As Katie Jane said about her collage journal, mine is getting too fat to close. I sort of like this effect though and my journal has a string and button closure to hold it shut.
I've been working back and forth between a number of pages this past week. This is just a sheet of tracing paper that I glued in (they call it "tipped in") to cover this page done in charcoal. I also sprayed the charcoal, but I like the effect of the tracing paper page and it gives extra smudge protection.
This page is in process. I just taped on one of my paper clusters I made last summer. These are not glued but connected by wire.
This page, incomplete, was made with an old page from the handwritten journal I bought at a yard sale, written in the early 1900's. The photo is one of a number of photos Cris sent me. The stamp is from my stamp collection and coated with beeswax for another project.
Water color background. Viola's Cris sent me. Paper scraps.
Adjacent to the above page, center picture is baticked cloth from a card sent to me years ago. Watercolor background. The blue paper is paper toweling decorated by a friend. Glitter. I have put gold leaf on the blue pieces since photographing this.
Water color background. Musical sheet. Photo of me. Misc. ephemera
Insert from a cookie package, string, mica, leaf.
Painted tissue paper, art paper, gold leaf, tree leaf coated with beeswax.
Ephemera, photo from magazine, cheese cloth, leaf is from a piece of handmade art paper.Yesterday I drove through Brattleboro, looking from the outside at a few houses for sale. I forgot my camera. I forgot the list of houses. There was a lot of traffic and it was hard to see the street signs. I only found three of the five places I'd wanted to see and two didnt look anything like their photos. Very small houses, very large prices. Can I really envision myself living on less than 1/4 acre in a teeny house? I am teeny myself but I like a lot of elbow room. Still, my favorite one was in walking distance to town although the return walk would be all uphill. And it was pretty cute from outside. Just exploring. Trying to sense a solution rather than think a solution.
38 comments:
it's surprising though, what one can do with 1/4 acre! i love brattleboro and can't wait to go back and visit. maybe in the spring. weekends are hectic now, trying to get to ri to see my mom and help my brother.
thanks for the peek into your art journal. i'm amazed by the beautiful handwriting in that 1900 journal. i just heard a piece on npr about how people are losing the ability to write legibly because of their dependence on computers.
M. Heart. I have been unable to write very legibly for years. Although maybe computer warped folks have even worse handwriting. A friend of mine was schooled by nuns and has beautiful handwriting. I agree that the writing in this journal is lovely, though a tad hard to read somehow. Thanks for the vote of confidence re: 1/4 acre in Brattleboro. I kept looking for some of the places you mentioned eating in but my little brain got overwhelmed and I fled for the country too soon. I think maybe staying overnight in a b & b might be a good idea to explore in a less frantic state.
Did this small house speak to you when you saw it? When my husband and I were looking for our first house we looked at a lot then this one house spoke to me and that was that. We had to have it. We spent 17 happy years there. You'll know when you find the right one.
I really like your journal pages...each one so different. I like the way it needs to be tied down with a button.
I think staying overnight in a town would help get the feel and mood of the area. Are there wilderness trails and parks nearby so if you lived in town you could go out and take a long walk?
Fantabulous journal Suki!!!! I love every bit of it. You are a master of this technique.
Oh what a pity you didn´t have your camera with you...........
I love seeing houses.
Does this means you will stay there?
Is it to be close to your brother and son?
I always picture you in a more mild climate...... The seasons there seem so harsch.
I have looked at the weather and it is 30 degrees there (I think that´s 86) oh wow!!!! My first heat since November. I look forward to that. I just love heat, I don´t care that it is hot.
here it is druly grey rainy weather.
I´m finished with everything, I packed and did everything for the workshop. My husband is making dinner and I will go to bed early.
Your collage journal looks great, while looking at it what came to mind was daring, it think it is daring what you do. using all kinds of things and not fearing to ruin a old document or picture......
There is something here for me to think about.
I hope you will find the right place to live Suki! A real home of your own.
Take care
love >M<
I love the page with the gold leaf the best, a lot of gold leaf! So pretty. But the others are all wonderful too. Such fun. Inspires me to try a journal sometime.
I looked up Brattleboro online! Looks quaint and lots of trees! I want to see the houses! Guess I could google real estate. What streets were you looking at? Do go back with your camera! Good luck finding the right space for your needs!
I love these pages and I love the fact it won't close :-).
It is good to stay open and just keep looking, I feel you at the ocean, but maybe that is just because I am thinking about for myself...
I like the idea of collecting bits from many places and times...and then combining them in new ways. Inventive, Suki!
