A few new projects in the works and a bit of Moo

Some of you may have read that I brought a few items home with me from my friend Sally's.  I got many hard cover books.  In fact, I got five containers like the one on the chair full of hard cover books.  Most of the covers have been stripped from the pages and will go for other projects, but these I wanted to keep

because they are dictionaries.  I will find definitions as I need them in these dictionaries, including a Spanish to English one.  I'm sure they will come in quite handy.

I sorted my book covers into cloth and NOT cloth, so I gessoed a few of the ones that were not cloth.  It was much easier than sanding the shine off the covers.  I was about to cover the artwork on the one above, then thought I should at least take a photo of it before I painted over it.  Had I been thinking, I might have used it for my Houses AB, since I've never cared for the book I chose for it.

Depending on how I decorate each of these, I may or may not need to add a second coat of gesso.  You can see at least ONE cover that is drying on the floor.  There are others out of camera range and several on my table, too.

Some of you were here a few days ago (I swear I've lost all track of time and content) when I mentioned my friend Sally had given me a new organizer (that rolls, I might add) exactly like one she has some of her scrapbooking supplies in.  I fell in love with hers the first time I saw it, although hers has less drawers, and the two bottom ones are deeper.

Please excuse my dirty floor, but I wanted to show how it rolls right under the table that holds my TV, guillotine cutter, and sewing machine.

It appears I didn't get all the tape off it (the very bottom of the bottom drawer).  I noticed it when I was down on the floor taking a floor shot.  I usually don't notice these things until I remove the photos from my camera, but I saw this up close and removed it.

Here is its new location and filled with a few items I will use in my scrappy journals.

Speaking of scrappy journals, while I had a few materials on hand, I decided to join Moo-Mania and More for their latest fortnightly theme of "favorite colors."  It didn't hurt that I was able to make something constructive at the same time!

This is a single page folded in half and sewn on four sides that will constitute four pages in a Christmas scrappy journal.  It will be one of many (24 pages folded in half and decorated on both sides) to make a total of 48 pages in each signature.  I always make two signatures for a total of 96 decorated and sewn pages for the recipient to write on.  Red and green may not be my favorite colors,
but Susi scared me the other day when she said there are only 12 weeks till Christmas.  So, these are rather traditional Christmas colors and symbols of the season.

I continued the Christmas theme and traditional colors many associate with Christmas on page 3.

As hot as it's been here, this was a refreshing color combination for page 4.  And although I'm driven by color, these are not necessarily my favorites, but ones I chose to use to create this Christmas/winter scrappy journal page for Moo-Mania and More.

On the home front, or rather outdoor front, the yard is still looking decent and I see some pink.

Pink roses, that is.  Can you see the bud on the far left?

Two days later, the first two roses were dwindling, and the newest rose had bloomed.  I've never seen this bush produce so many roses in a single year.  In fact, I've never seen it produce this many roses total in all the years I've owned it until now!

Thanks for looking.  I hope to make something a bit different art-wise in the next few days, because I'm really tired of just going through the motions, then going to my friend Sally's.  For the time being, I want to say I'm really grateful for all your comments, even though I haven't always had time to reciprocate.  And please, please don't forget to visit the extremely talented artists at Moo-Mania and More for this fortnight's challenge.