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Showing posts from October, 2011

Once Upon a Time There Was a King

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  Donations at the library are funny. When a new rabidly-awaited title comes out there are HUGE waiting lists for the very small number of copies we have in our system (we're poor - don't ask). After the requests have all been filled or canceled due to people buying their own copies, we start getting those best-sellers as donations. First they trickle in and are madly added to the collection to fill holds. Then a few more come in and we use them to replace the too-soon dead copies we have. Then we get in millions. This happened with John Grisham's The King of Torts. A few years ago we began noticing that we were getting several copies of this book in donations.  Just when you thought you'd gotten rid of the three or five just put on the table, another dozen would show up. We were starting to send them to Goodwill and then my co-worker began piling them secretly in my office. I was out on the reference desk one day when I came back to my office to find a stack of seve

Latest Work

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Tonight I was able to get in touch with an old friend of mine from college. It was great to talk to him about art and find out what he's been up to. One of the things I remember most from my experience in art school was that something like 90% of all art school graduates never do anything with their art. I like to think that art, while not a full-time vocation for me, is a way of life instead. Everything I do seems to be done through the filter of beauty, simplicity and truth (I hope). It's very close to my testimony of God, too, I guess. I'm lucky I have talents that make me so darn happy and can make others' happy,too. Good to hear from you Paul and I can't wait to see your work soon!

It Depends on Your Perspective

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I'm working on a few pieces for a company who is putting together an online boutique of sorts. They originally asked for three different patterns. I worked on them all last week and took quick and dirty pictures of them to send for their approval. Their responses were great. They liked the top of this one and the front of another one. When I looked at the top of which they spoke, I saw their point. I guess it all depends on perspective!!!

My Bedside

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This is what it looks like right by my bed. I usually take over Brian's dresser because it's closest to my bed. He's good about it and never complains. I need to remember that when I see his socks out in the living room each night.

Changes

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Heads up! I'm turning off comments on my blog! It's been a growing sensation for a while now, but I'm feeling a little too exposed to the world with everything and need a bit more privacy. Blogging will continue, but if you need to talk to me, please email me. At least the whole world won't see what you have to say - just us two. It will be cozy, just you and me. This is all the result of a lot of in-depth soul-searching and reflection. Hopefully, I will be able to focus more on ... I don't know, but I'm hoping it's good, whatever it is...

Hoar

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  Oh the things we do for friends who are going through a tough spot. And, yes, I DID spell it right. hahahahaha! The paper is from an 1850's Harper's Bazaar bound magazine from which I laminated two sheets together with Wonder Under. I then embroidered and embroidered while I listened to scriptures and felt twinges of guilt.

Creepy!

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This is actually the fifth attempt at making this book for a friend of mine. The first time I tried making it with an 1850-ish copy of Harper's Bazaar that was all moldy and crackling. No good. The paper wouldn't fold well enough. The second try was a smaller book. I couldn't get the words to look right. Third try: a Frank Slaughter book (with apropos titles like "A Night to Murder" and "Death at Midnight") with italic letters THAT YOU COULD NOT READ AFTER I'D FOLDED the book because the letters were too intermingled. Then I tried stenciling it onto a simple patterned book with ink. The ink, instead of being blood red was strawberry pink. Not creepy in the sense that I wanted. And it looked very stenciled - not at all folded bookish. The fourth try was another stencil - this one actually was much nice because it was on a "press forward" patterned book. The paper for that was not so compactly together that you could read the word when look

Skull Folded Book Pattern

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Presenting my first free pattern! This builds on the information presented in my Folded Book Tutorial available in my Etsy shop . Just click on the picture below to make it big and then print it out. You need a 19-mark fore edge pattern on your text block. I used 1/8" marks.