Finally!!

 I've had a great week making more marks on paper, rusting fabric, trying out some different book structures and generally messing about in my shed. I thought it was about time I finished my glass book idea. The plates have been made for months but my soldering skills are minimal and the loops needed re-soldering, so it has been an idea on hold until I felt ready to tackle the soldering iron again. Any close scrutiny of the loops or the soldering will show that it is still a process I have not mastered, but, hey, the book stands on it's own (with a little help from the windowsill.....)

Making their mark....

 It's been a busy old month for me, full of courses I've either been teaching or attending. As much as I love it, I was starting to forget what day it was by the end of last week. I finished the last two sessions of my altered books course on Friday and have spent all weekend delivering a mark making workshop for the local Embroiderers Guild . It was a marvellous two days and although I know my body is telling me it is tired, I feel very energised by the whole event. The eleven ladies in the group tackled everything I suggested in order to experiment with tools and processes designed to enlarge their visual vocabulary of marks and work back into them.

We began by rusting paper and fabric and whilst the marks developed we explored different tools and mediums to get something spontaneous onto paper with inks. Everything was geared to preparing samples to turn into books. I taught three different formats and we discussed lots more. We photocopied some of their marks onto labels, re-coloured them or cut them up, placed them on top of the first layer of marks and built up ideas. We bleached and we polished and we scratched and we foiled onto lots of different types of paper, from the heavy to the translucent, and the overriding theme to the weekend was 'I wonder what happens if....'

We shared lots of ideas and all took away a great idea from someone else. I fell in love with marks made by a bottle brush and now I just have to find one. The whole event has made me want to take my samples and continue to work into them. As it is half term this week, I suddenly have a free timetable and intend to have a 'me time' week. I tend to throw the kitchen sink at things like this so it was a full on weekend with lots to show at the end of it. These are a fraction of images from those I took. I cannot show something by everyone but they give a flavour of the fabulous work they produced. It was a joy to be part of and I thank them all.

Random Words

 Only one more week of having to wear the surgical stockings! Hooray! As the weather turns cooler I am beginning to feel even sillier wearing white stockings around but it's not long now and I feel great so life is good. I've joined a couple of evening classes locally to boost the numbers and one of the tutors I work with has joined my Altered Books group which starts tomorrow. She takes Collage and Sculpture so I think we shall have some crossover which will be intriguing.
I only have three hours a week for five weeks to cover a massive topic so I am trying to hone it and pare it down so that maximum effect is achieved. Samples lie all over the floor and I'm in danger of altering books my husband is still reading......
Tomorrow we'll be folding books to make 3d sculptures and then next week it's on to book boxes  and book safes. I finished this one today using a great book found in 'Books for Free' again. It cried out to be altered in some way so I've used the book jacket to make a small envelope and placed some of the random words inside. It was a bit tatty so could have been neater but it illustrates the point I shall be making.

 I have not planned to do any book making on this course but do want to show how old books can have their covers re-purposed into new ones. This is a recurring theme for me as I think they have such potential. I've made a few coptic stitch journals today using them and love these two shown here. 'The Daughter of the Regiment' is perfect, especially as it says 'leaves from my grandmother's journal' and as for 'The Man with Three Eyes'....... my husband says that only I could find that fascinating but I know I am not alone!

And when I started this post it says this is number 502!!! I don't think that is right so I shall be checking as I intended to do a giveaway for my 500th post and didn't think I'd missed it.  I shall give you advance warning that it will be a book of some description... after all my default mode is always 'make a book' and it might have an obscure and quirky old cover..... after I get through tomorrow I shall get on the case and sort it all out. The Daughter of the Regiment would have been great to giveaway  but it is watermarked and stained badly so might not seem like much of a prize to win. There's a presentation certificate inside from 1888 so I'm not surprised it's been through the wars at that age. Never mind, I shall scour the boxes at Books for Free for something interesting and sort those dates out!