Recycling Day

Actually it is recycling day today, but as I was rummaging around in the garage for something that at the time was really important I got a bit sidetracked, and found a box of text books from days of yore.  Well they were just screaming out to be given a second chance in life, so I now have a nice supply of books to use for journals.

I think it is pretty unlikely that I will ever read what was a rather dry volume in the first place about the Roman Republic again, but it is going to have a new life as a journal for me to put stuff in that makes me happy.  I'm really bad at making covers for my journals, so thought that I'd have a change and make the front cover first, using some of my favourite summery colours of turquoise and green.

Having collected various bits of paper and images I messed about for a bit before deciding that I should just get on and Mod Podge everything down. If you peer very closely you can see a little cat peeping out of a window, I had to put this in because it looks just like one of my beloved moggies.

Next I added some Titan Buff fluid acrylic paint using a credit card and then a baby wipe, to soften all the images, and added some colour around the collage elements using Neocolor watersoluble crayons.

As this journal is going to be for happy stuff, and I love butterflies, I used a fantastic stamp by Christy Tomlinson for UnityStamps as a focus for the cover.

Then a bit more doodling with Neocolor crayons and Faber Castell Pitt pens, and some Liquitex acrylic ink drippage, and I thought I'd stop for the moment, though I suspect that I may do a bit more fiddling before I'm through.

I've got quite a few ideas about what I'm going to put in here. Stuff that reflects happy memories, places and times, lovely people in my life, and bits about music, art and literature that have personal and special meaning for me. Some of it will be for sharing and some will be too personal. Actually the next bit is a bit personal and I've deleted it four times, but finally decided to leave it in.

This is about coming out of the fog I've been wandering around in since my husband, David, passed away, nearly two years ago.  The past few weeks have been so much easier and it's so great to wake up and look forward to what the day has to bring.