My artist books

I have been meaning to share some of my artist books with you. My interest in bookmaking has been creeping up on me for awhile and I didn't really spot the pattern. It was only when I joined an artist book class this fall that I started to realise how much I am drawn to making books of my own. It was helped along recently by a wine-fuelled friendly argument with a friend, involving her shouting at me "you have made SO many books" followed quickly by a list of them - it is so wonderful to have friends who see what you cannot and are honest enough to guide you (and loud enough, and tipsy enough!). So, to start off, one from the archives. It is from a class called Done and Dusted taught by Shimelle and you will find it in the photo album to the left, titled Artist Books: Innocents Abroad.

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Away in the north


I am in Shetland at the moment. It is my in-laws golden anniversary, so we have come up to be with them. I am very happy that we did, because as their other children can't be here. I am scanning in their old slides and restoring them for an anniversary present. It is lovely work as I get to see old family memories and hear the stories. Slow work too though. I am looking forward to relaxing, feeling brisk air on my face, smelling the sea, shopping the picturesque high street in town. I am planning to buy nice hand-dyed Shetland wool for making crocheted flowers.

I am starting week 3 of the Artist's Way and am still enjoying it. I spent two weeks on week 2 which was all about identity; that is a big issue for me so well worth taking the extra time on. Reading the chapter for week 3 surprisingly brought tears to my eyes at one point. She was discussing how people develop detachment as a defence mechanism and it just struck a deep chord with me. I got a flash of me in hurt defensive mode and flashbacks to a younger me and it was all a bit of a revelation.

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Learning to be...

I love the web. It took a long time for me to get this blog thing, but, turns out, I was just reading the wrong blogs. I love the web because it connects me to my people, to people like me, to people I can learn from. A few reminders of this happened today.

Reading Zen habits. I found this listed on Ali Edwards' blog on Monday, which was Blog Action Day - I basically missed it this year. So many good ideas her for living the kind of life I want to lead. A few of my favourites: simple living; zen productivity; and today's post about consumerism.

I am so grateful to have discovered Liz Elayne's blog. Her title says it all, be present, be here. I am reading through her past posts, and I am finding beautiful photography, poetry, art, wisdom (and I am stalking her etsy shop too!).

Don't forget to check out the people in my blogroll. I am keeping it small and real, the people I check in with every day or two, the people who influence my world in many little ways.

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