journal sale!!

i'm doing a little reorganizing, rearranging, and general tidying-up in my etsy shop, and thought this would be the perfect time to put a few things on sale!  

and after chasing some dust bunnies around for a while, i decided to put these on sale, too!!  

if you're looking for a nice gift for that someone who has everything.....

or maybe just want to treat yourself......

now's the perfect time......take advantage of 30% off!!!

(dust bunnies not included)

more information about these journals can be found in my shop here!

little birdie

"you must loooove the little birdies to give them THIS to perch on"

as said by steve martin in the movie "roxanne"

the other day i was running errands and had just enough time to stop in michael's.....just to see if there was anything new.....or heaven forbid maybe something that i don't already have (highly unlikely, but always possible, i suppose). as i was running through the paper aisle, i must have left shopping-cart-skid-marks on the floor when i spied this!! and there were lots of fun coordinating papers to go with it, too, so i immediately thought of creating a journal......to give those sweet little birdies something to perch on....

you can see more photos and information for this journal here

count your blessings

bless-ing: (noun): a special favor, mercy, or benefit.

a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness.

if i were to write down every single blessing that was showered down upon me today, i could easily fill an entire book.....i just hope i can count that high.....

more information and photos of this journal can be seen here

heart songs

i feel like when it comes to the creative side of my life, i walk around with a flickering light bulb over my head most of the time. and then, every once in a while, that light bulb will burn bright, and i'll combine several of my favorite things to create the obvious....

....a blank doodle journal! the cover is an original doodle (not a print) finished on a piece of hand painted paper, and the journal is sewn using a 6-needle coptic binding method. there's lots of blank paper inside, along with some fun decorative papers in polka-dot and black-and-white gingham (i could never have enough of it!) . this journal was not only fun to create, but i must admit i think it's one of my absolute favorites.

thank you, mister light bulb.

you can find more information and photos here.

from the heart

this little package of random kindness that i received from becky shander falls somewhere in the category of "beyond spectacular"! from beginning to end, this is artistic brilliance at its best! becky has masterfully tea-dyed repurposed dryer sheets to create this magnificent envelope.....

.....and i could gaze at the sweet little tag and vintage hat pin that's holding this bundle together all day long! but the transparency of the dryer sheet offers a little peek as to what's inside....

....a magnificent little book created from fabrics, lace and dryer sheets! everywhere i look i see little "becky touches"....from the sweet birdie transfer to the vintage sparkle embellishment....it's all perfect!

and it just keeps getting better! don't you just love the message on the inside cover?!

becky has ingeniously sewn the pages to create pockets (using more of her fabulous tea-dyed dryer sheets!).....and wait until you see what's inside one of them!

another hand-sewn pouch adorned with lace and happiness....and inside is the most wonderful little ornament with the reminder to "follow your bliss"!

and now i come to the part where i find myself with my mouth wide open, but no words will come out.....because there truly are no words to describe how spectacular this little parcel is!

becky, your kindness in thinking of me, and generosity of your time in creating this for me fills my heart with joy! i cherish this sweet masterpiece that you've shared with me, and i thank you SO much!

becky shander is a very accomplished and published artist. please visit her at her website here or at her blog here....it's a pure shot of inspiration, straight from the heart!

red botanical

i feel like i've been neglecting my etsy shop again. i don't know how i always get so sidetracked....i have SO many things that i want to do and the day is gone before i even get started on my list! anyway, i was out snooping for supplies the other day and saw this paper..... and immediately started to drool....so, it went in my cart....automatically.

actually, if you've visited my blog before, you probably already know that i didn't just buy one sheet of this paper, i bought three. that way when i use one, then i'll still have two. there's logic there somewhere....it's when i try to explain it to my little dutch boy that things get sketchy.....

see more details of this journal here!

makes my day!!

i received a note this morning from my sweet bloggy friend laura over at prairie peasant that she has included my "be happy" journal in her misty morning treasury! it's filled with beautiful and unique items created by etsy artisans.....and i'm thrilled to be a part of such a gorgeous treasury! congrats to all those featured, and thanks SO much laura for absolutely making my day!!

click here for a better view!

etsy excitement!

i just discovered that my "be happy" book was on the etsy front page last night!! this treasury was curated by seyda over at elde (she creates beautiful knitwear!) and includes lots of fabulous items! congratulations to seyda and to those who were featured....and thanks so much etsy!!

book of bliss

bliss...happiness, gladness, joy, peace, paradise, serenity, cloud 9, enthusiasm, optimism, laughter, excitement, delight...bliss.  

see more photos of this blank journal here in my etsy shop!

flower power

 i think that gardeners are some of the most creative people around....they have a true understanding of design, texture and most of all, color.  i absolutely love to work with my hands, and that includes moving some dirt around in the garden, pulling weeds, and especially planting flowers.  but, to my disappointment, the closest thing that i'll ever get to having a green thumb is to paint one on myself.  i think that i have a tendency to "over nurture" (i.e. if i add some more water, maybe it will grow faster) and i'm not sure that i have the patience that's required to be a master gardener.  so, when the idea for this little book popped into my head, i thought it may just be the perfect compromise....a colorful little garden full of happy flowers...and i didn't even have to get dirt under my fingernails!

