Garden

This time of year was always so exciting on the farm, lists to make, seeds arriving in the mail, prepping the seed starting area for the onions that would soon be planted into trays...

This year FGH and I are going to have a garden in the backyard. I've been not so excited about it, since it's really quite a bit smaller than 40 acres, but now that I'm about to put the seed order in the mail I'm getting excited. We're renting here, so I don't want to add any more tilled area besides the 8'x8' garden spot that already exists. So, I'm planning on some major container gardening. I've never done this and I'm a little nervous. I will continue to have a CSA box every week from our old farm (now loon organics) as a back up.

My list so far:

For containers:

Tomatoes (of course)

Bell Peppers

Peas (trellised in a pot)

Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano for sure)

Salad Mix

Precious Garden Plot Area:

Green Beans

Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Oregano for sure)

Kale (a lot of bang for your buck space-wise)

Heads of Lettuce

Zucchini (trellised)

Cuke (trellised)

Spinach

Radish

Things I'm NOT growing:

brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, caul, bok choy...)

potatoes

winter squash

corn-I have always thought it so funny when home gardeners plant 6 stalks of corn!

everything else

I really like fresh eggplant, but it takes up some footage....might try it in a pot...we'll see.

If anyone has some container growing advice send it this way. I'll do some googling about it. I'm going to need a lot of pots, too. Hmmmm. I'm guessing water will be the biggest factor. I will have a toddler helping me, and he will probably REALLY like the hose next summer so TOO much water is probably the actual problem with those pots.

Here's a gardening journal that will find it's way into my shop soon. It's a journal made from a variety of papers from the "Veggie Line." I may have to keep it for my own gardening notes come to think of it.

More Album Sets

Two more baby sets have landed in my shop. I really really enjoyed making them. Once I printed off the patterned papers I was just too excited to wait and quickly cut them up into carefully measured pieces. The fabric lining the brag book pouch is also made from one of my patterns. I actually fed fabric sheets through the inkjet printer and it worked. Well, I cheated a bit, they were paper backed when I bought them. However, I have since purchased some gorgeous fabrics that I am going to try to back with freezer paper and feed through the printer. It's supposed to work. So, the top set is the Dala Set. One of my dala prints is on the cover, and the lining paper of the large album is the blue, white, and red star paper from a previous blog entry. The blue and yellow dala paper and beige patterned paper are part of the new "Dala Line." Nice!

I've gone a little wild with the "Veggie Line." Peas, tomatoes, squash, elf shoes, flowers...there are about 8 patterns in the series. I'll try to get them scanned tonight.

Next I plan on evolving into some more organic (strange to use that word not referring to USDA organic) patterns. I'm going to use some watercolors i'm working on, scan them, and print them on lotka papers. Hmmm. Could be great or could be a disaster.

Thirty

Thirty it is.

And I got thirty presents from my mom.

And a bunch more, too.

Thanks everyone!

I took an I-Spy type photograph of some of the thirty gifts from my ma:

Can you find the delicious Mr. B's Chocolate Bar?

There are assorted antique brass bells that will be great hung on a hook or maybe on a wreath.

Vintage metal stencils may find there way onto a book cover.

A tiny white charm dog from my Great Grandma Mort's jewelry box is very mysterious, much like the odd vase that was my Grandma Myrtle's GRANDMA's (that goes back more than 120 years), very intriguing item!

Threads and soaps and sticks, fun fun.

And me! How serious I was and am.

An orchid now graces the presence of my messy studio area. Studios are meant to be messy. I have recently decided this despite all the magazine articles that pressure me to spend January organizing. Thanks for the fleur, Peter!

Happy 2010!

Happy New Year!

I am extremely excited for 2010. I have SO MANY ideas for new drawings, books, kits, and the like.

For example, I had decided that I wanted to draw a fox. I like foxes, especially those of the cartoon variety. So, as I sat down to draw a fox, I drew this guy, sitting in a chair with popcorn and pop. What the? I guess I had watched Avatar in 3-D the night before (it was totally awesome), so that must have been my inspiration.

I am one of those artists that just starts drawing without a plan. It's the opposite with bookmaking, since the structure sort of necessitates a plan and cutting accuracy.

Below Movie Fox is one of my new journals, Red and Green Clock Journal. It's cute. It's clever. Both items are in their respective shops and more are soon to follow.

