Ginny's Small Studio

Book Me

I am back from a great week of bookmaking with a great bunch of women.  Pam Sussman put together a wonderful group of projects for us and fun activities to round it all out.

We started with some easy and clever projects that could easily be made assembly line for gifts or favors. Above is a two-ring mini binder made from scratch and a clever elastic binding for a notebook that can be refilled.  Below is a note pad that goes together in a flash.  We all made several of these.

One morning was spent silk screening with the Yudu machine. It was so easy and so addictive.  The tall narrow book below was covered with a sheet of printed scrapbook paper that I screen printed over. I love the binding stitch on this booklet. So loopy!

Another day we made a book that had a zillion pieces to cut and was rather complicated, but when it was all finished, it looked simple, but quite nice.

My favorite project wasn't even a book. We each made a box. We built the basic form and covered it all with papers.

Our last project was a wooden triangular shaped book sculpture that fans out when laid on a flat surface.

We also spent a day shopping in Chicago for papers, ribbons and art supplies because you all know that if the instructor has cool tools, the students must have them too.

Thanks Pam for a great time.

 

Inspired & Productive

I have been playing in my art room and working in my Small Studio, alternating for the past week.  I am deep into packaging up goodies for the convention in Cincinnati next month.  Stampaway is one of the oldest rubber stamp conventions around.  I think second only to the Carson Show in Los Angeles. I am excited to do this last show of the year for us.  We have taken a bit larger booth for this show so the pressure is on to be well stocked and organized.

Look at these beautiful old ledger and journal pages from the mid 1800s.  I love the handwriting with the happy flourishes.  I have packed up about 35 of these, so if this is something you need, come to our booth early.  Last show we sold out of these quickly.

One can only package so long before a break is needed.  I took many, many breaks this week and put together this journal to put on my Etsy shop. 

Every page has some ephemera added, leaving space for you to write or add your own touches.

What have you been doing?    

Sign up for Small Studio Workshops here.

Journals: Teesha Moore Style, Part 2

After we played with our covers in Day one of the Teesha workshop, we worked on our pages.  My camera died half way through the picture taking, so enjoy what I have.

These pages today were all done by students using magazines and lots of pen work. 

 

The pictures were taken right after lunch on the last day, so more work was done on the pages later that afternoon.

I didn't get photos of Tracy's student work.  If you were in his workshop and took some photos, send them to me so I can share them.  In the meantime here is John's in-progress book from Tracy's class:

Next workshop: Ingrid Dijkers 

  

Journals: Teesha Moore Style

For some aggravating reason, I have been having problems with Typepad freezing on me since Friday. I would finish my blog entry and then it would freeze and disappear.  Arrrggghhhh.  Hopefully it will work this time.

We loved having Teesha and Tracy here to inspire, to teach, to have fun.  I think everyone was happy with their projects and the weekend. I know I learned many tricks and techniques.

Day One: Covers

I think I have been trying to load too many photos, so I am picking a random representation.  We worked on our covers using mostly Teesha's collage sheets.

We raised our focal images and painted the spaces in between.

I apologize to those whose covers are not shown here.  I have no idea whose I have and don't have, but every single book was wonderful and creative.  There were 23 of us in the workshop even though we were only going to have 20.  We had so much fun.  What an awesome group, every one of you.

Tomorrow I will show pages we did.  

Thanks to all who participated and especially to Teesha who shared so much with each of us.       

Ready, Set...GO!

Today the students will start arriving for this month's workshop.  If you didn't sign up, you really are missing something special.  Teesha Moore and Tracy Moore will be here.  They do not often teach outside of their home state, Washington.  They haven't been here in five years!

In Teesha's workshop we will be making these:

Which close-up look like this:

My supplies are all packed.  I find it so much fun and also stressful to pack supplies for a workshop.  I hover between being excited to imagine what I will accomplish with the supplies and worrying about having just the right thing.  

Tracy will be teaching this:

and this:

John has packed up his whole art studio for this workshop.  Even though we will be able to come home each night and pick up anything extra for the workshops, he wants to have every possibility at hand.

