the "feel" of the chronicles to be like....kind of like a journal left behind that was happened upon; found writings from a time in Africa someone has chronicled about. I dream of having the luxury of a long visit in Africa!

Nine 4" x 6" cards for RR #7....

Recently I heard about a group "Gluebots". The group sounded like a lot of fun, and has lots of swaps going on. So I joined up, and joined in on RR #7 for the nine 4" x 6" card swap. What a terrific group, thank you Patty! I just finished preparing the last of my nine cards today. I decided to go with a theme for each card. Above are my nine cards, ready to get mailed soon! What fun the were to create!

The consideration of resurrecting the dead and buried Comp Jour....

Over at the Calendargirlz group, we have been discussing personal journaling the past two days, and about keeping our journals or tossing them. I keep all of mine. But one Comp Jour has been sitting on my shelf for a few years now, doing nothing. So, I have decided to resurrect the old and unfinished 2006 Comp Jour. I have taken pages out of it that I want to keep and inserted them into my Comp Jours #1 and #2. And I have quite happily trashed pages that were a part of my "past" life, and that just simply REALLY tick me off! It felt good. Above are a few of the pages I have kept. Out in the garbage with the sad bad stuff, and into my new comp jours with the happy good stuff!

Skyla's Art Box....

Tomorrow my granddaughter turns 5 years old. As she puts it, she loves to do lots of "arting"! I couldn't believe my ears, and smiled to myself when I heard her use the term! So, as part of her birthday gift, I made her this art box to put some of her art supplies in. Inside the box, on the lid is a photo of Sky and me, and on the bottom, is one of my "papermonzsters". She has become quite familiar with her "Yaya's" papermonzsters, and has one on her bedroom wall to scare away any bad dreams!

GRAD DAY FOR MY GRANDDAUGHTER!

This afternoon I had the treat of watching my granddaughter, Sky graduate from her senior kindergarten class. Here are some of the photos I took during the concert they put on for their proud parents and grandparents. From top to bottom:

1) My daughter Kate and very proud Mom with our grad Skyla!
2) Sky getting into the mathematics of a counting song!
3) Here she is having her own personal stretching break in the middle of the concert!
4 & 5) Sky gesturing with her outstretched hand, and hands over her heart to a song the grads are singing.
6) The face of the bright little beauty.
7) Sky on the far left with her graduating class awaiting the call of her name to receive her diploma.

Sky, you are as beautiful as the sky up above, and as bright as the sun! Thank you for such a fun day! Yaya is very proud of you and loves you so much! xoxoxo

More Calendargirlz RR spreads for June....

'Afternoon all! Here are my remaining spreads I created in Laurie's ledger style calendar journal. Each spread I made is so different from the last. I really love these ledgers, and enjoyed working in this CJ very much!

Newest Calendar Journal RR addition....

This month I am working in Laurie's ledger style journal. What a gorgeous book this is! I've just finished working on a spread that is set during Victorian times in England, at a country manor. A brother and sister have written to their sister in France, who will be traveling to England to join them at the manor. Above are images of the spread, and the letters. What a lovely time I had in England's countryside with this spread!!

Watching the clouds go by....

Sipping a steaming cup of rose hip tea, and standing at my art room window, I watch the clouds pass over my house. I walk out of my art room, across the landing, into my bedroom, and I find myself looking out another window, watching the clouds again. Back and forth, from window to window. I take a picture of the clouds.
Creative inspiration has left me. So I am typing this in hopes of releasing this creative slump out into the universe. Does this make any sense at all to you?
On the weekend I forced myself to search my bookshelves for a hardcover book to alter. Trying my hand at an altered book would be a refreshing change now, wouldn't it? I haven't worked on an altered book for a very long time, I've just been doing a whole lot of art journaling for several years now.
So, I found a book. It's a book by Deepak Chopra. In the first several pages of the book he has self-discovery exercises one can utilize. The remaining pages are all blank except for inspirational quotes in the corners. Hmm, I wonder if finding this book was fate?
Well, I have started altering the book, and have left the pages with the exercises unaltered so I can refer to them at any time I feel the need. And I have journaled on a page. I am not sure how this book well develop and grow. But as it stands now, it's part altered book, part personal journal.
I'll have all the time in the world to play, but only for a few more weeks now. And right now this creative slump still hangs over me like a black cloud. Will I wake tomorrow with desire and passion, and the excitement in my soul to create once again? I hope and pray that I will.

Reviving old art....

"End of Season"
"Forest Dreams"
"Past the Point of Leaving"
"Desolate Moon"

I went through some old art stuff of mine this past weekend, and came up with a few old paintings of mine. Prefering the look of a canvas stretched on a frame as apposed to framed paintings behind glass, I decided to put these 4 paintings onto canvases. One of them is of the boat in my last post, but now finished off with a tangerine background.