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Posted:
October 26, 2012
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‘My Vancouver’ Journals Portfolio

You can now view the portfolio of all my new screenprinted journals in my so called My Vancouver series.

There are seven different covers in a kind-of teal colour–a colour I think of as Westcoast blue. It rains a lot here and the light is such that colours fall within the cool colour spectrum.

I’ve only printed 5 journals in each design. Even though screenprinting lends itself to quick reproduction, I have decided to put a limit on this project. Partly because I am not interested in printing the same thing over and over again and I want to move on to other projects, partly because printing high volume would mean seeking ways to sell ‘stock’–I hate that word–which would require I spend more time on business and marketing activities. I would like to sell these off and I hope they will be well-received but for now they will only be available at Bird on a Wire on Main at  Broadway in Vancouver and I will be putting one of each up on Etsy–I think.

I’m really happy with how these turned out but I’m not sure I’ll be adding new designs. I’ve decided to focus on prints that combine screenprinting and mixed media. So these may be the last affordable designs you can buy — they’re $20 each.

Join me November 1st from 7 to 9:30 for a private view at Bird on a Wire.

Posted:
October 14, 2012
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My Vancouver

20121014-091034.jpg
A city has many faces. Your lifestyle determines what you see but your mind tells you what to seek out. What speaks to you and why? How do you see your city, your town, your village?

In my new limited-edition journals on Vancouver I show you how I see the city. The details that pop out at me are the juxtaposition of the ‘breakfast all day’ and ‘orange crush’ signs hanging off a building on Clark Drive, an abandoned monument that set me on a search to find out for whom this was erected, the things you see when you lift your chin toward the sky while walking on Commercial Drive...there are seven designs in total but I’m still in the studio printing as we speak.

I’ll be launching this new series at Bird on a Wire in Vancouver on November 1st, or follow me on social media to see it all.

Online sales are available. Email me and I’ll send you a paypal invoice. Journals are $20, and shipping unfortunately is $10 to Canada & USA. Journals are 6 by 9 inches, lined, perfect bound, made from 100% recycled paper.

Vancouver Series Launch
Bird on a Wire
2535 Main Street at East Broadway, Vancouver
November 1st, 6:30 to 8:30pm
Wine, sweets and appys will be served.

Posted:
August 29, 2012
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Industrial meets eco-chic

felt flower brooches

It’s great to have craft projects that you can do quickly. But of course it’s thanks to a few tools that we can sometimes make things fast. What you see above are brooches that I made with a few left over pieces of felted flowers from the Michaels Blogger Event. I looked at some of the gifts they gave us at the event and found a pretty contrast between the felted flowers and metal found objects. Soft and Hard.

The felted flowers were cut with the Sissix BigKick Machine that I talked about previously. The metal found objects are also from Michaels. They are found within their exclusive bead landing brand–which is all about creating bold, daring, jewelry and accessories. I think it’s neat how you can pull something out of a brand that promotes bold and tone it down to your needs–I lean towards subtle and understated.

The felt is from their exclusive Creatology brand and is made with high quality polyester fiber made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.

Some tips on this project:

  • stiffen the felt by brushing the back with a layer of Mod Podge Matte glue & sealer (I decided to do this because with time the felt can curl in)
  • attach the flower layers and the metal found objects with hot glue
  • attach the pin part with hot glue
  • add glitter accents (see the centre of the big beige flower) with Martha Stewart multi-surface glitter (my colour is fire opal)

It’s worth taking a look at Michaels project pages. Take a look at how they used the same industrial found objects in this cuff bracelet.

I really like the found objects and will be using them in my art journal.

See all posts about the Michaels 2012 Blogger Event and my arts & crafts projects using their products.

Please note that this is not a sponsored post. I am simply writing about my experience with these new found materials that were given to me as gifts at the event.

Posted:
December 13, 2011
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my journals at Bird on a Wire

You can now purchase my lined hand-screenprined journals at Bird on a Wire Creations in Vancouver. They have one of each of my designs, one of them being the ones shown below.

This very nice store is on Main Street at Broadway. Great place for gift shopping for local and handmade.