The workshops are full, so you have definitely missed out for this weekend, but we have coming up Ingrid Dijkers, Keith Lobue  and Lynne Perrella.  There are spaces in all of them still.  Don't miss out on these excellent instructors.  You can see the schedule and descriptions here on our website.

What's On Today's Menu??

Maybe you noticed that I have not blogged all week.  No?  I KNEW you weren't paying attention! 

We took a spontaneous road trip.  I love road trips.  Usually we take off for a few weeks in the summer, but it is too difficult this summer because of the Workshops, which, by the way, are great fun.  More info later in this blog entry.

So we decided to throw a few changes of clothing in a suitcase and took off on a junking trip.  I cannot believe my luck every time we do this, that John is 100% into this, too.  We stopped at a number of antique shops and malls.

Do you have a preference when shopping?  Do you tend to stop at this type of display:

Or do you prefer something a little more organized?

 

I fell in love with this seating piece.  It was really comfortable.  The sign said it came from a Foresters Lodge. We couldn't have fit it into our car much less our house.  Note, too, the beautiful dresser in the background.  I am not really into big pieces of antique furniture, although I have a couple of pieces I love, but I enjoy looking at them and wondering what kind of house they were part of originally.

The photo is a little blurry, but it isn't it wonderful?

The last and much anticipated stop was a huge antique swap meet that only happens once a year.  In fact it was the main reason we took off for the week. We got there at 7am, waited in line, paid the premium price for getting in early and grabbing the "good" stuff.  Unfortunately for us, the majority of the vendors had watched the weather channel as we had not. Few of them were open and about an hour after our arrival, this is what it looked like:

Note the height of the rain drops after hitting the ground.  You can't hear the thunder or see the lightning.  This was Friday and we had to be home by Saturday because John is in a Golf Channel tournament this weekend.  I am sure the shoppers on Saturday and Sunday had a great time but we lost out.  Oh well.  There will be others.   It was a long ride home in the rain and storm.

Okay.  Have you signed up for Ingrid Dijkers' workshops in August?  Ingrid does wonderful altered books and journals. Her techniques can be used for numerous other projects.  I love her work and in fact, she is the only instructor this series that I have not met, but I really needed to take her workshops!

Look how colorful and whimsical her projects are.

So many interesting attachments and ideas.

Look at this great tunnel book.

You can sign up for her workshops here: Small Studio Workshop Series.   

Pettiti's Garden Center

There is a perennial sale at Pettiti's this weekend, so early this morning John and I were there.  Regular readers know we redid our yard last year.  We are very happy with it except annuals seem to be just a buffet for our local deer and rabbits.  This means we had some empty spots where the delectable bits had been planted.  I love visiting this garden center because they do such great display vignettes.  I was a little disappointed on this trip, our first this year, because they were not as abundant as in the past. Maybe the economy has dictated that they stock less quantity and fewer varieties.  AND they redid the same displays that they did last year.  They are still clever and pretty, but the same.

There was the clever planting pot man...

The vintage bike among the flowering pots... 

The painted door....leading to nowhere, but the imagination...

The ladder nestled in....

Another door...another color...

 
The abundant roof garden....

And everyone's favorite, the flower power VW bug....

Have you bought a copy of the newest Summer 2010 Art Journaling, just on newstands now?  Ingrid Dijker's "Over the Edge" has been featured in this issue and lucky us.  We have her here in person teaching us all the techniques for that project Friday, August 27th.  She is also teaching two other workshops that weekend and there are some spaces still left in each of the three classes.  When I saw the photos for "Over the Edge", I couldn't wait to try to do them myself.  That is why I invited Ingrid to come here to Avon Lake (cleveland) and teach.  Come join us.  It is going to be wonderful. 