I love that every single thing that passes through your hands has a good chance of making it into your journal! The inside of a cookie package? Now that's upcycling ;) I also love fat, textural journals. The button closure is a good idea.
I have a feeling you'd do well with only 1/4 acre. So much can be done with and on small spaces. There are tons of books out there with great ideas on how to utilize a small space. I say if the house speaks to you...go for it!
Good luck Suki.
XX
Judith, I know what you mean about speaks to me as i have had houses speak to me in the past which I did not buy and ended up regretting it. I'd have to see the inside of this house to know if it speaks though.
BSD, wilderness trails. Oh yes, the whole state of both Vermont and NH is basically wilderness. Brattleboro is a town with congestion but about five minutes away from town and you are in the boonies again. thanks for you comments on my journal book.
A big, fat journal that won't close! Begging to be opened and savoured page by page.
A quiet, slow overnight stay in BB will be much better as you say, especially if you are needing to sense an answer. And it will be fun!
TeriC. thanks a lot. these pages arent really finished but i move back and forth among them.
Thanks Marianne, yes usually I use the originals of old ephemera, though not always. I hope you have a fabulous trip. Sounds like you are well organized and energetic!
Lynn, actually the Brattleboro chamber of commerce website is excellent for info about the town. the town was in the book the 100 best little art towns in the country. There are trees everywhere in Vermont and NH though less so in this town central area, but they have a number of parks. Thanks for your comments re: my journal. much appreciated.
Annie, I can see myself in a number of places, that's the problem. No one place calls to me strongly. I have made no place decision yet, but am just beginning to move around out there in the world and try to figure it out. My brother has fallen in love so he will be occupied in the next months and maybe even want this house for himself either to sell or move into. I dont feel a need to be near him. I guess that was Marianne's question though.
thanks Cynthia. Yes, that's what my box of scraps is. Stuff i see of interest. I sometimes don't combine things very logically though. For example the pastel label should have been saved perhaps for a "French" page.
Laurel, I have read some of those small spaces books and found them quite interesting it is true. But i also noticed that some of these places are the owners second home. No wonder they can keep it simple in their small space, they have a larger space in which to put other stuff. :) But that is not true of all of them. The Japanese have held my admiration for years re: the smallness of the spaces they often live in, esp in the city.
Your collage journal is wonderful Suki. I love seeing your projects. They are inspiring for me. I love to put together odd objects to see what comes together. A book of them would be the thing to do.
I hope you find a place that you can call home. Someplace where your elbows can flail,your heart and spirit soar.
Oh how fun to see the picture and flowers I sent you put in something. Very nice. I love the fat little book. It says pick me up and look thru me. :)
Oh my Your Brother has fallen in love already. wow.
I think a B&B would be fun to go to and leisurely check things out. I listed what WE wanted in a house here in Oregon and told A realtor and she sent me via computer, ONE house with 8 pix of rooms and area with everything we wanted and We KNEW this was our dream home. So we first saw it on the computer. Hope you find something you love.
brattleboro! hey, i look up 45 minutes worth and that is the town i see! this made blogland feel like a small community to me, suki!
i hope your search brings you exactly where you are destined to be. i think it will work that way.
:)
Suki, I love your method...trying to let your intuition lead you through this process. I do it that way, too.
I love this adventure into your journal...how lovely the pages are and how much you have to say with the choices you make, the compositions and all of the lovely explorations. I am like you, I love the look and feel of a full journal. I have some journals/sketchbooks where the pages have buckles and I love that about them. Do you think it is because so much of ourselves is stuffed into those books? That is the way I like to look at it anyway!
Great Work, Suki!...in many ways!
Patti, how did I overlook your comment.?? yes, I agree. a short trip is to harried. Besides it would be a nice treat to stay in a B and B.
Lisa, this is the first collage book I have made. I do like the task as I am not up to more focused things right now. Oh thank you for your blessings re: my finding a home. Really, I am so reluctant to move. I feel some anger that I have to move yet again when I dont want to. that is pretty childish I guess. I need to see the glass half full and remember the adventure in it all.
Cris, that is an incredible story of how you found your house. I was wondering. I do have realtors sending me house things but one after another and they are confusing on the one hand and on the other far from anything I'd want. But these are automatic sendings, not specially picked by the realtor which would be different. Yes, my brother returned from a weekend outing to visit A. the woman, and returned quite glowing and smiling. their second weekend together in two weeks!