Paintings

"The Artist's Book" at the MN Center for Book Arts has been fantastic. We have been introduced to many painterly techniques. The goal of the class is to create a book full or samples of the different papers, mediums, and techniques to reference as we continue to create conceptual art books in the future. I haven't painted for quite a few years but it really started coming back to me this week and I was surprised to see that my practice pieces were turning out pretty interesting. These following paintings plus whatever I finish before next week's (the last) class will be stab-bound into a simple book. I'm tempted to cut-up some of them for collage or even use some of my creations for book coverings.

It has been most helpful to put these pieces away and then take them out a few days later, assess, and add another layer. Some of these pieces may end up with text or more layers, or they me happy as they are.

2 resist techniques, acrylic, watercolor on Strathmore Laid paper

stamping, watercolor, and resist technique on dark green heavy paper

acrylic, colored pencil on black gessoed Rives BFK tan

acrylic and white chalk pastel on dual toned paper

watercolor, resist techniques, ink stamps, colored pencil on watercolor paper

(somewhat clipped by scanner) putty medium, actylic, watercolor, stencil, colored pencil, transfer, chalk pastel on black gessoed BFK paper

Mas Accordion Books

I just finished assembling a big stack of little accordion books.  They are very charming.  I have some of the collaged butterflies in the mix as well as some funny owls and a couple little mini books which I think would make nice place cards.  I'm gearing up for my first art show next weekend at Levandowski Pottery.  I don't have a ton of books to bring, but I should be able to set up a tantalizing little corner in their pottery gallery.  There are so many things I want to get done lately between bookmaking, drawing, portfolio work but the weather is so blasted nice that I end up sitting at the park or in the backyard with FGH for extended periods of time.  It's just so WARM all of a sudden and it makes all of us so much happier.  

Little Accordions

After a full moon cycle (or so) I've finally updated my etsy shop.  At last I've put some of the little accordion books in there.  I gave most of them away and I'm in the process of making eleven more.  I'm still obsessed with the accordion form.  People seem to be enjoying them and thinking of creative uses.  One thing is certain, one year olds like to play with them.  I'm thinking that I will put some pictures of cousins and grandparents in one for FGH.  I'm also making more of the collage-y butterfly books.

I also finished a few pocket journals.  They turned out really nice, I think.  They are covered completely with book cloth with a little teaser of the interior paper pasted into a little indented window on the cover.  My inspiration was a little vintage book of nature poems a friend gave me in college.  These turned out about the same size.

Happy First Birthday Freddy My Boy!

We had a splendid birthday party at our house today for the one and only FGH. He was stylin' in his "Children's Place" linen shirt/ striped tie/orange vest/plaid visor hat. He wore pants, too. He was really cute-as-can-be and he didn't even mind the tie. The entire party lasted only 3 hours and that was just about right for a one year old. As guests arrived around 11:00 we poured up mugs of coffee. I was nervous about not having enough food, I have a record of serving a meal for not making enough...it's hard to judge when you don't entertain often and you don't really use recipes. A quick run to the co-op yesterday and Super Target this morning were necessary. Just so you now, a sausage (the whole foods italian, yum) and spinach and jarlsburg egg casserole needs 30 eggs to serve 14 people. That's a lot of eggs. I also made that broccoli and grape salad that is so delicious. I used organic turkey bacon, tons of broccoli ( nine heads (smallish ones), an onion (leftover from the farm so it was pretty small after I got the questionable outer layers off), slivered almonds (I slivered them as I only had whole ones), a small bag of frozen peas and a dressing made of mayo, sugar and apple cider vinegar. I've never made this salad but I always love it when I'm somewhere else. It was a good way to add veggies to a brunch. I made a quick fruit salad of blueberries, thinly sliced pears and kiwi as well. My mom-in-law brought scrumptious raspberry muffins (frozen from her own plants(not muffin plants)) and my grandma made some cute cupcakes and 6" cake for Freddy to dive into. My mom brought some adorable farm animal shaped sugar cookies to add to the "farm animal" theme. Wow. I just went on and on about the food. 
FGH had a great time and got so many cool toys, great clothes and exciting books. Thanks everyone! I made him an accordian-style board book with a picture of each month of his life thus far. It turned out very much to my liking. I'll include more photos of it at some point on this blog. He had fun playing with cousin Madeline, of course.
We attempted the whole "messy cake" thing, but he didn't get too messy. It took him awhile to realize that this huge thing on his high chair tray with orange and blue stuff on it was to be eaten. Then, he just ate it. He threw some on the floor, but mostly he just ate tons of sugar. He didn't get crazy because of it, but did fall asleep despite the loud party going on outside his bedroom door when the sugar wore off. (well, louder than the usual silence of me home alone with him during naps). Here are some pics of the Busca at his party...he's having some serious fun. Stunned is the look I see on his face on almost every one.

