Yikes...

...the snow has hit.  That's not such a bad thing, though, as it means more time in the studio, right?  Since the Christmas cards are ready for the mail, I've had time to work on the perforated-paper mini books.

There's something that really appeals to me about those raggedy-edge papers (I alternated them vertically so that both the tops and bottoms would ruffle).

The range of colour from yellow-green to ultramarine, makes me happy, too.

And the alcohol-ink stained (and formerly white) wallpaper is truly mouthwatering.

I can see there will be a couple more of these created, given that I have some more perforated pages.

I can't guarantee that the colour range will remain the same, though.  With all this snow,

it feels like some heat may be required!

Here's to more studio play, because these need to be put into something, right?  They are too small (2 7/8" W x 2 5/8" H) for my fumbling fingers to create cases for, so I suspect envelopes will be the next thing on my list.    Happy creating to you, whatever you're making!  

Goof-ups galore...

means that it was a good model project, right?  Whenever I try a new book form, I expect to make a ton of mistakes and this one was a great example.  Regardless, I think it's rather pretty, and it gives me the impetus to try another one.  The book is 4.5" wide x 5.5" high x .75" deep, and I'm loving the cover in spite of all the craziness last week with chemical reactions between alcohol ink and stamp pad inks.

The crossed-structure binding is an interesting one to do, and I love the way it looks.

I'll ensure that the cut edges are all coloured on the next one so they aren't so visible.

I also finished a couple of tiny (2" wide x 3" high) mini accordion books retro-fitted to some cast-off jewelry boxes.  This one falls into the Arcturus series quite nicely. I'd say.

It makes me smile to think there actually could be dragons out there in that star system...wouldn't you love to see that?

The other mini  is about 'The Red Rubber Ball' and was the result of an ear worm that would NOT go away.  

The morning sun has been shining like a red rubber ball here for some days, and the heat wave is truly amazing.  This morning is the first cooler day we've had in a while and a 7:30 am walk had us at 25 degrees C.

I'm sure by now you all know that I'm a rabid environmentalist, and that enthusiasm usually shows up in the studio with recycling/upcycling/reusing and etc.  This past week, though, a handheld turbo something-or-other that attaches to the vacuum crapped out, and I decided it was time I put my brain to the test.  I found some directions online for a repair, and tore the thing apart.  I'm happy to tell you that the thing does NOT have to go into the landfill, and I managed to not only take it all apart but put it back together.  

I feel a huge need for us to do something more to save the planet we occupy; we need to be conscious of everything that goes in the landfill.  Our small town has just started a recycling program and I'm delighted to see this.  What's happening in your area?  I'd love to hear about ways in which you and your community are working together to make a difference.

How is cake connected to cinnamon, spinning and Lego?

In my world this past week, there's a clear correlation.  Granddaughter Chloe celebrated her second birthday on Saturday in the Okanagan, so there was cake galore.

Our visit to the new locale seemed to have elicited a visit from a cinnamon bear.  From the looks of him/her (we didn't get close enough to check), some post-hibernation sprucing up should have been in the cards.  A curry-comb and hairdresser were definitely required.

As for spinning, grandson Linkin and his dad had a blast at his sister Chloe's party, as did all the other children shouting and screaming at a decibel level to rival lift-off at Cape Canaveral.

We stopped for a quick visit on the way home with another grandson, Owen, as he and his family were unable to attend Chloe's party.  And actually, we visited with his parents as well.  🤣

His current fascination with Lego is boundless, as he arranged them by colour, then by number of bumps, and then by who knows what?!  

As we were away for four days (and recovering for two afterwards 😉), there was little activity in the studio, apart from some card backgrounds created,

and a start on a couple of mini books because I found two neat little boxes in my stash and retro-fitting seemed like a great idea.

I'm looking forward to getting these finished this week, as well as starting on a larger book form.  And who knows what will really happen to those best-laid plans?  

I found my 'round-tuit'...

 ...and finished the stitching on my second Coptic stitch book.  

5 1/4" x 3 7/8"

The signatures (11 of them) are a comprised of a gel print and sheet of Stonehenge paper.  I've not yet determined what's going into the book but I can feel something percolating in the back brain.

I'm really enjoying the look of the covers, made from my Typar house-wrap play a couple of weeks ago and suspect that this wrap could become my go-to for covers, both for its durability and infinite possibilities.  The house wrap takes paint, alcohol inks, stamps, stencils and a whole lot more.

And I so much enjoy the way the underlying texture peeks through everything...kinda sneaky, don'tcha  think?!  😉

Here's to sneaky colour play - do let me know what you've been up to in the comments!  

I admit to being too lazy...

 ... to photograph all of the family mini books I created.  I'm blaming it on the intense heat dome we've been under for the past two weeks in British Columbia.  I did, however, take a shot of the covers, and thought you might like to see them.

If you've not seen John's book from last week, feel free to check it out.  If you've reached this far on a picture-heavy post, I salute you for your tenacity.  Here's to a fabulously creative week for you!  

ICU is an acronym that really impacts me...

...so it's little wonder that my recent mini books series intended for my family carries the theme.  They were mailed out this week, and soon my immediate family will all have received one of the seventeen books.  To give you an idea of what they contain, I'll show you the one that John received yesterday.

We're a close-knit family, and it's been difficult to be out of physical touch through the past year and a half of the pandemic.  I thought that receiving a reminder of the bonds we share could help a bit.

The books went out in family packages, and they included a wee bit of an opportunity for sharing among the families.

It carries on a theme of a piece I did many years ago.

We were all much younger then, my sister and mother have passed into another realm, and the children's' spouses, grandnieces, and grandchildren had not yet made their appearance.  The love, however, was there, remained and intensified.  One can hardly imagine what my life would have been without all this joy.