Home from a much needed vacation...

Home from a relaxing week - One the whole family needed. Here is a picture of our sweet boy in a beautiful garden in Minoqua, Wisconsin. We came home to find out that all of our immigration paperwork is done and we are just waiting to hear that our daughter who is almost 3 months old, is ready for us to come to pick up from Seoul, South Korea! We could get the call anyday and we are getting very anxious thinking about all we need to do yet to get ready for her!

The Day Lewis the Dog ate a Baby Bunny

The day that Lewis attacked and killed a baby bunny was the day that my journal listed the book "Death and Dying" by Elizabeth Kubler Ross (1969). What serendipity! Although I was horrified by what Lewis did and felt so bad for the bunny, I made a page as a tribute and a sympathy note to the bunny. The tag in the envelope is my apology to the cute little guy I had to bury.

Altered Box

Tonight I altered a box that I am going to use to store all my folders with magazine clippings and ephemera for my ab'ing. I knew I saved old calendars for a reason! I covered the sides of the box with the prints from the calendar, "The Reading Woman."

ABC's of Spiritual Literacy Altered Book - In Progress

This is the reverence page in my ABC's of Spirituality book fashioned after the book by the same title by Fredrick and MaryAnn Broussault. An inspirational book and my first try at ABs. Someday I hope to finish this 26 double page spread book.

Each letter of the alphabet has a spiritual message that I have reproduced in some manner on each AB page.
Following are some of the other pages I have done. The photograph of the sky and trees is my own photo that I am very proud of. My first try at tape transfers - the asian letters on the paint chip. The definition of "reverence" came from an old dictionary. "Tranformation" Page - An transparency with "Old Trees" poem by May Sarton. The "You" page includes a sympathy card from the passing of my parents with a poignant quote - that's me in the frame.

Quotes about Books and Reading

This AB scan contains quotes about books that I have had for many years cut out from a book publishers catalog. The background image is from a Pier 1 advertisement and when I saw the colors I just knew it had to be the backdrop for some of my favorite quotes about a beloved activity.

One of my favorite AB journal entries done when I was in San Antonio, TX at the reading conference in May. Loved the historical homes - they were gorgeous. The drawing comes from a historical homes walking tour brochure. The parking ticket stub was a found object I picked up as I walked the 15 minute trek to the conference center. THe pine branch comes from a tree along the infamous riverwalk where I spent some time writing. THis branch was new growth and I flattened it in a book and dried it a bit before attaching it with matte medium. Chalks were used to age the drawing and the background is green mulberry paper - one of my favorite background items to use since it still allows the text of the book to peek through by allows me to write over it and be able to read my journaling.

More Pages from ABC's of Spirituality AB

The "Attention" page is the absolute first AB page I ever made. I think it turned out pretty cool. While I like to think of myself as creative, it is a struggle to "admit" and this page helped me to see that I really can be artistic and creative without any formal training. After all, like my writing, I don't do art to necessarily please others, I do what feels and looks good to me.

Dreaming of Creating

I haven't posted here in a while and haven't done much creative work what with this textbook I need to finish to meet our deadline date. I dream of creating and working on my altered books. Now that my office and studio area has been moved and not yet reassembled, it is not as easy to get creative at a moment's notice. But I can dream and I can o0h and ahh at the creative work I see that others are doing through the listservs I belong to. Just saw Eliece's altered reading journal - a composition book that documents her reading. It is gorgeous. I have reader's and ABers envy. Maybe soon I will find the time.