Die, procrastination - DIE!

I'm celebrating this week - I've had the Coptic stitch on my list of 'things to learn' for so long that it's lost in the mists of time, and this past week I finally managed to get the lead out and try it.

It's tiny (5 3/4" x 4 1/2"), and has enough flaws to qualify for "Book Fails in Canada' fame, but I've made a list, learned a ton, and look forward to trying it again.

I enjoyed making the signatures as well, using gel prints for the base, going mad with alcohol inks on white-on-white wallpaper, and generally drooling over the results.

Because this was a practice book, I paid no attention to the prints on the signatures, and then had to come up with something to tie them together colour-wise.

While it works as a prototype, it does so mostly for future possibilities.  I may have to up my alcohol ink stash, perhaps!

In any event, I am gleefully celebrating the death of this particular procrastination issue...a few thousand more of these and I'll have the skill to put together that tall stack of signatures I showed you last week.  That is cause for elation indeed.  

If you're following...

...this blog via the 'Follow by email' widget on the right side of the blog, please be aware your email notifications will be discontinued this month.  Feedburner is eliminating it entirely.  If you wish to continue to follow my studio shenanigans please use the 'Followers' section on the bottom right hand side by clicking on 'Next'.  

All that techie stuff out of the way, it's been a busy studio week, and how fun is that?!  I've been learning to make Jelly Bean mini books, mostly because I think they'll make great Christmas ornaments for the grandkids.  I found the directions in 'Making Books and Journals', and have actually followed their advice to create a template so I can do more.  Is this a first?  Perhaps!  😉

These little books are about 2 1/2" x 2", and just as cute as can be.  I created a slot fastening on the first and use the velcro bits on the second.  Each has a 12 page signature, although for an ornament, I would use thicker paper and much less of it.

I've been adding to my pile of colourful signatures this week, and as you can see here I have only two more to go before I can turn them into a couple of books.  That will shock the heck out of my system when that happens - it's only taken years!

With the cooling weather - I'm using that term loosely given that the average daily high has been 34 degrees Celsius - we've been out and about early in the mornings for our walk.  It's next to impossible to get outside in the Creston Valley without seeing some glorious flora and fauna!

I hope that your week has been juicy with colour, playfulness and time in the great outdoors.  Here's to the joy of summer!

This has been...

 ...a bonkers week as I've wrestled with the Telus email migration, loss of all my contact information/  calendar and third party connections, plus dealing with my own technically-challenged mind.  Which means, of course, that I am late with this post, so I'll get right at it.

I've been working on one of the colour palette signatures, in a range of hues most unlike me.  In fact, this signature turned out to be about a dear friend, Alice Saltiel, who passed away from cancer.  The palette is much more her style and she was directing traffic all the way.  

In fact, the photo on the front of the signature is one that she took of an artist's work in New York City some years ago; she was sure I'd love it, and I did!

The signature is filled with cards, photos and bits of ephemera from her over the years.

And of course, I've been working on the mini books as well, adding another layer to most of them (with more to finish, and more layers to come).

Picture heavy and verbiage short!  Hope you're having a great week, filled with creative juices to the max...  And if I've had your email/snail mail address/phone number in the past, I'd be so happy if you'd forward it again!  Many thanks.