Amy Butler Inspired Sketchbooks

I do so admire the fabrics of Amy Butler, and now Archivers carries scrapbook paper based on the beloved fabrics.  They are vintagey, yet modern, I think she calls the designs, "Midwest Modern."  For the four books now in my etsy shop, I used slightly heavy white sketch paper for the pages.  There's nothing wrong with lightweight paper, but for some reason I was drawn to the strong thick sketch paper and have purchased quite a lot of it for book usage.  It feels so nice and substantial.  I could go on and on about paper choices, but I won't.  Unless anyone has their two cents to offer about the weight of paper he or she prefers when doodling or writing.  I'm really just guessing here.  

Anyway. 

I started these books with the intention of having a subdued cover and a surprise on the inside of the covers, the surprise being the fun AB papers.  I was a bit bored with the level of subdue so I jazzed the cover with a strip of the same paper.  So many decisions.  They turned out pretty nice, anyhow.

Memory Lane

I've made about 30 books since I've gotten my studio up and running. I've recorded them in a handbound book I made in college and now I'm up to the 104th book entry in this ledger. There's about 5 years span where I added zero books. Since it has been awhile since I've had any instruction, I spent tonight digging through boxes in search of my "old" books. I THINK I remember how to do each step, but I found myself second guessing myself about a few minor details so it helped to examine these old books. I had given away or sold most everything I made, so I was stuck looking at a few of my own journals, which, of course, each had a flaw of some sort (that is why I kept them). It was wonderful to feel these old friends again, and especially fun to look through my travel journal from my and Peter's leisure trip around France a month before we got hitched. My style has changed a lot, and I'm not so sure I like the change. I guess that's part of being an artist- or creative person- whatever I call myself I'm not sure anymore. I've just been so BUSY the past five years that I haven't really taken the time to think about it. My books are suddenly geometric, bright, clean, and sleek, where as they used to be more organic and subdued with rough-edged deckled pages, hand-marbled papers, and found-object closures. The fact that they were worn from being lugged in a backpack and tossed on the floor so many times definately added some charm, too.

New Press

My book press DID arrive, I believe it came on the 24th. We were away since the 22nd so I can't be sure, but, anyway, it's here and I've been using it non-stop. One thing it lacks is mutiple layers so I can press many books at a time. Seeing as most all of our tools and scrap lumber is either being stored or was left at the farm, I have asked my handyman of a dad to cut and sand some spacers for me. Once I get the (masonite, (most likely)) pieces for stacking I should be able to fit quite a few books in at a time and I will be in production central. I'm plugging along during Peter's break from Law School, experimenting with various book structures and sizes. I should have some up on Etsy before a week's time is up.
Pictures coming soon...my camera is charging after taking about 200 pictures and videos over the holidays...

UPDATE>>>HERE IT IS!!!

Getting Organized

The room that is my studio is becoming more like a place to create things and less like a closet.  FGH and I took a stroller ride the other day to the local ACE and then walked the mile route on Summit  back home with a bundle of 4' dowels in hand.  The dowels now house some of my paper, book cloth, and ribbon.  Not only is it beautiful to look at all these papers and ribbons against the wall, but it will surely add a longer life to them.  The papers had been stored flat on the floor just inches from an exersaucer that now tends to scoot around a bit when FGH is in it.  I also decided to take an hour or so to organize my beads.  Many beads found there way into the garbage.  I went from having "no" beads to match the books I'm working on to "lots" of beads.  It's amazing how I couldn't see them when they were all mixed together willy nilly.  It's a pleasure to have time to be organized. 

I "won" a book press on ebay a couple of days ago.  I'm super pumped to get it.  It's a handmade wood press from Beech Hill Artisans in Maine.  It's brand new, has room to press many books at once, and looks beautiful.  I  have 3 books ready for it, and 13 that are really close.  Woo Hoo!  Hurry up, mailman!