inspiration on monday…..dragonfly

one of my favorite things to do 

is just swipe some watercolor across the paper

and see what it turns into.

but i've discovered my challenge is in leaving the watercolor "as is",

and i usually end up reaching for my favorite micron pens and graphite pencils,

because, well, i seem to have a hard time letting 

the watercolor just be what it wants to be.

so, this time i decided to just add little lines and the tiniest bit of micron…..

but let's face it,

 there are times when more lines = more better,

and this is one of those times!

today i'm giving myself permission to stay in my micron-comfort-zone,

because sometimes you just need to do that for yourself on a monday.

:))

{fluid 140 lb. CP paper, winsor & newton watercolor, 

micron pens, 6B graphite pencil}

dragonfly, dragonfly

i stumbled upon this paper and went crazy...and you know that i bought extra,  just to keep my paper stash happy!  finds like this really make my day, and when i noticed that little faux postage stamp, well, that was the cherry on top!  don't you absolutely love it when a plan comes together?! 

handmade, coptic bound book with decorative paper wrapped around italian velata signatures. 

you can find this journal on flickr and etsy.

 

dragonfly book

i have two small boxes that are filled with handmade books that i've made over the past few years.  most of these books are models...books that i've made while just experimenting with new stitching techniques, or books that are the end result of a workshop that i've attended.  such is the case with the book that's pictured above.  i was able to take a workshop that was offered at our local rubber stamp convention several years ago, and this was our project.  the covers are made from black polymer clay that have been dry stamped and then baked.  once cool, simply dry brush acrylic paints on top of the clay and your design magically appears.  for this book, we used metallic paints, mostly bronze.  we used lightweight black paper for the pages and then whipstitched it up the sides with various different threads, yarn and beads.  this is a small book, measuring only 1.5" x 2".  i'm glad that i came across this little book...at one time i had intended to make more of these, and then, of course, became side-tracked with something else.  oh, too many things yet to discover!