In our family...

,,,Christmas is all about family connections, and puzzling it all out.  John chose a great puzzle to work on this year, and I couldn't help but take some close-ups of some of these intriguing pieces.

As we move into 2018, I'm sure we're all wondering about this!

I wish for you a compass that always points to true north.

May your direction follow a clear path,

with interesting diversions as needed.

Here's to hitting the jackpot every. single.  time. ,

in a world filled with glorious colour.

May your life be rich with extraordinary texture,

 and pattern,

 and may you always be considered the epitome of Dudedom.

 May you remain strong

 in your own personal Game of Thrones,

 and may every enticing portion of the universe be shown to you.

May you be aware of each of these,

 and share them with beloved friends and family.

And in the end, may all the pieces

 come together to make a beautiful artwork.

May 2018 be all your wishes come true.

Bet you can't guess...

what my word for 2018 will be.  Ha!  How did you know?

With major upheaval coming in our lives over the first few months of the year, it's a good thing to be expectant of the best.  So I've spent a morning this week putting together some simple reminders to place strategically throughout the house.

As you can see, my usual subtlety is in full force.  While last year's reminders sported feathers to remind me to open with lightness and ease, I noticed when I was done these that bling is obviously going to punctuate the year.

Nearly every card is emphasized with some sort of sparkly object, most often the dot in the pronoia  'I'.  I hope this is not indicative of a personal requirement for bling - it's really not my style. 

If you've been in an exchange with me over 2017, you'll undoubtedly notice some familiar bits of paper - LOVE exchanges for this reason.

Gelli prints come into play a great deal with this type of fun...and it's hard to choose from the amazing array of colours and patterns.

 I love the coffee filter background on this particular one...juicy, yummy colour!

 Float like a butterfly...

I'm not sure van Gogh would be pleased with the addition of sticker blossoms to his beautiful tree, but I just HAD to do it.

 You can tell from this one that I'm really excited about the whole concept.  2018?  Bring it on!

May you and yours have a truly wonderful Christmas holiday until 2018 arrives and may this season bring you everything you wish.

It's so tiny...

...I can hardly hold it safely!  These mini accordion books are a lot of fun to make and will be great additions to a parcel or a small Christmas tree.

Rather than do a host of photos to show you a finished product, I made a couple of extremely short (they ARE, after all, very tiny) videos.

The first is a black and white mini book just over an inch square(ish).

I started with an accordion book, tied it all together, added chopped bits of white on black drawings and some text.  It just makes me smile.

And in case you think I've lost my taste for colour, take a look at the cover of this mini 'Life' book.  Subtle, no?

I love the whole concept of these tiny books - comprised of a strip of paper, a few leftover paper scraps, and some imagination, they are not only fun to create, but a joy to receive.  

What are you up to in the pre-Christmas crazy time?  Making, shopping, baking, running flat out?  I hope you're taking some creative time - do share in your comments below!  

It's a different kind...

...of creativity in the house right now, with Christmas baking at the top of the list.

It's obvious to me that the damaged Nanaimo Bar on the centre right must be eaten immediately so as to make any future photos of this plate look more elegant.  While I take care of that, you can check out the rest of the post.

Of course, being back from Linkland, I had to have some friends over to play - this is what the studio looked like before 9 am.  We had all the makings for a mini accordion book and tore right into it. 

Naturally, it got progressively wilder.  Linda (below left) wondered why all the photos of my playmates' faces appear so glum when they are having such a great time.  Of course, this is the only full photo I got of her.

Gay, below, had her happy face on for this one,

 as did Lynne.  Love the hands-on-hips-ready-to-speak-her-piece stance!

Lynne's mini accordion book is well on the way here, and looking delightfully full of geckos and butterflies!

Gay's book incorporates butterflies as well, accompanied by some dragonflies...are we seeking summer?

 Linda's book had a host of birds, carrying on the nature theme.

Mine had a Parisian fashion theme, so I fulfilled my mandate for being odd and what-the-heck unusual.

Lynne brought me this fabulous card in celebration of my new and very important status:

 the kicker inside just cracked me up!

I hope you're getting ready for Christmas and avoiding the stress that over-prep can create.  Tell me all about it in the comments below, will you?

Home again...

...is a great feeling after three weeks away, and even better to return to family, pooches and mail art.  I found a lovely parcel waiting for me from Rose McGuinn.  We'd signed up for a paper exchange recently on Creating and Sharing Mixed Media Art and did she ever give me a wonderful parcel.

It was chock-a-block full of so many luscious papers I was drooling into my morning coffee.  From packing tape lift offs, Gelli prints, deli papers, envelopes, and book sheets, each turn of the 'page' was something new and fabulous.

There was marbled paper, embossed paper, a postcard, a vintage advertisement, a sheet of medieval festivities and a most intriguing entwined line of dancing girls.  

Also enclosed were several pockets filled with bird cards, a postage stamp, a sheaf of coupons, and some plastic shaker bits, to say nothing of the stitched paper. 

In all, it couldn't have been a wider range of paper products, nor a more colourful one.  It was a truly extraordinary package to peruse!  Many thanks, Rose - I am awed by your generosity.

Now that I'm home and going through Link withdrawal, I'll need to rely on the last photos I took before I left...love the way he's rocking this jailbird look.  :D

Happy weekend to you all!