Look!  It's me!

On the off chance people are still checking in here,

I'm alive.  

I keep promising to post something new.

One day I will.

So don't give up!

Hope you are well in these trying times!

 

Happy Fall

Hmm, it's been six months since I last posted.  And since I decided to post more often.  Typical of me! 

So many changes for me this year.  Not really the kind of changes in my life plan either.  But I keep going with the flow.  I'm wearing down with all that flow, though. 

Today I woke up to ice.  It's still fall.  You can tell by the color of my maple tree behind all the ice.  I don't like hot weather.  I tolerate winter because it usually doesn't last too long in central Kentucky.  But ice before Thanksgiving (and the promise of a little snow later today) is not my thing.  I'm turning into my grandmother, who wore a sweater year round.  But I'm thankful I have electricity.  And internet.  And groceries.  Wish I had an extra phone charging cord, though, because mine died and my phone is at 25% battery.  It's been turned off, in case I need it.  We'll see how important it is in my life!

Here's my world today...

Stitched Cover

I haven't posted the cover I made for the journal I am using for 2018.  I made the cover to fit the larger size 12-month Hobonichi.

I made this after taking an online class with Mary Ann Moss called Stitchbookery.  I've always liked her no-rules fun classes, and I adapted sone of the techniques for this particular cover.

The base of the cover is a medium weight canvas, which comes in a pad (Fredrix brand).  I cut a piece to the size I needed, then to that I sewed all the elements I used.  The spine is lightweight leather, and the rest is a combination of scrapbook papers, vintage postage and envelopes, old photo, and map.  The cover folds inward to make two end pockets into which the Hobonichi end covers slide.  The cover could be reused - "could", but if I do this again I'll probably make a new cover, just to have something different.

Here are some pictures:

Hobo Travels

Happy 2018!  I see the year is moving right along without any interference from me.

I once again went through my selection process for a planner/journal for the new year.  Actually, this process started about the middle of last year. The system I set up for last year really wasn't working for me (I'm starting to think it's ME, not the planners!) 

I have looked at the Hobonichi as well as Travelers Notebooks that everyone raves about.  I decided to try out a Hobonichi, the small version that contains 6 months of planning and calendar pages.  I found a pretty good deal on eBay and placed my order on June 2 of last year.

Things did not go well, as evidenced by these pictures from my "scribble notebook" that I keep for note-taking.

 After almost a month of waiting, and receiving no explanation from the seller other than an invalid tracking number, I gave up.  Ebay was really on top of the problem and promptly refunded my money to my PayPal account.  I used those funds to re-order the Hobonichi directly from an Etsy seller in Japan.  Since I paid the premium shipping price (to expedite the shipping to the states), I also ordered a rubber stamp shaped like a postal scale and some washi tape.  Might as well as it didn't change the shipping price.

I had the new Hobonichi in just over a week.  Much better service than the eBay guy!

I played in the Hobonichi off and on the rest of the year, but not as much as I had planned to.  It was enough to learn that I liked it for certain things, and I decided to order a larger version for 2018, which I did. 

I have to compliment Ebay on their handling of the first order.  They were very prompt with everything.  They even gave me a $20 credit for my trouble, which I turned around and used to buy the Jane Davenport tins of watercolor (both of them), that had just come out around that time. 

So, in conclusion, I have learned... that... I need more play time :)

Happy December!

Wow, it's December!

I'm just going to pretend I've been posting faithfully all  year.  These pictures are from last year, when I was doing a December lettering challenge.  I didn't finish the month.  I've worked on my planner/art journal this year, but have been lax working in it the last couple of months.  The job I took two years ago at a nice company was taken over a year ago by a... let's say another company, and I feel like every day is chaos. 

But I'm determined to soldier on, make more art, post more here, and keep my faith that good times are just around the corner.  I know the holidays can go either way for a lot of folks.  You have to dig deep sometimes to find the good, but it's there.  We're all in this together, whether friends, family or strangers. 
                                                           Happy December!

Fall Colors

It's been far too long since I had play time.  I just needed to paint something.  So I got out some paint and stencils and spent a few minutes painting in my planner/journal.  I tried to leave enough room for writing :)

Stampaway 25

Seems like only days ago... Oh, wait, it was only days ago I was in Cincinnati at Stampaway USA, year 25 for this excellent convention.  There are many things to love about it, but number one on my list is merely taking a road trip with my best friend, who I almost never get to see anymore, and seeing old friends from far and wide.  Being able to shop with favorite vendors, great class offerings, seeing awesome demos by nationally known teachers, and checking out the latest products is icing on the cake!

We knew in advance there was major bridge construction on the bridge from Kentucky to Ohio.  You had to decide pretty early if you wanted to take the detour.  We took our chances on the bridge.  It was early afternoon on a Thursday plus the sign said trucks were prohibited.  We figured there would be less traffic and no trucks, so even if it was slow, we'd still be okay.

Okay, so the truckers ignored the signs.  Soon the Cincinnati skyline became more visible against the brilliant blue sky.  Traffic was slow enough that I got to take a few pictures.  Bridge traffic was a little slow, but about normal from other times when there was no bridge construction. (If you are traveling that direction, the Brent Spence Bridge has its own website with updates and apps to keep  you informed.)

This year we stayed at the brand new Hyatt hotel that was built adjacent to the convention center.  It really was nice being mere steps away from the classrooms and only a few more steps to the convention later.  Hyatt and the convention center share parking too, so that was convenient.

The hotel lobby had a map of Cincinnati, or at least that's what they said it was.  It's not marked, so use this map at your own risk!  Pretty cool, though.

Gaye taught her first class Thursday night.  It was a backgrounds class, and the students learned great techniques and put their samples in a little book Gaye provided.   Thanks to Lisa for standing on a chair and taking this shot of Gaye during a demo (okay, she was already up on the chair and I handed her my phone.)

Gaye's second class, Friday morning, was this great little planner.  So much attention to detail and supplies provided to the students.  Gaye's classes never disappoint.

The theme of the Friday night preview was pajamas.  This was by far my favorite two attendees who went all out with a cat ladies in pj's theme.

Great demos as usual..  Dyan Reaveley is always friendly and has great demos...

What can I say about Mary Beth Shaw, aka Stencil Girl.  I could watch her for hours, and she never seems to get tired of demoing for the masses.

I always get inspired by her journal pages.  

There was also some guy named Tim demonstrating.  :)

Big kudos to Connie Williams, who started Stampaway 25 years ago, and received roses during the convention.  Stampaway remains a highlight event for those of us in the eastern part of the U.S., and it is very special to all of us.

If it's August...

I should be finishing up the laundry... but instead I am playing in my planner...

 I should be packing, but instead I'm setting up a little travel journal.  I wonder if the Field Notes notebook will be too small.  I'll give it a try!

Happy 25th Year, Stampaway USA!

One of These Days

One of these days, I'll get around to finishing up my recap of my trip to Western Kentucky and Tennessee.  I'll probably show the little travel booklet I made.  I'll show the stamps and stencils I got.  And I'll talk about the Dina Wakley journal I bought, the one with pages made of watercolor paper, burlap, canvas and kraft paper.  Yep... I will, one of these days...