It's raining outside...

...so I've been playing inside for the last day or so.

I've finished a painting that's been in progress for quite some time,

'A New World'   8 x 10" mixed media on cradled wood panel © Win Dinn

 a bottle that's taken much longer than it might have had not a show intervened,

'Deep Sea Catch''   12" x 2.5" altered bottle © Win Dinn

 and a miniature treasure chest, just perfect for a small child.

'Tiny Treasures' 2.5" x 3" x 2" mixed media chest  © Win Dinn

Of course, there are a number of other items in the works, and not all necessarily fun.  I've been washing bottle caps, and I can tell you that it's not something I'd like to do for a living!

I've started another folded book, this one eventually to be titled 'Any Place'.  Can you guess what damaged paperback it's created from?

With another signature in process, you can tell that I've got my colour scheme firmly entrenched, yes?

I hope you're having as much fun as possible creating in your space.

'Caught'...

by Harlan Coben, is the name of the book, damaged, that I found in a discard bin some time ago, although it now looks a whole lot differently than it did at that time.

Book folding is a big thing with me - I normally find the process meditative and relaxing.  I started by tearing off the cover (saved for another project of course), folding each page in half vertically and then dividing the book into eight segments, half of which I unfolded. Those of you who follow this blog know I'm wildly excited about folding and unfolding and folding and ....

I then folded the top sections of the segments that I'd left folded vertically, both top and bottom, towards the centre of the book.  Utilizing the centre section of the other unfolded segments, I tore them into six strips.

It's starting to look a little frazzled, no?  Here's where the fun begins... all of the six torn strips on each of the 35 pages in four segments need to be curled - did you do the math?  That's 840 curls around a little tiny wooden skewer.  Now you know why this project sat untouched on the dining room table for weeks.  I purposely avoided cooking so I wouldn't have to do it. Who am I kidding?  I purposely avoid cooking as much as possible - poor John!

However, I did tear, pun intended, into the project this week, and it's a done deed (I even managed to cook a meal or two), including the additional 140 folds and curls on the top edge.  With all these curls, she reminds me a bit of a poodle, hence the name.

'Poodle:  Caught in an Updraft', folded book  © Win Dinn

'Poodle:  Caught in an Updraft', folded book  © Win Dinn

'Poodle:  Caught in an Updraft', folded book, top view  © Win Dinn

Normally, the word used in paragraph two, does not necessarily apply in this case.  I'm pretty much done with curling paper around a wooden skewer for this year, with no plans for the immediate future. I'm thinking that this poodle needs some colour, though.  What do you think?