you can find more images and information about this book here in my etsy shop.

happy dreams

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true. Joseph Cardinal Suenens

i don't know how or when it happens, but it seems like one day i'm rolling along just fine balancing the house, the etsy shop, the blog, the errands, the studio work, the appointments, the life-in-general-stuff...and then just like that, something will happen to throw everything out of balance and it takes me forever to catch up!  so, this morning i made my list of priorities, and decided that the house needed my attention first (the dust bunnies were starting to carry their picket signs again in protest for better conditions).  and, actually, i really don't mind cleaning the house or the wonderful sense of satisfaction when i'm done...and the big smile on my dutch boy's face when he notices i spruced the place up a bit certainly makes it all worthwhile!  but, i must confess that i'm dreaming of a day when it won't be so obvious that i cleaned....or, that the house won't get so bad that i have to pretend that i'm not home so that the health department van that keeps circling the block will go away.  yes, a clean house and life back in balance...now, that's a happy dream!

you can see more images and read more about this handmade book here or here.

inspiration monday

many years ago, we had the fabulous opportunity to live in brussels, belgium.  oh, the memories i have...the mussels, the fries, the belgian waffles, and, of course, the dark belgian chocolate!  and, just so you don't think it was all about food, the architecture was spectacular too (but i really did love the food!)!  but as beautiful as brussels was, there were a few times when we were able to take the train to london...and when that train would pull itself out of the chunnel and into the outskirts of the city, i was as giddy as a school girl on her first field trip!   so when i came across this fabric in my stash, all of those wonderful memories instantly came back to me and i was totally inspired to put that energy towards this new journal.  if you've been to london, you might spy one of your favorite landmarks on the covers.  and if you haven't been to london, i highly recommend it...and while you're over there, head on over to brussels and paris, too!

you can see more photos of this book here, and in my etsy shop here.

know life

i thought i'd share one of my most recent books with you today.  this blank journal is covered with linen book cloth and bound using a 6-needle coptic stitch.  the quote on the front is actually a clear sticker that i've had forever, and i burnished it onto one of the decorative papers that i used inside the book.  then, i inset it onto the front cover to help keep it protected.  i think that these papers have a little bit of a 60's vibe...you can see more photos here!

inspiration monday

i have moved several times in the past few years, and most of my finished projects have ended up in small boxes for safe keeping.  yesterday, i opened one of these boxes and found sweet inspiration inside...a prayer journal that i made several years ago!  the covers are made of thin sheets of brass metal (to protect the precious prayers inside!), and the spine is a piece of brown leather.  the signatures inside have been sewn using a long-stitch method, and iridescent seed beads were added on the outside of the spine.  the title "Stop, Drop & Pray" is the result of taking my original hand lettering and etching it into the metal...a fun process, but you definitely need a special place to do it and a good pair of rubber gloves!  you can click on the photo for a larger view...and see more photos of this book here.

more treasure

i just wanted to share with you some of the other treasures that my little dutch boy brought back from japan!  these books have been bound using a four-hole stab binding method and are traditionally finished with a blank title strip on the front for the author to finish himself.  at first they looked backwards to me, and then i remembered that the books in japan are opened from left to right, instead of our western way of turning the pages from right to left!

the cover papers were handmade by the people who own the shop.  i wish you could feel them...they remind me of a flannel shirt that's been washed and then hung to dry on the line outside.  they are actually quite soft, with just the right amount of stiffness!  the corners on these books were finished with corner pieces...another part of the traditional binding process.

 this little brown book is probably my favorite.  each page has been lined for the purpose of writing haiku...and it's been signed by the binder on the inside of the back cover!  a true masterpiece!

butterfly coptic

i was instantly drawn to the calmness of this paper...and i'm especially loving that big white butterfly on the front!  this journal was constructed in the same way as my other recent journals:  a coptic binding, with 70 lb. writing paper inside, along with some other coordinating decorative papers.  i have some other ideas for switching things up a bit inside.  now if i could only find the time to do it all! 

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.

 

bird coptic

i just finished my latest coptic book structure.  this one has the most beautiful collaged-look decorative paper...and i really love the bird that's featured center stage.  and i got so involved in sewing the book together, that i completely forgot to add some other papers around each signature inside (of course, i noticed this omission after i was finished sewing the book together!).  so, still wanting to add a little interest to the text pages, i decided to take my scraps,  paper punches, needle, and thread, and sew some bits and pieces here and there throughout the book.  i'm loving the end result...and it seems to have satisfied (for today) this crazy obsession i have for sewing on paper!

click on each image for better view 

book of me

this is one of the books that i was planning on making the other day, until my plans were changed {the details are in yesterday's post...and just as a side note, my little trip to michael's for "one item" turned out to be costlier than i had intended.  i always get into so much trouble in there! }.  i've had such good response to my "book of life" that i thought i'd continue on with the theme.  i have a few more ideas in mind...

imagine

i love pawing through my supplies, because i always find things...great things...that i'd forgotten that i had.  i bought this paper a few years ago, and of course hoarded it because i love it.  but in keeping with my "goals for 2009", it's time to reduce that ever-growing mountain of scrapbook paper by using it...and i have a long way to go!

p.s.  the paper used to make this book was designed by artist and calligrapher teri martin.  click on the image for a larger view.