KJ thanks. yes, Bratt is 45 minutes from Northhampton. Which is a place that is also appealing due to the 5 colleges, and Emily Dickinson.
thanks Kim. Well, the word trying is important here in the trying to listen to my intuition as my brain and my fears want to take over the process. I keep needing to return to the intuition and heart, away from the fears.
i like it so much. it is bursting with pleasure and joy. and that is good. looking is the first step, and that's good too.
Don't you just love fat books with things spilling out the sides? I'm with Lynn--my favorite is the one with gold leaf--gorgeous.
How fun to be looking for a house--relax and enjoy, if you can...
soulbrush, thanks. A few springlike days have gotten me out, at least that one time.
Karen, I do love books with stuff spilling out. You are right, I need to keep in mind that housesearching is fun as opposed to a chore. :)
Sweet Suki,
I understand what you mean. The old nemesis EGO is always out to scare us! Sometimes I just want to beat that Ego to a pulp...then I say, no, I am bigger than it!
Hang in there...you are doing so good, I think. There has been a lot going on, you give so much...now it is time for YOU!
Hugs, Sweet Suki!
Hmm, must remember that fear comes from Ego. Thanks Kim. and thanks for your thoughtful reflections.
Oh, I wish I could have seen the little house. Do you feel you need lots of land. It's difficult to care for and a little garden is all you really need.
These journal pages are wonderful, and you have been so very busy with them. Isn't the book fun? I need to get back to mine. I've been away from it for too long, thinking too much about the watercolor lessons. I need fun.
Love these pages, such a great combination of texture and colour
Katie Jane, alas, I have a very busy week so cant get back to see the house insides for maybe three weeks as I am off to Cape Cod too for two weeks. Ah well. Thanks for your comments re; journal pages.
Ro, welcome to my blog and thanks for your kind comments.
Hi Suki,
I'm thinking what Kate said,,,if I had a large enough space on the inside, I don't think I'd need very much outdoors to take care of. Nor would I want it. All in how a person wants to spend their time I suppose. But too, my body no longer enjoys major yard work.
Your journal "runneth over",,,I like that! Just like life, it runneth over too sometimes. Hang onto your hat,your life could be getting quite filled soon also. And I'll bet with plenty of gold leaf to boot!
Catching up a bit. I see some synchronicity, maybe it stems from the company we keep. I have been working on a fun collage type journal as well. It seemed to be a therapeutic way to do art and not think to much. I will begin to post pages soon. I do love the elements you have found and incorporated in yours, especially the handwriting.
I had to take a peek at the Brattleboro website. I used to hit VT a lot more when I lived in Albany, now I am an extra hour the opposite direction but still love the area and may need to hit there soon. Maybe we can get a time when m.heart and yourself and me (grammar anybody?) could all meet and do some art exhibit or antiquing and of course good eats and help you house hunt! I would be up for that.
PS. Saw a lot of poo-poo on Brattelboro and their negative minds toward Nuclear Power. Wish I had my husband here to comment. He is trained in nuclear power and it is not bad. Spending a day in the sun is worse and there are no emmissions vs other sources of power. Yes Chernobyl was bad but this is not the 1980's Russia. Plants are not built like that one. If Brattleboro did go foward with this, we could end up living there!
Hi Babs, I like the way you say that, my journal runneth over. Well, I dont want to do yard work either but I like to plant a few flowers and tomatoes. Otherwise, it probably doesnt matter except it places you close to your neighbors.
Karen, I didnt know that about Bratt and nuclear power. There is Vermont Yankee nuclear power place but I am not sure where it is located. It would be great fun to meet with you and M. Heart. As long as you young folks dont mind an elder tagging along!! :)
I did not know that either but searched the Bratt chamber site I think and saw some stuff that caught my eye then did another search then stopped...reminding myself that negative opinions usually have "the louder voice".
Yeah, we wouldn't mind and will pack an extra Depends for you so you can keep up with the all night drinking binge us youngsta's take you on. Come on already!!! I just think it is tangible, something I would love to do, people I would love to meet in person and places that would be neat to see...get out of Dodge sort of thing. Plus it is a lot easier to house hunt if you have a navigator, or maybe we will end up having a house warming party for you...that house you just posted does look cute.
Karen you make me laugh. Fun future plans....help make the winter pass faster.
fabulous works... love them all...
the watercolor has added a magical softness to them...
Beautiful journal pages, Suki. I love the variety of materials you have used. The mica is quite a surprise in a journal - and a very good idea. I must try that. Have you ever painted cheesecloth? I layer it on paper towel and paint it then hang to dry. I like using metallic paint on cheese cloth - very nice effect.
and you're right - that is a precious little house.
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