Making Books

I like making books. Altered books and three ring binder books and mini travel books. I like making books A LOT! In fact, so much so that I don't necessarily finish the books that I begin ...hmmmm, finishing what I begin ...that's a topic for another post! Anyway, back to making books ...
I have multiple art journal books that I work in at the same time. I think, for me, there are two main reasons that I work in multiple journals: 

1.) I usually have so many things  running around in my head and for some reason I feel the need to categorize them into themes or topics. Thus, multiple journals. I have one for making art and recording thoughts about my "One Word" for the year ~ my Gratitude Journal.  

I have another where I am making art for prompts from The Art Journaler community that I belong to, as well as some random journaling about my journey of self-discovery. I found a book appropriately named "The Examined Life"

2.) I find that I enjoy working in different sizes of journals. My Gratitude journal is 6x9 landscape. The Examined Life altered book is 5x8. When I made my Reverb 2012 album I had found a perfect little book that was 4x7 and I loved the smaller pages.

So I found another small book and started another art journal in it for this year. This one is 4.5x7. So far it just contains random art journal pages.

But probably my favorite size; the one I keep returning to is 7x9. I have done quite a few of this size:

2011 Advent Art Journal

SLJ Class Art Journal

Montana Road Trip from 2011

Because it's my favorite size to work in I have a new 7x9 art journal book in progress.

The beginning of the cover. The watercolor paper I buy has wonderfully heavy cardboard/chipboard back pages. I cut one down for the cover of my new 7x9 art journal binder, then sprayed on some inks and splattered on paint on a piece of patterned card stock. I glued it on the chipboard cover and will decorate it as I am inspired.

Like I said, I like making books and I love spending time filling them with the musings of my heart, one art journal page at a time. It keeps me sane!

Reverb 12 Continued

More pages from my Reverb 12 Art Journal book. Getting caught up!

Day 17 side 1 ~ What was the bravest thing you did this year?

Day 17 side 2 

Day 18 ~ Did you visit any place that holds special meaning to you in 2012?

Day  21 ~ Do you remember any of your  goals and resolutions for 2012?

Day 22 ~ What was your most memorable trip in 2012?

Day 26 ~ How did you celebrate your birthday in 2012?

More to come. Working on finishing my two December projects and then start new for the new year!

Happy New Year Odds & Ends

There's nothing more refreshing  than a week off with no agenda. I don't think I'm ready to get back into the swing of everyday life. But, it does begin tomorrow.

Friday I met my sister in Ann Arbor and we spent the day hanging out together and shopping. We poked around a few of our favorite shops such as Found (an awesome vintage shop) and Hollanders, a paper and bookbinding store. Then we went to an antique/thrift store and I found some great book finds. I got a huge U.S. Atlas book for $2.00! My Sis also brought me my dad's high school and college yearbooks that have been collecting dust (and mildew) in her basement. I'm going to take out the pages he is on and save them but use the rest of the books for art journal backgrounds.

We ate lunch near a Barnes & Noble bookstore so we popped in and look what I found on the newsstand a few days early!

It was very exciting seeing a magazine I am in on the newsstand. You can see it peeking out in the top row. I pulled this one out to purchase and photograph. My sister wanted to pull all of them out and spread them across the front row!

One of the bonuses I didn't anticipate from being published is an opportunity to build community with other artists. So far I have connected with two of the other artists in the magazine and love their work.

Kathy Zbrzezny

Mary Freeman

More Reverb 12 pages:

Day 10  side 1~ 10 things you were thankful for in 2012. 

Day 10 side 2

More art pages to come tomorrow. Happy New Year to everyone!

Organizing and Reverb Days 11 ~ 15

 Every so often I reach a point in my office/art room where it has become so disorganized that I can't focus on anything. So my hubby helped me start a project to reorganize over the holidays.

He hung the shelves. I'm organizing my stuff in the storage boxes. Now I can focus!

More finished pages in my Reverb 12 journal:

Day 11: Did you form any new, or strengthen any existing, relationships in  2012

Day 12: What was something you planned to do this year but didn't?

Day 13: What was your biggest indulgence in 2012?

Day 14: What was the best meal you enjoyed in 2012?

Day 15:What was a favorite photo you took in 2012?

It's great having the week off. I'm organizing and getting caught upon my art projects! Here's another peak at my magazine article coming up in January's Art Journaling Magazine:

Reverb 12 Days 4 ~ 9

More finished pages from my Reverb 12 reflection journal.

Day 4: Did you discover a new song or musical artist in 2012?

Day 5: Five things you do not want to forget in 2012.

{As much as I would like it, number 5 is not about becoming a grandma as a few of my friends have asked. I'll announce this event as soon as I am able!}

Day 6:What was your favorite gift in 2012?

Day 7: What was your funniest story from 2012?

Day 8: What was the quote or saying that most resonated with you this past year?

Day 9: Was there anything you were feeling nostalgic for in 2012?

A Habit of Reflection

Each year, as the end of the year draws close, I make it a habit to look back over the year and its events and reflect. I look back at the highs and lows, at the areas where I experienced growth and at the ones where I didn't. I usually will do this by spending a few days reading my journals from that year.

This year, I started earlier and am using the aid of a practice called Reverb 12. Hope Wallace Karney introduced me to Reverb 12 on her blog www.besottment.com. Every day she posts a prompt that helps one reflect on the previous year. This has been an unusual year of very highs and very lows. Both of our daughters got married this year and we gained two wonderful son-in-laws {very high}! But, on the very low end, some close friends of almost 20 years moved to Texas {we miss you guys!}

So, faced with reflecting on this past year I thought it would help to do so in a different manner this year..and one that would let me get creative. Since I am obsessed with altering books and making my own art journals, I decided to make a little book for this experience. I've been building a little stash of old books I've found at Goodwill and other places and I had the perfect one for this project.

Front and back covers

Full of foundation pages

Some finished pages:

Intro Page

Day 1: Did you try anything new in 2012?

Day 2: What was the most memorable gathering you attended in 2012?

I had to pick two memorable events since both of our girls got married this year! Some of my answers to prompts were more personal to me than others, so in those instances I used envelopes to place my journaling in. Like on Day 3: What was a storm you weathered in 2012?

This is a busy time of year for me at work with our outreach to the school and neighborhood. Even so, I decided to do this creative project of reflection and an Advent art journal project. Lofty ambitions, I know! But I'm not putting pressure on myself to complete them within any time frame and the creative outlet is helping balance my energy in this busy season