Art Journal Peek, Part I

Last November, I spent a long weekend creating journal spreads in a book handmade for me by Janet Plant, and gifted to me during a swap the previous year.  Since I never shared its pages, I thought I would open the book for you now.

Janet created the artwork that I adhered to the journal's cover.  I picked up on the thought from her collage to add my own handwritten touch.

Janet created gorgeous pages from papers that she had painted, inked, and collaged into place.  On those beautiful surfaces, I added my own collaged, handwritten, and stamped elements.

I found myself stamping the word "YES" throughout the book; it was a message of encouragement that I myself needed to hear at that time.

Many of the thoughts on the pages come from Patti Digh's Life Is A Verb, a book I was re-reading at the time, and which I highly recommend.

Patti began her book as a kind of collection of messages to her daughters, imagining what she would want to be able to teach them if she had only a brief number of days left to live.

Reading the book for the second time made me want to create just that kind of book for my own daughters.  I am beginning a notebook with thoughts and ideas that I hope over time will develop into a book for my children.

This journal is a kind of precursor to that book that I hope to develop over the next couple of years.

I had lots of fun with this journal, experimenting with pockets, envelopes, and flaps to make it interactive in a way I've never really tried before.

Many of you will recognize bits and pieces that you have sent to me over the years.  I know I have included papers and ephemera from Mary, F.M., and Pamela, to name just a few.

I also made liberal use of catalogs and magazines for the images and some of the text.

The book is filled with healthy reminders, and carries a completely positive vibe that I love every time I flip through it.

I'll share some peeks at the rest of its pages in my next post!