Today was a great day to get out of the house. I didn't need to go further than a mile but decided to take the subway there and to walk back. I love the 9th Street station because it is the highest in the system and it has a view of the Statue of Liberty.

I went to visit my gal pal, Shanna, my bookbinding teacher and friend. This morning I woke all tight and yuckster and I totally messed up on sewing some signatures together, she took me in hand and whipped me into shape. I was just making sh!+ up!

Notes to self:
2 pages per signature when using 140lb watercolor paper
Use an even number of holes.
That fancy tie them together stitch? Always go the furthest away from the hole you just exited. (See that needle?)

I would be lying if I told you I didn't use the search function on this blog to remind me of things and I know I will be using it to reference this post.

Shanna was making cookies, while I sewed my new books. I got to lick the whisks of their cinnamon buttercream and oatmeal cookie dough. I would have stayed even longer and would have encouraged further feats of baking prowess had I the chance... There would have been ulterior motives in it, but.

I am just sayin'.

Then on my walk home, I definitely needed it at that point, I saw this graffiti. I think it would had had more impact had it said, Swells. Now that is a tag I could embrace.

You may remember this post. Seeing this sticker made me wonder about Street artists' and just how they decide to traverse the world. I mean, how do you pack your bag when you take a trip, stickers, stencils, buy the paint when you get there?

And this sad guy.

I am getting ready to teach Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! at Art and Soul in Hampton Virgina in less than two week. The interesting thing is that I have not been journaling recently. Over the winter months, I took a Book Binding class and made my first journal. Then the book became precious...too good to be used...

What? Pardon me?

I abhor that sort of behavior! I constantly reinforce that 'supplies are what you make of them...'. It is almost a personal mantra. So I have been getting dirty. And loving it. I have moved right into my first handmade book and created 8 pages in 2 days.

My favorite product of all is the Pentel Pocket Brush Refillable Pen. If I may say so... Do not pass go, just go buy one and purchase too many refills to go with it. It will allow you to make thick and thin lines in a format less akin to a brush, more like, well, a pen! I love this pen.

If you wonder about my gouache palette, go read this post. My new set of paints, the smaller palette in the video, is totally informed by searching and pouring through Roz Stendahl's web site. Who, not suprisingly is talking about paint in her latest post! Roz is also the one who turned me on to the Pentel Pocket brush pen!

I am getting ready to teach Inspired Journaling, every-single-day! at Art and Soul in Hampton Virgina in less than two week. The interesting thing is that I have not been journaling recently. Over the winter months, I took a Book Binding class and made my first journal. Then the book became precious...too good to be used...

What? Pardon me?

I abhor that sort of behavior! I constantly reinforce that 'supplies are what you make of them...'. It is almost a personal mantra. So I have been getting dirty. And loving it. I have moved right into my first handmade book and created 8 pages in 2 days.

My favorite product of all is the Pentel Pocket Brush Refillable Pen. If I may say so... Do not pass go, just go buy one and purchase too many refills to go with it. It will allow you to make thick and thin lines in a format less akin to a brush, more like, well, a pen! I love this pen.

If you wonder about my gouache palette, go read this post. My new set of paints, the smaller palette in the video, is totally informed by searching and pouring through Roz Stendahl's web site. Who, not suprisingly is talking about paint in her latest post! Roz is also the one who turned me on to the Pentel Pocket brush pen!

Silly came over today. We had a project in mind but no real direction or end goal.

.

We started tearing cloth and making plans with plaster cloth

When Silly gets going she really gets silly.

I am so happy to have met Pat (I mean Silly) who has a sense of self, art making, fun making and materials that is striking and engaging. She brought a bunch of show and tell and I looked at these objects, books, containers for ideas, in wonder. Her use of color, layering, saturation. Yums. I can't wait to have more fun with her. I am not ready to show what we cooked up, but...

Just after she left the apartment, I began cleaning up and prepared to work alone for a little while. Then I went to wash my hands in the loo, I looked up to find this tag...

Printed on both sides, as is her style, commemorating our day. I felt a warmth and gladness because of it!

Writing the word commemorative made me think of Commemorative Cloth, which made me go on an internet trip.

Silly came over today. We had a project in mind but no real direction or end goal.

.

We started tearing cloth and making plans with plaster cloth

When Silly gets going she really gets silly.

I am so happy to have met Pat (I mean Silly) who has a sense of self, art making, fun making and materials that is striking and engaging. She brought a bunch of show and tell and I looked at these objects, books, containers for ideas, in wonder. Her use of color, layering, saturation. Yums. I can't wait to have more fun with her. I am not ready to show what we cooked up, but...

Just after she left the apartment, I began cleaning up and prepared to work alone for a little while. Then I went to wash my hands in the loo, I looked up to find this tag...

Printed on both sides, as is her style, commemorating our day. I felt a warmth and gladness because of it!

Writing the word commemorative made me think of Commemorative Cloth, which made me go on an internet trip.