The Groaning Shelf

I had not heard of authors Eric Scott or David Modler, but I ordered the book anyway because I liked the title.  Good enough reason.  Also they call themselves Journal Fodder Junkies like in collectors of piles of stuff.  I really like the word "fodder" for some reason.  When John forgot our wedding rings when we set off to get married, he asked if I was angry. Oh no, I answered.  You just gave me mock fodder for the rest of our lives!  Good word.  

Back to the book.  It will appeal to beginners and long time journallers.  The authors have reviewed almost every technique and supply for journaling and for altered book making.  I was reminded of many techniques I had forgotten about even though I taught them in my altered book classes of many years ago.  There are many simple instructions with illustrations on how to use most art supplies.  

They include journal prompts, ideas for finding fodder and quite a few photo pages of their journals. I really enjoyed their exuberant and encouraging text.  Some of you may find the book too basic, but even so, it may be a worthwhile addition to your groaning bookshelf.

Our siding was finally completed at 8 pm tonight.  What a great crew these guys were.  The house looks brand new from the outside.  Inside it looks like we are moving in.  The constant hammering on the outside walls required removing everything from the walls and from any surface against the walls. Tomorrow it will all be rehung and redistributed on our many shelves, mantles and bookcases.  I am always surprised at how bland a home looks with nothing on the walls.  In fact it just looks like a house, not a home. 

The Antique Ledger Brigade

I am tired and I am dirty.  I have spent the past two days deconstructing old ledgers.  

We have been collecting them for a year or two now.  Some are as old as the mid 1800s and some as new as the early 1900s.  Now before you start reprimanding me for destroying history, look at the covers.

I only take apart those ledgers that have totally damaged covers. The one on the right looked as if it had been in a fire although the pages were still in good condition.  Well, not the last 50 pages.  A child had access to the book and colored all over those last pages.  The one on the left had a detached cover and the back cover mostly missing.  The earlier the year of the ledger, the more handsome the handwriting and the more costly! I love wondering about the clerk who carefully kept the records.  The lovely flourishes must have taken extra time.  I think by preserving the pages and honoring them in some art project, they are given new life and respect.

 

These pages will end up in a package of assorted ledger and journal pages, all handwritten, to be sold at Artiscape in Columbus April 16-18 at our Small Studio booth. 

Some of my favorite people have signed up for the Teesha and Tracy weekend in July.  I am so looking forward to all the classes.  There are openings just waiting for you.  I feel like one of those Public Radio fundraiser programs.  I won't stop promoting this event until all the seats are taken.   

Book Me

Now that I have easier access to my collection of papers, I have made a new book.  I love making books.  Thank you, Pammy Sussman for introducing me to this very satisfying craft.

I have filled the book with vintage and new papers.

There is still room to add notes and lists and ideas.

I have spent many hours making up the pages.

This book is listed in my etsy shop.   

Thank you everyone for all the kind and fun birthday wishes.  It was a good birthday and it seems to keep on. Fun!

Small Studio Workshop Series information is on our website. 

 

 

If Only...

I am taking the online stenciling workshop with Mary Ann Moss over at Dispatch from LA.  The classes are great.  Each week Mary Ann offers up (to those who paid for the class) a series of videos on cutting and using stencils for journal pages.  She covers a multitude of ideas to jump start your creativity.  It is fun and informative.  We are in the third of four weekly lessons.  Since the first day it has either been raining or very windy here, so I am forced to play inside.  This eliminates the full-on spray paint option. Spray paint gives a fine covering of paint, either light or heavy.  One can use large sweeping strokes to get to where they want in their design.  I am working inside with Glimmer Mist, alcohol inks in a mister and other small sprays.  It is challenging.  I have not made much of anything that I really like that I have not had ruined by a fat burst  or dribble of paint due to nozzle malfunction. Nevertheless it has been fun and is pushing me a bit which is good.  In the piece below I sprayed over several layers of those die-cut 12x12 scrapbook pages and then used some Coffee Break Design stencils that I sell.

Mary Ann is offering this class again very soon.  Scoot over there and check it out when you get a chance.  Don't judge the workshop by my attempts.  If only the weather would co-operate.

