Pigs, Bookbinding & More

Lots of stuff and I'm not sure where to start…

A friend of my mom's Pat sent Tom and I the sweetest bridal pig couple ever. Total surpise and really fun. We couldn't stop talking about them. Really thoughtful gift.

I finished two blank books this weekend and submitted them to the Frank Bette Center for the Arts for the Alameda on Camera show opening April 4. I'm really happy with them. I went through all kinds of emotion ranging from disgust to elation and everything that lives in between. In the end, they're so much better than I expected. (It's best when you don't have expectations or they're quite low.) They're for sale but it's as if I almost don't want to sell them. I'd like to enjoy them for a little bit longer. I'll have photos of them hopefully this week to put up here or they'll be at Frank Bette for viewing this Friday.

I learned a new binding, the Long Stitch Link Stitch from Keith A. Smith's Volume I Non-Adhesive Binding Booking Without Paste or Glue. It's an excellent book. Another great source for journal making is Teesha Moore's site where she gives a great description on how she makes her journals.

I had a really nice weekend with Tom. He helped me a lot and gave me lots of space so that I could work on my art. He cooked and did laundry and mowed the lawns and went food shopping. I'm very lucky to be with him. We worked on solvent photo transfers together in our backyard. It was really fun to watch him get excited about ideas. I want to stay up all night and finish and he helps me by suggesting ways I might get my work done and get to bed early.

We found a sewing machine for $10 at a garage sale this weekend. That was really fun. I need to get a manual but it has all kinds of different stitches that I'm looking forward to using. Now, I get to focus on last minute wedding planning details, cleaning up the garage/studio space and planning a honeymoon. So much I want to do…

I really enjoy Holly Becker's: decor8.blogspot.com and she has great links to lots of other great places. Through her site I found Michele Maule's blog. I really enjoy reading about Michele's process plus I'm really enjoying her artwork. I'm always wanting to check out her blog to see what she's posted next. She's a definite inspiration for me to post on a more regular basis. Thanks Michele!