i've been working on my journal this week... organizing, printing out photos, making pockets, putting eyelets on pages, etc. it's a lot more work than i thought it'd be! i'm winging it since i don't have an overall vision for the finished book, and this is the first time i've made anything like this. i seem to be using a lot of browns and going for the antique-i-fied look, which i like but it quickly becomes boring, and well, very brown. so i've been experimenting with ways to color it up while still keeping it more or less neutral. the cover of the book is old (of course) and a beigey brown -- maybe that's why i'm going for the old look?
anyway, i printed out my favorite pics from last month and glued them onto 4" x 6" deckle edge watercolor paper -- front and back, then added eyelets for binding later.
the shasta lilies pressed between wax paper. i am LOVING pressing stuff between wax paper. no matter what kind of journal i decide to do next, it'll have room for stuff pressed between wax paper. i'm also enjoying using masking tape with abandon. any excuse, i'll use it.
a rose of sharon blossom and an oak leaf. i stitched on both of these pages, which is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
a darkish picture of the pocket i made to hold the pebbles. i put gussets in it so it would hold plenty.
the pocket that holds last month's paintings and misc. stuff. it was a red letter month for blue jay feathers, so i tied them into a bundle and put them here.
the book is this thick now... yeah, i love that!
another sunset... everything is beginning to get quite dry and brown. compare this pic to the one below, which was taken in may.
the tallest cairn that i've built in the creek. i must've taken 50 pictures of it, but they never seemed to turn out. finally, one i like! the top three rocks are from a beach near port townsend, WA, and this person helped me carry them back to the car...
do you recognize this?! yep, just plain 'ol beautiful blue sky. i took it a few days ago while sitting in the creek. i decided last week after driving through miles and miles of smoke that if i was gonna make a sign it'd simply say~
i heart blue sky.
Wow! It is a joy to peek at your journal pages. I love seeing the journal closed, with its wonderfully worn cover and all that good stuff bursting out from its thickness. And that photo of the rose of sharon blossom is just stunning. And the pebbles wired onto the paper. And the pockets. And the wax paper. And the blue jay feathers. It's a feast!
ReplyDeleteokay, you're really making me grin here, kate.
ReplyDelete: )
Hi Lynne, your journal looks completely fascinating, I love the flowers in waxed paper.
ReplyDeleteWhy is it that my 'stuff' looks like, well 'stuff'and other people's( yours for example) 'stuff' looks amazing?
annette, i find it *impossible* to believe that someone who makes fairy shoes that look like they belong to REAL fairies, and who takes pictures that make me want to hop on a plane to england ASAP, has any 'stuff' that looks like plain 'ol stuff! : )
ReplyDeleteYour journal is looking wonderful. There is such a distinct look to it and all the natural materials makes it even better. Great photographs to. Love the light shining through.
ReplyDeleteLynne I love your journal, the robustness of it. Holding all of those wonderful treasures.
ReplyDeleteThe flowers between the wax paper looks fantastic. I hope you dont mind, I'm going to start pressing some of my flower "finds" that way.
Very inspirational!
Oh how wonderful, to see what YOU do!!!
ReplyDeleteThe journal pages are truly inspirational...love the sense of 'old' I get form looking at these pages, there is a wisdom and calmness to them too.
Wax paper pieces are wonderful...
There is NOTHING more beautiful than the bluest of blue skies! I'm glad to find your blog and look forward to reading/seeing more.
ReplyDeletethanks, seth... i'm not totally pleased with everything, but figure i'll wait until i get ready to bind it to decide if i want to change anything radically. sometimes things look different/better once all the pieces are together...
ReplyDeletehi jacky, and thank you! you *should* start pressing some flower finds! it's somehow very gratifying and the possibilities for embellishing the wax paper seem almost endless.
so nice to see you here, jo!
karin, as i wrote on your blog, i'm so glad you stopped by, and i 'found' you. your work, along with everyone who's commented on this post, inspires me to no end....
Oh Lynne, this is an extraordinary work of art. I have taken a close up look at all of your photographs and love everything, your browns, your torn edges, your colors. You have totally inspired me this morning. Thank you! Roxanne
ReplyDeleteWhat a treat looking at that gorgous old journal bulging with natures gifts. I love it...and I love the seating area at the edge of the forest and as for the cairn....just beautiful! Have you seen the groups on Flickr for rock stacks and cairns? There are some beauties but yours takes the prize.
ReplyDeleteI posted a rather substantial comment here yesterday but today??? I hate it when I do that! Basically I said all of the above and love your cairn. On Flickr there are groups who post amazing photos of stacked rocks....though yours gets first prize.
ReplyDeleteI also love the area where I presume you sit and contemplate the wonders of nature.
Lynne, I am really loving this flower book and to see the process, I feel so lucky!
ReplyDelete.. your hard work is paying off... this will be so very special when you are done... you could never part with it , could you??
robyn, aha! here are both of your comments! i'll leave them in case one disappears again. ; )
ReplyDeletehello gwen, it's so nice to see you here! i've been lurking on yours... it is pure visual delight. and your home. omg, i love your home (and the fact that you designed and built it) and the view!
thank you for your kind words! hmmmm... could i part with it? i think so. i think my basic 'rule' is that something should always go to the person that derives the most joy from it. i think that's some sort of cosmic rule, don't you?!
Oh Lynne, I was just thinking the other day about how difficult it is to part with some pieces of artwork and how others can leave home as soon as I am done and it is ok..
ReplyDeleteSometimes it is just the process that is fulfilling enough but sometimes I feel like lolling in the finished piece longer than usual...
I am so in love with your journal! I have wanted to do something similar for sooo long, and yet it always seems as if it is too indulgent...to do something so time consuming just for me...but I am tired of thinking about it and not doing it...that is wasted energy! You have insired me! Now, I just hope you will be tolerant whilst I borrow some of your techniques until I figure out what the @#$% I'm doing and come up with some of my own?
ReplyDeletelots of beauty coming through all the cracks of words and images here!!! love the blue sky image--its like getting to the pure heart of something. (did you post about making images click larger? I think Kate's post sent me here, but i can't find it. Nice to be here at anyrate.
ReplyDeletelots of beauty coming through all the cracks of words and images here!!! love the blue sky image--its like getting to the pure heart of something unsayable again.
ReplyDelete(did you post about making images click larger? I think Kate's post sent me here, but i can't find it. Nice to be here at anyrate.
I love the use of pressed waxed paper to contain bits and pieces, your journals are getting some wonderful layers.
ReplyDeletethank you for saying hello on my blog, it's always appreciated.
loved my visit here to you
ReplyDeletexox- eb.