Saturday, November 20, 2010

Teal is the color of the day



To begin, I would like to thank everyone for your kind comments and concern over Bleubeard. He loves his food, has his appetite back, and has kept his food down for nearly three days. Even better news is the vet told me yesterday that I could resume his normal eating habits, which means I don't have to feed him on my schedule, which is often sketchy at best. It's a good thing I have never been a mother, because I have never stuck to a daily regimen in my life until I had to keep a timetable for poor Bleubeard. The last several days has given me a lot of admiration for all you mothers out there.

Are all of you who follow my blog as tired of the word TEAL as I am? I am in a one-on-one swap with a dear friend and we have no real timetable. In fact, when I sent the journal to her today, I included a banner (or bunting, if you live in the UK) that I made last March.

Here is the nearly completed book. You can see I still didn't have the signatures sewn in the book when I took the photo, but I wanted to share the finished cover with the signatures inside.


When we last visited this visual journal, I had just shown pages 20 and 21. They are the the middle pages of this set of signatures.


Page 22 has a security envelope and a page from an old music book. Page 23 has words from a crossword puzzle for prompts, along with a teal-ish paint chip.


Page 24 has lots of space to write on. I used some of the address labels I colored using Twinkling H2Os. Various paint chips were used on page 25.

For page 26, I hated to cover the shaving cream paper, so I mostly left the page blank. Dimensional scrapbook paper was turned into a pocket on page 27.


Page 28 was also mostly blank since I forgot to sew anything on it before I sewed the pocket to the reverse side. Yes, that's a rubber stamped image! Page 29 is my idea of color blocking using scrapbook paper.


Page 30 has a bit of mesh and two prompts about friends. Several scrapbook papers were the background for the topiary straight out of Martha Stewart Magazine on page 31.


Once again, I found I had boxed myself into a corner on page 32 by not wanting stitching to show on the previous page. You probably aren't able to read the irony of page 33, since I saved it at a rather low resolution. You can read the sentiment, but you can't read the date is June 16, 1988. Yep, as in right now.


For page 34, I added a postcard that I attached using a piece of measuring tape. It can be flipped up to write on the back. Page 35 uses scrap papers and a sentiment cut from a magazine.


Page 36, although colorful, was one in which I added mica powders (like pearl ex) that needed binder. The binder I used was glue, so I'm not too comfortable with this page. It also appears I have managed to get it upside down, because the triangle at the top was supposed to be a pocket. Page 37 has a saying by Flavia I found in some old scrapbook supplies. I photocopied it and made several. It reads "Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never the same."


A sticker, a note card, and a page from a foreign text make up page 38. I put my new MS punches to work on page 39, along with some grid paper.


Page 40 was made when I entered the IA challenge "Decide" a few weeks back. That's the end of the first set of signatures. I hope by the time I show the next set, my dear friend will have gotten her book.

The last batch of these signatures I showed, Annette (Voodoo Vixen) made the comment that I am often plagued with. Will the person receiving the gift actually use it? Like her, I often wonder the same thing. If given a journal, do you work in it, or do you set it on a shelf to look at? What would prompt you to use it?

Speaking of Annette, I saw a chipboard printer's tray she made this week. It is lovely and I called her a paper (chipboard) engineer. Speaking of paper engineers, Mark Langan is possibly the king of paper, or actually corrugated cardboard, engineering. What he does with cardboard is truly mind blowing. Mark lives in Ohio, and he designs corporate logos, mainly for paper and cardboard companies. He also makes some lovely geometric inspired sculptures that he sells. He is a true recycler (and therefore a man after my own heart). I hope you will visit Mark Langan's site today. This is one you should not miss.

21 thoughtful remarks:

voodoo vixen said...

Nearly finished Elizabeth, you've obviously been head down, bum up, for days!! Now I am trying to decide which pages I like best... the last one with the greens and lilly is gorgeous, the calendar 'its important now' appeals to my sense of humour, the topiary and shaving cream ones are also my personal favs.
So glad Bleubeard is getting back to normal, yay, eating and keeping it down at last!!
I am now off to check out Mark's site!! :)

Esther said...

