Stash Busting the Modern Way

I've been feverishly working through my stash of scraps. It's time to get rid of all the strips, squares and orphan blocks that have accumulated through the years. My goal is to use every little piece that has been hanging around and weighing me down.

I didn't want to make a standard scrap quilt this time so it was time to do some research. In my searches of Pinterest and the web I've come across images of Modern Quilts that appeal to me. I love this image from TeaGinnyDesigns

and I cannot remember how long I've been wanting to do an x & + quilt like the one in this tutorial by BadSkirt

So now it's time to try to turn my old style pile of scraps into something modern and playful like this. Wish me luck!











Japanese x and + quilt tutorial, a photo by badskirt - amy on Flickr.

Do 40 Things

I want to thank the bloggers, tweeters and pinners who inspire me to create, to breathe and to go make something. Although I probably spend too much time surfing the web without their inspiration my creative life would be less rich.

Carolyn Dube has been wild about her Gelli plate lately. I'm glad I finally took a trip to Curry's and picked one up for myself.

As I looked at a printed page in my journal and wondered what to do with it I remembered my constant mantra when stuck with a messy house, desk or studio: Do 40 Things, or 20 things, or as many things as it takes for the job to be done. Sometimes I am waylaid by inspiration or necessity as I try to get the 40 things done. Sometimes I just slog through, do the 40 Things and go back to surfing.

I hope I'm not too late to thank Carolyn for her inspiration by linking to her Gelli Party.

Happy new Year! I hope our year to come is filled with joy, love and creativity.

Happy Dance

Look what just came in the mail! I was so thrilled to hear from Carolyn at A Colorful Journey that I had won the Fall Fearless and Fly draw at Artists in Blogland. I've been wanting to try these Dylusions Ink Sprays that all the Art Journalers rave about and now I have no more excuses.




These are the six colours that came in my package:

Bubblegum Pink - yum
Lemon Zest - zingy
Black Magic - oooo mysterious
London Blue - blimey
Melted Chocolate - double yum
Vibrant Turquoise - my favorite

I'm going to join DH on the couch for an episode or two of Lois CK, then I'll watch this spray ink demo, and then it's play time!

Speak Your Truth

For a not very observant new-Jew I sure spend a lot of time reflecting and creating art on Jewish themes. The City Shul is offering a meditation class which started this morning. After leading us through a couple of different meditations our teacher Elaine talked briefly about Jacob wrestling with the angel in this week's Parsha and then we were asked to meditate on a few questions. These questions asked us when and why we do or do not speak our truth.



I wrote these few words in my notebook as I came out of the guided meditation and then transferred them to my art journal this afternoon.

What does it mean to speak your truth?

Feeling?

Experience?

Insight?

Desire?

Expectation?

Requirement?

A gift from the soul that you share with those you care about = The entire world.

But what does that have to do with wrestling with the angel?

The Magen David in this image was an orphan block. I originally sewed some pieces of fabric together   to be part a baby quilt, and then it was going to be a kippah, and then it sat in my studio asking for a home and now it is gelled to a page of this journal and painted over and journalled around and has found a new life.


What I have discovered through meditation is that my truth is to be found in the pause between my breaths. A place without words.

Being the Change

Today my daughter and a couple of her cousins worked on an Art Journal honouring my husband's side of the family and all of its wonderful traditions.


Jewish holidays, Shabbat, birthdays and vacations are all enjoyed together. My husband's late Safta Mania loved to visit us from Israel because it was always a party!

The girls working together to create this project exemplifies the close family connections that we are helping to create with all of our celebrations and traditions.

My heart overflows every time my daughter comes to ask for permission to use another product or element in her journal. Not only has she seen me working on my journals and wants to emulate me, she is also being respectful of our materials, ephemera and workspace.

I am scheppin naches.

Altered Magazine

Today I took the first steps to making my first Altered Magazine.

I read somewhere recently that 8 magazine pages sewn together makes a good thickness for an Art Journal canvas. It seemed to me that a New Yorker would be just the right size for and Art Journal. I grabbed one from the bottom of our enormous stack we always have lying around. I've always hated to throw them out and now I know why.



Heading to the sewing machine I sewed the magazine together 8 or so pages at a time. This is a great way to practise machine quilting and random stitching and is a lot of fun.


Next I squeezed a dollop of white gesso on a couple of pages at a time and played with smooshing random dollops of coloured acrylics around the gessoed pages. These two pages I covered entirely with paint.


On these two pages I let the texture of the stitching and the words show through.

I'm linking this post to Creative Every Day and Art Journal Every Day. These two blogs offer so much encouragement and inspiration. I hope you'll drop by and check out what some of the other bloggers are up to.

Thank you so much for visiting. I hope you'll leave a comment. I love to hear what you think.

A Peaceful Chapbook

First I made a little book.


Then I painted many of the pages.


Then I added words of prayer and meditation.





Then I drew a mandala.


This is my first mandala. Drawing it brought me so much joy and pleasure it surely won't be my last.

I'm linking this post to Creative Every Day and Art Journal Every Day.

Thank you so much for visiting. I hope you'll leave a comment. I love to hear what you think.