The economy has affected so many things that we hardly notice until they jump right into our faces.  I may have mentioned that my vendors who I buy product from to sell in the Emporium are also cutting back on the amount that they manufacture.  This is just my opinion culled from my own experiences, but it seems as though they are testing the retail waters before going ahead and ordering sufficient quantities to fill orders.  I ordered a number of products during the Jan-Feb CHA trade show and some are just arriving now.  This seems counter-productive to me.  They can't sell what they don't have.  I can't sell what I don't have.  The momentum of introducing new products is lost.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy of a failing economy.

Above are very cool book covers in vintage looking designs from 7 Gypsies.  They appear to be old distressed, well-used covers.  They are printed on book board and are 5 1/2" x 7". They can be used, as I am sure the company intended, with the 5x7 vintage journal pages and the 5x7 transparencies. If only the products had all come at the same time. Both are available in the Emporium. The covers can be punched or drilled or attached with tapes or ribbons. I was thinking they would also make great bases for other projects. If only the products meant to be used together had come together.  Fortunately we have a good stock of all the above.  

Also new are the Gypsy Ephemera Packs shown above.  We initially just received the Vintage Ephemera packs and they have been pretty popular.  Now we have the Gypsy pack also. These are printed on both sides on light cardstock.  The colors are true and the prints chosen are interesting.  I am sure you will find many ways to use these items.  

Michele Monet and I enjoyed our monthly girls night out last night with dinner and a little shopping. We managed to do our part to help the economy.  The new "Where Women Create" is out.  Love that magazine.  I guess it is the voyeur in me.

Keeping Up

It was a cold and windy night, but we decided to try another movie.  We went to see Australia and even though it is almost three hours long, we loved it.  It has a predictable story line, but it was done well and each of the main characters were wonderful.  The photography was pretty great, too.  I would love to hear from some of you from that part of the world who have seen the movie.  Was it authentic?

I have been ignoring my paper journal for some time now.  I think it may be a result of blogging.  In the past I was an avid journaller, hardly missing a day of writing.  I started as a young girl with one of those pink diaries with lock and key.  It was easy to break into using a bobby pin.  Do they even make bobby pins anymore?  Do they make the pink fake leather diaries anymore?  I digress.  I continued to journal all through my adulthood adding artwork and doodles and ephemera as needed.  But the more I blog, the less I write in my journals. Have any of you found that to be happening to you too?  I really enjoy blogging and I love getting comments, something that doesn't happen with my hand written journal.  

Don't forget to browse our Emporium for last minute gifts.  We ship every day Monday through Saturday.

The shop will close December 20th until after the Holidays.

For a little holiday cheer, listen to a wonderful and fun Twelve Days of Christmas.

It's All About...

....Keeping your head...

These are such scary times in the world with war, economic woes and global warming.  Every time I turn on the radio or CNN, I am told not to panic, but it is scary and evidently out of the average Joe's realm of control.

...Friends and Family....

Where would we be without our dear friends and family?  Do you actively work at your friendships, making sure you call, remembering their important days, telling them how much you care?  I am so grateful for my loving family and dear friends.  They make life rich.

...Presentation...

John and I had been meaning to go to breakfast at a local restaurant that is only open for breakfast and lunch.  Friends had mentioned what a good place it is and every time we drove by (early in the day), there was a line.  They must be good, I thought, to be able to close for dinner.

This weekend we got over there for breakfast.  The fairly large place was crowded, but we were seated within minutes.  We were seated at a not so clean table which was remedied pretty quickly.  The menu was large with a really good variety of items that sounded great.  We ordered and were served in a timely manner.

The food was okay, not great, but nothing was really wrong with it.  But here is my comment.  The table was brown, the chairs were natural wood.  The walls were brown.  The artwork (all coffee cups), you guessed it...brown.  The plates were ivory, the food was pale.  There was no garnish, no colorful slice of melon or other fruit, not even a spring of parsley.  John and I felt as if we had landed in an old black and white film.  How different we might have felt if the plates were colorful to counteract the bland colors of most breakfast foods.  A sliced strawberry or other fruit would have livened up the dish, too.  Maybe sunrise colors to go with the hours of operation.  When one walks into any retail place, one must feel as though there are possibilities to have a great experience.  Our experience was just flat.  It was just food.  Has that ever happened to you?  

