WOYWW 56 (What's on your work table Wednesday)

I was in the process of photographing and packaging up these mostly completed journals when I realized it was nearly WOYWW, over at Julia's where everybody who is anybody goes to link to, and show their work spaces.

As I was finishing all but one of these journals, I noticed that Bleubeard was waiting for me. He is quite patient and understands that cat fur and art simply don't mix. And yes, he is that good about not getting on furniture.

So I finished packaging all but one of the journals (which isn't finished), which made for a pretty boring work table. So I headed

for my kitchen where I had laid out

all the envelopes from participants in the arches Anniversary swap. I never open the packages before the swap, so I won't lose anything. Here they are, ready to be opened. Yep, I really do craft in every room of my house!

If you want to see the insides of the above fabric journal covers, I will post them either later today or tomorrow. Right now it's time for me to head over to Julia's and join the party. And please forgive me if I don't get around to you till late this week. I have a lot going on today and tomorrow that takes me away from my computer.

Today's blog goes to the most hard working crafter prior to the Creative Bloggers Spaces blog hop, our very own Paper Princess. Her space was a mess (sorry Ramona, but it was). She must have spent weeks cleaning it, and I can't wait to see what it looks like today.

I took an instant liking to Ramona because of her posts about Legend and Tsunami, who are Maine Coons. She often includes thoughts of Bleubeard in her posts. Bleubeard is so jealous because he's not allowed on furniture or in my craft room. But Ramona shares her space with her "babies" and often takes pity on Bleubeard.

Tea and Lemon

It's Tuesday, so once again I'm celebrating Tea Tuesday with Kimmie and the gals whose links you will find on Kimmie's sidebar.

Today I couldn't wait to get into this tea. It smelled so wonderful even before I got it out of the bag.

So what's the reference to lemon you ask? Well, it's the lemon colored handmade paper, pulled and drying on a 24" X 36" (61 cm X 91.44 cm) screen. In this heat,

the paper should be dry about the same time as the blueberry sun tea is ready to drink. Have an awesome day everyone and see you at Kimmie's.

Today's blog is a spin-off of a commercial web site. It is called Teatime Chatters and is run by Yorkshire Teas. After reading their blog, which includes photos from all over the world taken by their buyers, I learned I had missed the Great British Tea Party, which is not a national British event, but one sponsored to raise money for a children's foundation. If nothing else, it's fun to see photos from all over the globe and it's my blog pick this lovely Tea Tuesday.

Second set of signatures make my friend's book complete

I am going to try to let most of the photos speak for themselves, something my friend Patty subscribes to. If I have used a background that isn't shaving cream, hand dyed, rusted, or scrapbook paper, I will add a comment. Most of the elements are the same as in the previous set of signatures. I used security envelopes, magazine images, words cut from magazines or books, National Geographic pages altered by turpentine, postcards, stickers, and such. New elements, those not used before, will be noted. Click to enlarge for added detail.



My favorite page in the entire set is the one on the left. The old school book page and the phrase from an engineering magazine (Numbers crunching isn't what it used to be) were paired for a bit of humor. Postcard on right side flips up

to reveal more writing spaces.

Blue background (rusted) is local fish market menu.

Decorative packing tape used to hold calendar page to background.

Wallpaper sample makes a good pocket on right.















My pounded flowers became a great background page.







Die cut flower and lines created using corrugated cardboard and Staz-on on left.





Hope I didn't bore you too much. To recap, this is the second set of signatures for a friend who just graduated from high school. I still need to make the cover.

Today's blog is one I have no idea how I stumbled onto it. But I'm so glad I did, because Carmen Torbus has a very warm and inviting blog. She writes with gusto and passion. Her blog posts make sense. She has a way with words. And she's currently visiting her parents in Kansas. What could be better than seeing my State through the eyes of a visitor, especially one so eloquent. You're going to want to stay awhile!

Silent Sunday: Wichita Art Museum foyer and Pre-Columbian Art

Silent Sunday's blog

I stumbled onto today's blog by accident. I actually won a giveaway I didn't even realize I'd entered, simply by viewing the creative studio of Cathee at Art and Soul. It was so painless (no hoops, whistles, or bells). But just because I won a lovely crown (who would have thought I would ever wear a crown (and one with SO MUCH GLITTER, too), isn't what made me choose Cathee's blog. Nor is it Gracie, the lovely "lady of the house," or even Sprout, who helps with projects, although Bleubeard was quite impressed. There are three fur babies, but I only saw two. Maybe one was hiding from Bleubeard. But I digress. What kept me for hours on Cathee's blog was page after page, post after post, of her lovely mixed media and vintage art. Her style is similar to what I would make if I had all the lovely paper she has at her fingertips. Be sure to check out Cathee's blog today, because it is fun, vintage, and "altered."

Paper Illusions

It's been awhile since I've reviewed a book and this one is all about beautiful paper dresses and shoes. Paper Illusions: the art of Isabelle de Borchgrave, written by Barbara and Rene Stoeltie (Abrams, 2008) will more than likely take your breath away.

Barbara Stoeltie wrote the text and and provided the styling, while Rene Stoeltie photographed the collection. According to the text, "artist and designer Isabelle de Borchgrave creates exquisite paper dresses evoking high fashion from the courts of the Medici to the legendary Fortuny silks of the early 20th century. She cuts, folds, glues, and paints her paper costumes with imagination. . . ." And what an imagination (and talent) she has.

First shown in France in 1998 as "Papiers a la Mode," these historically authentic dresses were considered by critics to be an instant hit. These dresses have now traveled the world winning both critical and popular acclaim. After you see the stunning collection yourself, you will agree that this is one book not to be missed. If you are into coffee table books, this is the one for you. If you are in Margaret's Dress Up project, the collection will fuel your creativity and spark your imagination.

I'm going to allow the pages to speak for themselves. I hope you enjoy these, although I show only a few of the pages in the book. In fact, there are five pages of thumbnails in the back of the book (I show them at the end) that show all the pages, along with captions. Enjoy and click to enlarge.




























































My blog pick of the day should surprise no one who has ever been to Terri's Artful Affirmations blog. There is such a tie-in between Terri's postings and this book, it's almost a no-brainer. First, is the SHOE template and tutorial that Terri shares in a video. I swear it rivals some found in the book. See her sidebar for a direct link. Then there is her French Friday post. Since she recently visited France, her museum photos look surprisingly similar to those found in the above book. Terri also is co-host (with Martha) of Teacup Tuesday. So if you love teacups, but don't necessarily want to drink tea each Tuesday, this is the place to go. Whatever the reason, be sure to check out Artful Affirmations today.