Category Archives: FTB

Warning – Spoiler ahead

Warning – Spoiler ahead

Today I mailed off 31 packages for the Full Tilt Boogie Goodie swap that I hosted.  This swap was for members of the FTB class and was for trading papers, ephemera, fibers and embellishments for our FTB journals.  If you participated in the swap and want to be surprised, stop reading now.  Go check out Mary Ann’s Budapest apartment or check out this recipe.  I made it today and it was delicious!

For everyone else… on with the show.

Goodie Swap

As packages come in, I laid them out on our Guest Room bed.  Attempts to keep the cat’s help to a minimum were only semi successful.  Every time I went in here, he would jump up on the bed and start his own process of swapping.  Slippery zip-lock bags only aided his efforts.

I got a wild hair late in the game and decided to destash by swapping with all the participants.

Goodie Swap - My bags
Goodie Swap

Not even a small dent in the stash.  Oh well. I will just have to deal. 🙂

Warning… Ahead is a sneak peek at the insides of my bags so if you want to be surprised, go here to my mom’s blog. Leave her a comment that I said that one post does not make a blog and she needs to get to work. 🙂

Moving on…

Goodie Swap

Some vintage water slide decals that I scored off eBay, a few rescued library cards, and some letter stickers that got hit with alcohol inks.

Goodie Swap

A hand stamped tag, a bit of 8mm film from a thrift store movie reel find about Hawaii, some wall paper, and pages from 80’s era Virgina Slim pocket calendars.  On one side are vintage photos of women being chastised for smoking and on the other is Smokin’ Cheryl Tiegs in 80’s shoulder pads.  I finally understand the ‘You’ve come a long way Baby” ads that ran when I was a kid but now I’m a bit disgusted with it.  Who cares about equal pay, now we have to right to smoke!

Goodie Swap

A few pieces of Asian joss paper, an UNO score pad (who ever kept score?) and some of my hand made paper.  Some bags got a full sheet of paper and others got several hand cast shapes.  I managed to get rid of my whole stash and now have an excuse to make more. Yay!   Blender time…  Break it down…

ahem, back on topic now..

There’s more in the baggies, like book pages, 50’s era documents from the Daughter of America (another eBay score) and vintage clothing pattern pieces.  If i could have, I would have added more but the packages were already bursting at the seams.

Goodie Swap - ready to mail

Here they are, waiting for pick up.  My helper is in the back there doing his last inspection.  He’s helping me type this post now. And by helping, I mean, he is laying across my left arm and part of the keyboard so that I can only type with one hand       \][o[p mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm – Dexter says.

Someday my history will be blended.

Someday my history will be blended.

Merging old and new. This contrast speaks to me. I can’t help but build new journals with my old paper, old photo albums, and new pretty paper, new fabric, new inspiration.

A little ink and a little brush, brings some color to the cover.

Time worn areas are not covered.  They are celebrated and enhanced. I run my fingers over the flowers and feel the history.

 

Some day my history will be part of this book.  My thoughts, my art, my hand will be blended with that of those that created these papers, and albums, and inspiration.

Journaling Adventures

Journaling Adventures

I’ve been trying my hand at daily journaling and so far so good. What I have to do is keep reminding myself that visual journaling is basically my usual collage work plus some sort of written insight. Of course, the writing part is the hardest part for me. I’m trying not to pressure myself too much about it. If I can’t think of something to say, then I’ll just leave it blank.

Journaling

I’m doing the same with the collage work and turning off the second thoughts.  Whatever is on my table or nearby that speaks to me, I’ll use in the collage.

Journaling

And, I’m doing more doodling than I’ve ever done.  Bringing inspiration from Zentangles to add pattern and interest to the pages.

Journaling
IMG_8919
IMG_8928

Number 3 Journal

Number 3 Journal

Here is my third journal for the Full Tilt Boogie class.  This one started as a funky photo album that i picked up at Goodwill years ago.  I used the hidden binding technique on this one and used a variety of different papers for the book block.  I love the chunky style of this journal.

IMG_8857

IMG_8843

IMG_8834

Back

There are more photos in my Flickr photostream here.

I wish I would have thought to take a picture of the photo album before i turned it into a journal.  I was one of those side bound albums with a stick and twine.  When I took it apart, I found I could refold the spine and make it super thick with out cutting the covers off.  I found this similar journal at Hobby Lobby in the clearance section yesterday.

This is destined to be recreated into a new chunky journal soon.

Journal #2

Journal #2

This is the second journal from my Full Tilt Boogie Class. It started as another old book, an art book in Spanish. When I took off the dust cover, it had beautiful cover and I just had to use it. The inside is full of watercolor paper and some heavy card stock frames from a new “Victorian” photo album that I picked up at Goodwill. Enough with the talk, here are the pictures:

book 2
book 2 Inside
Book 2 Inside
book 2
Book 2 Spine

New Journal and New Class

New Journal and New Class

I signed up for another one of Mary Ann Moss’s awesome classes. This one is called Full Tilt Boogie and we are making different journals with antique photo album covers and old books. Mary Ann’s classes are full of beautiful videos with great information and, also, membership in a wonderful community of fellow artist and classmates. I think I signed up mostly for the community. I’ve made a lot of journals and I never get tired of the process. What I really need to work on is the journaling. I’m still struggling with a personal process that works for me. Anyway, here are a few photos of my first journal for FTB.

Front
Inside 2
Spine
The covers on this journal are from an old Nathaniel Hawthorne book with a torn spine. I loved the marbled paper on the cover and thought it was perfect for this technique. The signatures are made from a variety of different papers from vintage ledger to new scrapbook card stock to watercolor paper. It ended up a little bit smaller than I would have wanted so next time I think I’ll add more signatures. If I ever get around to filling it, hopefully that will bulk it up.