...New Products...

Amy, my webgirl, is working hard as I write this to get all my new products up and running at Small Studio.

New Pennants

New Paper Goods and Notebooks

New French MarketPlace

New ATC Frames

New Ribbons

Tomorrow is the last day to send in an entry to our Empty Mailbox contest, Part Deux.

Late Summer Saturday

John and I drove away this morning just as the sun was rising.  (Did you know it is still dark at 6 AM??!!)It was beautiful, all pink and amber rays bouncing off the clouds.  Definitely worth getting up early today. We had a date with my grandsons.  Tim had to work for a few hours this morning, Karen had to coach HS girls volleyball and the boys had football games.  We really enjoyed spending the morning with them. Who doesn't melt at the happy, fresh faces greeting us.  John and I got great entertainment watching a gaggle of 6 year olds playing flag football.  The parents and coaches were all so gentle, encouraging and kind to all the boys.  We met back at their home for a quick lunch and then they were off to the afternoon activities.  John and I had a good time and we left knowing we had helped the kids out today, but we were glad to go back to our quiet home together.  

By the way, we got the tail end of hurricane IKE last weekend with really high winds.  There were trees and wires down all over Ohio.  Repairs were made slowly because most of the crews had been sent down to help in Texas.  Son Tim and his family just got their electricity back on Thursday night.  We were only without electricity for 12 hours on Sat. night.

 

A recent journal page above.

Things that make me happy today:

1.  The mild weather, not hot, not cold, just right.  It just exudes energy.

2.  My new, long work table in my art room.  Joanne's has 3'x5' cutting mats on sale.  This large size completely covers my small table and a bit more than half of my new table.

3.  Starting a new book recommended by Joan Smith.  It is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. The entire story unfolds through letters written back and forth between the characters and takes place in England right after WWII.  

4.  Talking and laughing on the phone with each of my brothers this week.

5.  Watching two deer in the woods next to our home.  One was just a little fawn.  I thought deer only had offspring in the spring.  Does anyone know?  They are beautiful animals.

6.  Went to the movies and saw "The Women".  Such a chick flick, but good entertainment.

7.  Getting fun mail from my friend Mike.  I will share it with you.  Click on it to read:

What makes you happy today?

Bits and Bobs

I have been e-mailing with Yaz of Just a Plane Ride Away.  She is an American who is living with her family in England.  I was blog hopping and just came upon her blog.  Reading her blog brought back so many memories of living in Europe so long ago.  It has been fun "talking" to her.  

Blogging is so amazing.  There are so many people I have come into contact with that I would never have known otherwise.

Recently I received this little letter packet from Priya who lives in India.  She sent a handmade card and some Indian temporary tattoos that she said work great on paper. So kind.  

I have reconnected with many old friends and even distant family.  It is always a surprise to hear that someone I know reads my blog and even more surprising that people I don't know have linked me to their blogs.  Namesake Ginny reads my blog so let's all wish her a happy 11th birthday today.

I was messing around with my art supplies and some embellishment stuff I had made awhile back.  The little wall piece above started as an old piece of vintage molding.  

Then there is this old journal page I did before we moved here wondering if the move was a good decision.  I said on my page that I would only know with hindsight.  Well, looking back, I can say that it was a good decision.  Oh, oh.  I hope I haven't put a jinx on myself.

Clipped to this loose journal page was a bit of paper that I had written down something my mother-in-law said.  Awhile back, she was in the hospital and we were not happy with her being there so John's siblings and spouses (us included) scheduled "Mom" duty around the clock so she wouldn't wake up and be alone.  One day while I was on duty, she awoke and said to me "I have been gathering memories from the clouds and shrouds of my yesteryears".  Isn't that poetic?

