The Accidental Sketchbook

I didn't plan to have this little sketchbook with birds in it.  In the fantasies in my head, what I really had was a wonderful watercolor sketchbook full of my perfect drawings of birds and nature.

I recently came across this little book I bought ages ago, because I'm a sucker for anything with graph paper.  I was doodling in it with words and birds, and before you could blink, I have myself a bird sketchbook.  It's not the best paper for watercolors, but I like the crinkly sound the pages make once they dry.

This is the original doodle made from looking at a magazine picture.

Playing with pens and markers.

This is what my birds look like if I don't have anything to go by.

From magazine pictures:

Stamp that used to be mine, became Gaye's when I had it in a yard sale, which I now want back.

Scrap paper from Gaye's desk.

From magazine page:

Where I get my inspiration.

This has the potential to be a nice little book. (There is also a 50/50 chance I'll lose interest before the book is half full.)

Making Books

I see I am getting behind on posting again - rest assured when I realized that, I made myself sit in the corner for an hour.  (Never mind that the "corner" contained a comfy reading chair and a cold beverage.)  No good excuse for not posting, just doing stuff and trying to stay cool.

Last week, I made another fun quick trip up the road to friend Gaye's to make books.  It was a dual purpose bookbinding session.  She is teaching at Stampaway in Cincinnati in August, and my job was to help work out the kinks in her class instructions.  I loved making my own "Takin' Care of Business" book.  It's meant as a place to put all those business cards you accumulate over time.  Of course, you can also use the book for ATCs or moo cards, or even photos.  Here are Gaye's samples:

 This is the book I made.  We decided the covers need a big old button to look awesome.

After I got home, it was a few days before I started putting cards and postcards in my book.  It was way harder than I expected.  For one thing, lots of cards have information on both sides, so those need to be hinged with tape.  Some card were postcards and needed accomodation by folding or other tricky means.  Then there is the whole problem of whether to group by color or by type of business, etc.  Frankly, though, I've had a lot of these cards for a long time, and I'm sure the contact information on them is out of date.  But that's not why I kept them anyway. 

I like how it's turning out.  I still have lots to add and pages to fill.  I think there are still openings in Gaye's class, if you are going to Stampaway (her classes are on Friday - info here). 

I've also been playing in a bird sketchbook - I'll share that later...

Number Three

It's been too hot to really go out and do anything, so this weekend I've tried to catch up on some UFOs (unfinished objects).  One of them is to make another postal book, because Gaye made one a few months ago and I wanted to make one too.  I made the cover weeks ago, but finally got some pages sewn in.  It started out with a mailing box - here's before and after.

Various patterns from security envelopes were used on the covers (and I managed to use a lot of my new tapes from Target too).  I used half of an airmail envelope to make a pocket in the back, and inserted a library card. 

The library card has a place for title.  Hmm.  After careful introspection and thoughtful consideration (of about 5 seconds, because I'm nothing if not Thoughtful), I brilliantly proclaimed the title of the book to be Postal Book 3.

And I put a big old 3 on the back cover.

It now joins books 1 and 2. 

And then I had ice cream.

Tape Thursday

This didn't start out to be Tape Thursday.  Tape was way, way back in my mind when I headed out the door early this morning to drive up to friend Gaye's to spend a fun day off from work.  We hung around, did some things, made some things, played with things.  Then we headed to Target because I had read on someone's blog about some cool tape.  We thought we'd check it out, on the off chance the local Target had some.  This is it - comes in a pack of 9 rolls of bright tape for $6.99.

Did we buy some?  Of course we did.  Nine rolls.
Then we saw these packs of 4 rolls.  Oooh, it comes in blue... and red... and green... and orange.  Only $4 for each pack of four.

Did we buy some?  Of course we did.  Nine rolls + 16 rolls - up to 25 now.
We saw lots more, but we only bought one more roll.  This is a clear duct tape, with school type stuff on it. 