Hi - so glad Bleubeard is better..What a worry they are! This is a gorgeous project..my fav is P33 - love the colours and the words fit how I'm feeling right now about living life for the moment. Can I show my ignorance and ask why the pages are called signatures ?

I'm off to search your blog for a project I remember you posted with pressed flowers a while ago - I mentioned it on my WOYWW(yeah! made it this week!) as I found some flowers in an old box and wanted to do something with them this weekend.

Enjoy being unscheduled again...Esther xx

Unknown said...

I see that some people have been choosing favorite pages, but I simply can't. I love each and every one of these! How long does it take you make an entire book? I just can't wrap my head aound the level of detail and variety that you invest into each signature....I bow to you, my friend!

Halle said...

Fun set of pages. The cover works too! Have a wonderful weekend...try to sleep once in a while, ok?

Theresa Plas said...

It's wonderful Elizabeth! I never get tired of teal. Glad Mr. B. is feeling better too.

Steph said...

LOVELY pages, E!!! Take Care!!

Caterina Giglio said...

glad to hear about Bleubeard! and yes, I use them! eventually!! xx's

Donna: said...

SO happy that BLuebeard is on the mend, or even yet MENDED. On your TEAL, the amount of work you have done on this is wonderful, and so "mountain'ous". WOW what a work of aRt.

Mary S. Hunt said...

this journal is turning out fantabulous!
i like teal...it is a good color for lots of stuff
and you have some nifty pieces with the teal color on them...

scratch bluebeard for me

Terri Kahrs said...

I can't choose a favorite page either, Elizabeth. They're ALL so wonderful! Choosing one page would be like trying to choose a favorite child! LOL!

BTW - speaking of children - I'm soooo happy to hear the Bleubeard is feeling better. Please give him extra "pets" from Miss Tootsie and me. Hugs, Terri xoxoxo

elle said...

I really like those shaving cream colourings, Elizabeth. You sure do get variety in your pages.

gina said...

Elizabeth: Beautiful work as always. Having been the lucky recipient of one of your fabric journals I can attest to their amazing-ness from personal experience. Each page is not only a feast for the eyes but also for the fingers.... love to touch everything!!! To answer your question about whether or not people use journals given as gifts. I haven't done anything with mine yet but fully intend to!!!!!

Carola Bartz said...

I'm glad that Bleubeard is better, little rascal. And your pages are so beautiful, I couldn't say which one I liked best. I think eventually I would use them, in the end a journal is for writing in, right? Perhaps some very special quotes that mean a lot to me or a poem.

Dianne said...

What a great project... I think I like the "Decide" page best...

Healing Woman said...

You know, these pages are really wonderful. The texture, color and variety of the work really speaks to me.

So glad your Bluebeard is ok. You are a nurturing person and Bluebeard is lucky to have you for his "mom."

Seth said...

Wonderful pages. And the stitching is really the perfect touch.

Liverpool Lou (Anne) said...

Hi Elizabeth, so glad Bleubeard is so much better :-)
I'm not sick of the word teal. I love this journal, stunning pages, partcularly the top one, love the swirls/flourishes, the shaving cream paper and the textured piece opposite it, the one with paint chips, love the way those colours pop; but i love it all. As for the 'will the person use it' I'm not sure I'd necessarily use a journal for writing as I don't do that, but I would just love to own something like this and look at it. It wouldn't mean it wasn't treasured just because it wasn't used for the purpose for which it was intended.
Anne xx

Liverpool Lou (Anne) said...

Meant to say, Mark Langan's work is phenomenal, such an imaginative use of the ends of the corrugated cardboard to create patterns.
xxx

~*~Patty S said...

Great news on Bleubeard, so relieved to hear it!
OK TEAL is one of my all time fav colors, always has been ... what a fantastic journal you've created E...Love that snippet of Italian paper...I have a sheet of that and you're inspiring to actually USE some ;)
Your photos are super too!
I think anyone would be delighted to work/play in one of your journals!
oxo

Anonymous said...

These pages are amazing Elizabeth!!! I hope Bluebeard is feeling much better!

Neet said...

So glad Bleubeard seems to be getting better. Now to lookj at your "Teal"