All that Glitters

I am lagging behind on getting my "Ticket to  Venice" journal made for the online class I'm in.  I still have some left-over Christmas visiting, traveling and playing to do.  Then, and only then, will I be able to take all the papers I'm gathering and figure out what I want my journal to be.  It will definitely be focused on writing. 

Along with the class videos from Venice, it seems I can't get enough of random online videos of other peoples' trips to Venice, plus a hunger to read about all the various parts of the city and all there is to do there.  Initially, I didn't think that I'd be interested in the Murano glass factory.  Not that I don't admire the work they do, but it would not be top on my list because of all the other things to do.  But... then I saw a random video with glass pens made of Murano glass.  I am familiar with glass pens - I have a few myself.  I don't really like them for writing, because most of the ones I've had have a glass point at the end, and I never got the hang of using them.  Plus, I mostly bought them (especially the tiny one I have) because they came in a box with tiny bottles of ink. Those go well with my tiny cabinet of tiny bottles and tiny books.

But seeing a random person's video of container after container of glass pens--well, they were all so beautiful, and they had Metal Nibs, not glass points. 

After some searching, I found a company here in the states that sells Murano glass pens with the metal nib.  And they were on sale.  I texted Santa, and he said he could help me out.  On Christmas Eve, my package arrived.

 None of these pictures do it justice, but trust me, it's a beautiful pen.

 The best part?  Look - the design on the metal matches actual architecture in Venice! 

I get giddy everytime I pick up this pen.  If you do not get excited about stuff like this, my apologies.  You must think I have gone off the deep end!

I'm still gathering papers and ephemera from my stash.  Can't wait to get started on the journal.

Ticket to Venice Class Info Here.
Place where I bought my pen is here.

Greetings

Merry Christmas !

Doomsday Humor

I know a lot of people are freaking out because they think something catastrophic is going to happen on December 21, 2012, supposedly when the Maya calendar ends.  If you are reading this and it's Friday, Dec. 21, 2012, then nothing happened.  At least nothing that ended life as we know it.  (And if I'm wrong, none of you will be here to say 'I told you so' anyway!)

 

Almost two years ago, I bought this book by calligrapher Mark Van Stone, who has spent years studying Maya art.  He doesn't think the end of the calendar means the end of the world, so why should I. 

 

Of course, the main reason I bought the book was because, at the time, Mark would inscribe your name in Maya glyphs.  How often does that opportunity come along? 

 

Decisions, Decisions

The class "Ticket to Venice" is underway.  I've been chomping at the bit, waiting for the first video lessons to be posted, so I can start my travel journal for my pretend trip to Venice.  But now I am frozen in place, trying to decide what to use for the cover of my journal.  I even made a trip to the library today, because they usually have several books on the discard table for 50 cents to a dollar.

The ones I am considering are these.  The more beat up they are, the better I like them.

Some are a little too small for what I want.  That blue one on the left is a record holder, with 45 records.  I am seriously considering that one because I like the square size, plus it has those envelopes inside that hold records.  Those could be put to use for sure.  I can't use the red one for my pretend trip to Venice, because I'm saving that one for another pretend trip in the future.

 These are bigger, and I really like the typing book.  For these bigger ones, I'll need bigger paper for the inside pages, so that's a consideration.

 Right now, the one I'm leaning toward the most is this writing portfolio.

 The thing that has me 99.9% sold on it is inside - Pockets! With snaps on them.  That would be very useful for this journal.

 And have I mentioned my lucky find at Staples before the class even started - saw these plastic pocket pages in several sizes and designs.  Fifty Cents?  I bought a couple, thought about it for a day, then went back and got the few remaining.  I mean, really, 50 cents!  I like the color okay, but for this book, I wish they were clear.  But it's not a deal breaker.  They will get used!

So, my brain is working overtime in the planning stages.  My physical being, though, is trying to remember I still have some Christmas things to do. 

Added Note:  I realized I made it sound like I got all these books from the library discards - not true.  Only about three came from the library (with plain covers).  The cool stuff all came from my friend Gaye's yard sales.  She finds fantastic stuff at other yard sales, then eventually has too much and passes it along.  Lucky me!

Online Class

Remember when I was showing my friend Gaye's book "Takin' Care of Business"?  It's the awesome book with a segmented binding that holds business cards, ATC's, moo cards, or whatever you want.

Some people do get the opportunity to take her classes in Kentucky, Ohio, and surrounding areas... but if you are not in those areas, you are in luck! She is now all set to teach the class online in January. Go here and see details (scroll down). OR, click here to go directly to info about her class.

It's a great bargain!

Maybe, Maybe Not...

I'm still here...  suddenly got busy with some part time work that came my way, in addition to my regular full time job.  I just couldn't say no to some extra Christmas money!

And I may be playing around with some other things.  And I may or may not be using some or part of what is pictured below.  And if you guess what might be Christmas-related, you might be wrong.  Who's to say whether I am or I am not sending out Best Fishes for Christmas this year....

... or maybe that's just a red herring!

The bigger the mess...

I worked a lot over the Thanksgiving holiday, so it was a nice break to get a day off and head up the road north to friend Gaye's.  She has been making the cutest Christmas cards - she is the master when it comes to playing with origami...

 We spent some time making this cute little accordian fold book, complete with wrapper.

 It's been my experience that the bigger the mess you make, the more fun you have.