My Remains of the Day Fabric Journal

I love the whole shabby chic look of these journals from Mary Ann Moss instructions for Remains of the Day artist/travel journal. This particular one is a 6x9 with scrap pages as inserts.

I'm very much looking forward to my next one that will include some 140lb. watercolor paper including patterned paper as accents and pocket inserts. First, I must complete this one by adding more ephemera and photos. I need to sew more around the fabric including attaching the signatures. It's fun to piddle around with the inclusions before I start writing my memories and experiences :) If your interested in how this journal is made please visit Mary Ann Moss at Dispatch From LA for more information.

The whole journal layed out flat.

I still have a bit more sewing remaining but all in all I'm quite pleased with the outcome so far.

Variuos page inserts with half sheets with bits and pieces of waste/scraps that now have another purpose. This is one of my all time favorite projects and I can certainly see myself making many more journals with this concept in mind.

Time for a Change

Before I took Scooter for a bath he looked like his name should be changed to Mr. Scruffy!

Afterwards, I had to make certain I had the right dog to take home. Literally looking half his size and a few years younger than his actual going on 8.

So glad he is free from all that hot heavily matted, cumbersome hair. He is much more energetic and happy now bopping around with a quick little skip in his step. I'm quite sure I did the right thing for him :) His attitude is akin to saying... look out world, I'm ready for a new season of adventure and fun.

BTW-Front and center in the car for rides means he is my official navigator when driving....

I'm secretly on the hunt for an old buffet like this one from Pottery Barn's Ellsworth Collection. It would make a nice refreshing addition to my outdoor recreation area. Old weather worn furniture looks so appealing to me.

The meaning of "Time"

Time is a curious thing to me. It goes by and moves forward without giving us any choice. It is past, present and future all encapsulated in a second. It defines us as we move thru it and in it. Moments are blissfully ignored or significantly remembered forever. Time can either leave an indelible mark or it can be missed altogether. Remembering it's significance is up to us. It will be there just the same. Make the moments matter whether they are tiny little "ahhhh" awakening moments like the melody of happily singing birds in the morning or to the acknowledgment of everyday mundane stuff. How we view and experience time is what makes up the fabric in the quilt of our life with the events that unfold within it. I choose to be more present. To remember we are part and parcel of the same. We cannot be seperate from it while we are breathing. Time is a part of me in each passing moment as we are united and bound together. Living fully and in the moment is where I want to be. When I reflect on my past, I realize so much had been wasted by not paying much attention to the relevance of this very special gift. Yes, time is a gift! Some would give anything to have more of it. Life is much more than the blissful ignorance of it's worth. I vow to be more involved with its offerings rather than letting it just pass by un-noticed. Time is a mirror to telling us who we are and what we hope to be. When my time here on earth reaches its end for me, will I wish I had more or will I be ready to depart with resolve having a calm satisfaction of what "time" and its value has given me? Although, I'm never "on time" (to my husbands dismay) I naturally don't want to be too late for anything. One thing is certain... I am very blessed to be given what I have had thus far. For all its multi faceted ambiguous form and the process it allows and gives for each of us, I have a deep gratitude for my partnership with it and our experiences together, as well as, our developing relationship that is yet to come.

Not sure about the journing just yet. Contemplating something emotionally infused as this is a photo of my mother when she was pregnant with me. This is during a period of time when she was still building her nest of babies, which after all was said and done landed on five little chicks in total :)

The best part about art journaling for me aside from the emotional satisfaction- is the layering. When you get to a place where it all seems to come together. This page had a lot going on underneath and ended with an affirmation to myself through a much loved quote. This is so much more than a hobby!

A new series of self-portraits for a vintage feel. I'm truly a "Gibson Girl" at heart and being that this year is the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, this will be my homage to that sad but captivating event.