Holiday Journal, Part Two

Once I start the journal, in situ , I add bits of ephemera,

writing, collections from the trip.

This was one of my favourite pages from the journal -

 a collage of past Christmas stamps.

The little snowman and Victorian scrap pieces
 adorned various Christmas presents

and now decorate on the back cover and spine of the journal!

Holiday Journal Part One

You may remember that for our Christmas holidays Margot and I spent several days at the Love Shack  in Ojai.  I blogged about it here.  I finally got around to taking some pics of the journal I created while we were there.

 I used one of my favourite substratas for a short journal,

 a very thick 6.5x6" children's board book.

For a mini vacation I like to do the covers and 

add decorative paper to the pages before we leave.

More to come next time.

Surprise Birthday Package

 I may be retiring in a few months, but this librarian

 will always love a package that includes books!

Which was the case when I received a box from 

Loveland, Colorado from the ever-talented Lisa Hoffman.

I was pretty sure it was books from the
size and heft of the package -

but imagine my further delight when atop each wrapped book

 I found one of Lisa's beautiful sketches!

Result - one very happy birthday girl. Thanks Lisa.

And the books? - I'm sure they'll pop up on 

a future "From the Bookshelf" post.

More Pages

 I keep a shipping envelope of bits and pieces of paper, 

ephemera and old photos in my bag to use when I journal.

I love to go to a favourite cafe, have a latte and a scone,

and lose myself for a hour or so, just playing with words and paper.

 I've come across lots of these old snaps at Antique Faires

and I love the instant vintage look.  Not to mention how fun

 it is to come up with a back story for the people in the photos.

Background Check with Seth Apter

On Friday we drove down to Fullerton where I was privileged 

to take an evening class with the inimitable  Seth Apter.

The class was called Background Check 
and we learned how to add layer

after layer after layer

of paint, gesso, and coloured glazes,

to create wonderful backgrounds,

 for journal pages and small art pieces on cradled wood panels.

It was fun to add some small embellishments to the 

wood panel pieces after returning home.

And even more fun to get to meet Seth beforehand (along with fellow-blogger and good friend Chris Miser) to have lunch and talk about our passion for mixed media art.

Life on the Coast

Beneath the Cayucos Pier on a weekend morning.

5 Years!

It was 5 years ago this week that I started blogging!  And now here we are over 1400 posts and 66,000 visitors later - thank you all so much for your comments, your visits and your support.  What a ride!!
Here's that first post -

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2009

First post from the coast!

Well, I'm finally doing it. And I actually figured out most of it myself. Thanks and kudos to Destiny Carter for the very cool banner and to my wonderful wife Margot for computer support and hand-holding. This is my birthday month and I had made a promise to myself to take the blogging plunge in February, if not before, so here goes!


It's a lovely 76 degrees here in Morro Bay today, the ocean is five or six shades of blue, the sun warm, the sea breeze cool. Doing an amazing amount of errands and packing, getting ready for a trip to Taos this Saturday. My Christmas/birthday/anniversary present is the Lynne Perrella/Anne Bagby joint workshop at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house next week. Woo-hoo! Very excited, nervous, as always before a workshop, but hearing Lisa's wise words in my heart; "retain your authentic self BEFORE walking into class."

Mabel Dodge Luhan House - Taos New Mexico

Welcome to my little piece of the coast here at Altered by the Sea.

Journal Fun!

 While I haven't been doing a lot of art in the

 last few months while dealing with medical issues,

one thing I have done is to keep journaling.

 Some days lots of writing

and others, adding photos, cards and ephemera.

More pages next week.

A Modest, but Tasty Score

A Sunday morning at the local swap meet,

yielded this amazing item, in its original packaging.

I had no idea what it was, but when I brought it home, 

Margot - who spent many years in a dark room -

informed me that it was used to make the "fuzzy edges" 

on those old oval pictures.  Sorta like an 

antique photo shop effect tool!

Also picked this up, soon it will find its way
 into a shrine or assemblage.

A fun morning for a total of $3.00!

From the Bookshelf

I was thrilled a few months ago when I learned that Nick Bantock was releasing a new book, his first for many years.  And even more thrilled when I found out it was a creativity manual.  My copy came last week and I love it.  Nick has given us 49 creative exercises to unblock, kick-start and unleash the artistic brain.
Several of these are ones I was familiar with, having done them in a weekend workshop at Nick's Salt Spring Island Studio back in 2008. They range from absurd to fascinating to fascinatingly absurd - and they work.  Beautifully illustrated by a variety of Nick's collages - and a handy smaller size - this should be on everyone's studio table and used on a regular basis.  Highly recommended.