Yep, 26 rolls of tape I had no thought of owning mere hours earlier.   When I got home, I had to put a piece of each tape in my journal.  It's nice to refer to, with notes about where I got it (cause I sure won't remember a month from now!)

And what about the four sets of four tapes?  Would you believe all 16 rolls fit Perfectly in an empty wax paper box!

So do I feel guilty about buying 26 rolls of tape?  Not in the least.  You should have seen the things I didn't buy.  Like this tiny Hello Kitty working refrigerator.  It probably holds a couple of soft drinks and a couple of sandwiches.  It was the cutest thing ever.

But I had No idea there were so many Hello Kitty appliances.   Shelves of them!

I think I'm happy just having a picture of the little fridge.  Although I may be dreaming about it when I fall asleep tonight.  If I had that basement art studio I've always wanted, that is just what I'd need to have some cool beverages handy.....

Fine Feathered Friends

I've still been carving stamps here and there.  I felt the need to carve a little birdie, and when I realized I can create several new species by drawing mohawks on birds, I was hooked.

I really like stamping them, then drawing on them. I carved these from bird stencils, probably because I was to lazy to try to draw a bird from memory.

And while I had my stencils out, I also stenciled a bird. He is quite handsome, if I do say so myself!

Stamped and stenciled - they all went in the journal.

Krafty Pages

My to-do list was kind of neglected this weekend.  I have a new 9x9 inch spiral journal with kraft paper pages.  And I've been carving more stamps.  So I'm making this journal a place to stamp my carvings and make notes.  I'm trying to add past carvings too, but I can't remember when I carved the big square one.  Good thing I have a blog, so I can look back and see when that was!

The journal is from Dick Blick.  And the leaf ideas are from Michelle Ward's carving tutorials.
Have a great week!

Traveling Post Office

It's about the size of a suitcase. It has metal latches and hardware.

It has a rope handle.  There is a number "46" by the handle, but I don't know the significance of that.

When you open it, there are over 100 cubbyholes.  There are three pieces of card with addresses on them. 

This is the case I got from Gaye's yard sale.  She said the person she got it from said it was an old post office training case.  The cards that have addresses are smaller than regular envelopes, so it is more of a mini post office.

I still don't know exactly where I'm going to put it, but I already love it.  The cubbys are pretty small, though, so at first I was trying different things to see what would fit.  One section was bigger and it was a perfect fit for my spool of postal twine.

Then I discovered that the "shelves" are mostly cardboard.  They slide right out, so I could make some bigger openings to hold bigger stamps and other things.  That changes everything!

Something else that fit really well was this origami box Gaye gave me several years ago.  Now, if I could get her to make me about 50 more of those... 

I also got these mysterious lettering pens from her.  Not sure how to use the pens, but the tiny stencil is very cool!! 

So I guess now I need to go look for little things to go in the little cubbys.

And that's what happened

Yard sales can be a lot of work.  But they can also be a lot of fun, especially when it is like a reunion among friends you have not seen in a long time. 

Last Saturday, my friend Gaye had one of her famous art/studio sales.  I got there extra early so I could set up a table with a few of my own things I needed to pass along.  There was plenty of time to kill afer that before the sale started.  The weather was SO nice, unusually cool for June.  And that's why I was happy to sit here, on Gaye's deck, enjoying the flowers, the birds, squirrels and chipmonks.

When Gaye wasn't looking, I was debating whether I could steal this rusty star off her chimes.  It would be fun to use it to make rusted fabric (on my list of things to try some day).

Then I took a good look at her hose reel.  Now that would really make for an interesting rusted design!  But I'm sure her husband would hunt me down if I even thought about taking it!

 So I did the next best thing.  Yesterday, I made a black and white copy of my picture of the hose reel.  Then I got out the big carving block I found at the Goodwill store a couple of months ago and transferred the design.

A couple of hours later, I had my own stamp of the design.  I think it turned out pretty good.  And I didn't have to steal anything. 

Stay tuned for pictures of the neat little cabinet I bought from Gaye!