Juicy Journals & Mail

Oh, how I love to get mail from the creative community. Today I receved Teesha's Journal Book Set. There are four little books, each with about 20 full color pages from Teesha's art journals. Those of you who are Teesha fans will love these exuberant and quirky booklets and will look through them again and again. Teesha and I go way back, becoming acquainted about 1997 when I attended one of her early ArtFest events. I was so enamored of the whole evnt that after, I immediately called her and asked if Stampers Anonymous could be a part of the next one. She had decided not to do another ArtFest (thankfully she later changed her mind). I asked her if I could do an ArtFest type of event in Cleveland and she agreed even offering to come and be a part of it. She and Tracy never missed an Art Continuum, often teaching and vending. I have always been thankful for that. I admire Teesha for all she accomplishes and all the different things she jumps into. I also love her style of journaling.

Teesha has such a wonderful sense of color and balance and free spirit. She never worries about who will read her journals or what they will think. She has said that it is much more important to be true to yourself and to freely play in one's journals.

At the opposite extreme of Teesha's freedom of expression is Violet Sexton's 1914 Neola IA high school journal. She mostly relates simple facts...where she went and who was there. It seems she was somewhat of a 1914 party girl, always attending at least one party a week.

She carefully chronicled each party and each event of her year always noting how kind the hostess, how abundant the food, how clever the games and decorations.

I love all kinds of journals and keep several running at any one time. Right now, my favorite is my "Home" journal where I have, over the years, cut out magazine pictures of ideas I might one day want to re-create and adapt to my little nest.

Since "nesting" is the priority right now, I have taken my Home tome off the book shelf so many times, that it now resides on the family room coffee table, opening me up to gentle mocking by my husband. But that doesn't bother me, for aren't all journals about finding out who you are and what you like?

I have mentioned before that my favorite blank journals are the 500 page, large ring 8x10 journal from Michael Rogers Press. I use them for artwork, cutting and pasting and just writing.

Another journal I cherish is actually two 3-Ring Binders. John saved all of our e-mails from the long distance dating we embarked on in 2003-4. It really holds the story of our relationship from day one. We e-mailed a lot!

Back to mail from the creative ones...friend Mike Meador sent me these very cool new stencils. They are about 12" long...eat your heart out Mary Ann! I am thinking they might look very fine stencilled around a window. He also sent John a wonderful little, but powerful light for his keychain. John has been quite pleased with this wee wonder! I want to see if I can use it to light up an art piece, but John is being very stingy with his present!

Well, that's it, boys and girls. Enough meandering musings from me. Y'all come back soon.

Journals vs Blogs

See the row of journals just waiting to be filled with random, yet so very important thoughts? My name is Ginny and I am a journal junkie. I used to journal every day, first thing in the morning. I used 500 page, large ring bound journals from Michael Rogers Press. See one in the middle of the photo above. It usually took me a year to fill one and by the time it was filled it was wedge shaped from all the additions. Then I came to CA and in the first months of remodeling, my journals remained in boxes. When my possessions could finally be unpacked, I found that I was too busy doing things to write about them. Maybe it was also because now I had someone who seemed to be interested in my babble. The need to write it down was lessened by the joy of speaking it out loud. Oh I sometimes would get back into the groove of journalling, but then I would get busy again. Now the need to journal has been lessened once again by the fun and challenge of blogging. It is satisfying to get feedback and it is challenging to add a photo every day. I sometimes spend time rereading my older journals. It is so interesting...I hang on my every word and marvel over my creativity and intelligence. Sometimes I am even moved to read a passage to John who just looks at me quizzically. Maybe I should just keep some things to myself! I have kept so many different kinds of journals over the years: travel journals (tons of these), entertaining journals (what I served, which dishes I used, the centerpiece, etc), everything day journals (filled with calendars, lists, sketches of ideas for stamps), decorating journals loaded with wishful ideas and the list goes on.
Do you keep different kinds of journals?
Three things that made me happy today:
A lovely letter from an old friend
A surprise visit and fun chat from another friend
Holding hands