Juju Loves Polka Dots

Some felt books...

I had dinner with my father last night, and made a classic Freudian slip. I meant to say, "Please pass the salt," but it came out, "you prick, you ruined my childhood."   Jonathan Katz

Don't you hate when that happens?

Thanks for all the kind comments. I know I bated for them but it is nice anyway.

I thought I'd post about books today. I cleared out recently, selling off a lot of books that I didn't look at much and exchanging them for ones I really wanted. I was particularly looking out for books on dying, shibori, felting and pattern making fit.

I now have almost every felting book out there. There's a lot of repetition in both techniques (which you'd expect) and examples.

Anyway, I'll review the ones that I think are best here.

My favourite, of course, is Lizzie Houghton's , which I've mentioned before.

It isn't filled with projects, (I don't want to make other peoples projects and I'm bored with the repetition amongst felting books) but is filled with inspiring samples and good ideas.

I also recommend anything written by Chad Alice Hagen and Jorie Johnson who really know their craft and are innovative with it. These are two of my favourite:

Click on the covers to go to the Amazon link. Okay, they are project based but they also provide a lot of insight into the way the felt makers are working. I feel particularly fond of Chad Alice Hagen as she looks like a lot of fun in all her photos. And you know that counts for a lot with me.

My next post will have some more felting books and on to some of my other favourite book finds.

Today's inspiration: Sara Lechner's blog The Fabric of Meditation

Likes: Wooly Fabulous is making some interesting felt brooches over at Flickr.

Down time

Just wanted to say "Hi, I'm still alive."

I'm just having a little down time.

I turn 40 this coming weekend and have been quietly reflecting and reading. I will be back sometime next week most likely.

I can't recommend The Book Of Lost Things enough!

Gone fishing

Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him to use the Net and he won't bother you for weeks.
Anon

I've been in full scale summer reading mode. Nothing too challenging, my mind is dulled by lake water and dock sun. Pleasantly so though.
We've been very busy this holiday. We took the kids to see Niagara Falls and we traveled around visiting friends. Usually we just come straight to the lake and sit and bake for the rest of the summer.

We've had lots of visitors and so I haven't had time to do the painting i fantasized about. I've been taking lots of pictures though. I  find it difficult to do even this properly though, while entertaining, cooking, and attending to my family.
My husband and friends are gone now. It's just the kids and me so I'm pacing my day to get a little creative time in for me. So much to do!

How's everyone else managing with this. Getting any creative stuff done? How do you do it?

Open minded

The problem with having an open mind is that people fill it with junk.
Anon

I think of my blog as a pretty magazine or a picture book. I don't really expect anybody to read the words.  I'm afraid that I don't scrupulously read other blogs. I skim and look at the pictures and maybe follow some links. So let me start this post with a picture by Harold Mockford, whose paintings, I adore.

I am a reader though. I read a lot! I just don't really like to stare at a computer screen to do it.
I like to snuggle with books. I like to be horizontal when I read. Blankets aren't a necessity; pillows are (except in the bath, where they would just get soggy).

I have just finished reading Julie and Julia.

Some of you may know this little gem, as it's a blog book. That is a book that came out of a blog.
Last year I raved about I'm Not the New Me, also a blog book.
I love this genre of memoir writing. I'd rather hear about someone like me with faulty kitchen plumbing than a celebrity or 'extraordinary' person any day.
I look on other peoples blogs to see what they're reading and sometimes give it a whirl. I found David Sedaris' books this way (he's not known much in the UK). And blogs have also introduced me to my current fairy tale habit.

I'm reading two collections of fairy tales at the moment: Angela Carter's Book of Fairy Tales and Snow White and Blood Red .

Do you read the side blog lists of books on other peoples blogs? Has this ever led you to read things you might not have otherwise? Do you have a side blog of books and do you rate books?
I would like to have a gallery where I could keep all the books I've read over a year and rate them. Does anyone do this?

And Then...

Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.
Oscar Wilde

 

So back to the sketchbook tutorial from yesterday.
My next step is to use the incredible Zenith paper drill (look under hole cutters in Silver Crow catalog) to drill holes in all the sketchbook papers and the front and back covers. I also use the hole drill to make holes in felt beads, it's a great tool!

Then it's bang, bang, bang with my hammer to set the eyelets in the front and back cover holes. Eyelets and setting tools can be bought most places that sell scrap booking materials, including Silver Crow.

I pull ribbons through the covers and pages  with a darning needle. Be sure not to let any of the pages drop before the ribbon is tied on the outside spine. Leave enough room for the pages to turn easily.

Finally I trim the ribbons and stand the book up somewhere to gather dust.

I don't do this with all my sketchbooks. I usually keep a store bought  A4 bound blank book in my hand bag which I fill regularly. These are a good size for sticking scraps from magazines in and bigger drawings but can be tricky to draw standing up with so I also carry a smaller bound book in my bag for all those moments in museums and cues when they come in useful. It also means I always have an extra sketchbook in my bag to give to the kids, so that we can draw together.

The beauty of these little hand bound ones is that they can freeze and memorialize a certain period or event in my memory. In this case I will always remember the weather in March 2006. Not just because I have a record of it but because the process of recording it  and the notes I made each day fixes it in my memory.

I think sketchbooks can be kept for lots of different reasons and it's good to clarify the purpose of each one. I carry daily sketchbooks that I wouldn't want to show everyone, they are working out of thoughts and ideas and are a slightly private affair.
These ones that I bind are a little more showy but I  want them to  reflect the moment that they were made.  I'm not making showy art works on each page.

Judge a book by its cover

"Never judge a book by its movie."
J.W. Eagan

I couldn't resist these Penguin books. Which ones to choose? Do I go for the cover design or content? In the end, I chose a bit of both. I selected the Muriel Spark because of the Sara Fanelli cover. But the others were selected for their authors, as well as great covers. I've read and loved the Nick Hornby and half the Dave Eggers  stories. I really enjoy his short, short format.

Because it was Saturday, the kids and I drew pictures of Quinte's Super Bunny. Guess which ones are mine and which are Quinte's. Mine looks so over done next to the sweetness of his. I love the fluff radiating from his brown bunny!