Hand screenprinted journals by Laura Bucci

Laura Bucci hand screenprinted journals

Posted:
December 13, 2011
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It's not gonna work – screenprinted journal

My journal project: eco-friendly lined journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.

screenprinted journal

About this Journal:
I shot this image of the parked boat when I was living in New Waterford, a small town in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The going was pretty tough there. Living in Cape Breton, no matter how pretty, just wasn’t going to work. On one of my many walks around the cliffs, I saw what seemed like abandoned possessions and came across this fishing boat too. It was kind of sad & lonely looking, even if temporarily parked. Lobster traps were parked in the vicinity. I took this shot in the summer, in between lobster seasons. “It’s not gonna work” is how I felt that summer walking along the stunning cliffs of Cape Breton.

Journal Specs: 6 x 9 inches ECO perfect-bound notebook with 72 sheets.  13 pt soft cover and ivory lined sheets. Made in Canada from 100% recycled materials.

Availability: I printed 3 of these journals. One sold, one I will list at my Etsy shop soon and the other is going to Bird on a Wire – a very nice store on Main Street at Broadway.

Read about my other journals.

Posted:
December 5, 2011
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the Balmoral Hotel – screenprinted journal

My journal project: eco-friendly lined journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.

Balmoral Hotel - screenprinted journal

Balmoral Hotel - screenprinted journal

Balmoral Hotel -screenprinted journal

Balmoral Hotel, Vancouver - screenprinted journal

About this Journal: The context of this composition could be making reference to a relationship. The hotel could be a rendez-vous…for a new relationship, an affair? Or could be that was is being hinted at is that the life of this building is not over. No matter how many historical buildings get torn down in Vancouver, I will not be torn down yet.

The Balmoral Hotel is not a swanky place anymore, but it has a rich history as do many old buildings in the city. It is that history that I’d like to be more familiar with. We need to keep our old buildings so that the history of the city stays alive in our memories.

Journal Specs: 6 x 9 inches ECO perfect-bound notebook with 72 sheets.  13 pt soft cover and ivory lined sheets. Made in Canada from 100% recycled materials.

Availability: I am printing only a very limited edition — only 3 or 4 of each composition. The four journals above will be available at the One Of A Kind Show in Vancouver (Dec 8 – 12).

Read about my other journals.

Posted:
November 29, 2011
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they're all lies

My journal project: eco-friendly lined journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.

screenprinted journalAbout this Journal: I took this photo in the colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala in 2006 (link to my travel blog). These Maya women were participating in a protest in what is normally a peaceful town. The local government had plans to move the location of the chicken bus station from the town centre to the outside of town. The current location, in town, is very convenient for the countless vendors who bring in their wares to town to sell. Moving the bus station outside of town, would have meant an increase in transportation expense or walking the rest of the way to the town centre. It is a brave act to protest in Guatemala given its past with a 36-year -long civil war which ended only in 1996. The reason for the move is that the mayor planned to introduce his own microbus company to take people from the edge of town into the centre. The women here, are listening to a speaker and their expression said to me “they’re all lies,” ” son todas mentiras.”

Journal Specs: 6 x 9 inches ECO perfect-bound notebook with 72 sheets.  13 pt soft cover and ivory lined sheets. Made in Canada from 100% recycled materials.

Availability: I am printing only a very limited edition — only 3 or 4 of each composition. I may print more depending on how they’re received. I will have these at the One Of A Kind Show in Vancouver (Dec 8 – 12).

Read about my other journals.

Posted:
November 11, 2011
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my thoughts are my own

My journal project: eco-friendly journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.screenprinted journal-my thoughts are my ownThe image of the woman is from a trip I took in Guatemala. The expression on the woman’s face was one of someone who thinks a lot and that has many things to worry about. Maybe life isn’t easy for her. Who are we to know anyway? When we travel we might often think that we understand or can relate to the people we see on the street. But can we really? We might want to have a conversation with this very pensive looking woman. But does she care about having one with us?

To me this image says, “don’t pretend to know what I think,” “don’t pretend to know what my world is like” and most importantly “don’t assume I want to share my world with you…a stranger.”

Journal Specs: 6″ x 9″ ECO perfect-bound notebook with 72 sheets.  13 pt soft cover and ivory lined sheets. Made in Canada from 100% recycled materials.

Availability: At the moment I have printed only a very limited edition — only 3 or 4 of each composition. I may print more depending on how they’re received. I will have these at the Culture Crawl (Nov 18, 19, 20) and the One Of A Kind Show in Vancouver (Dec 8 – 12).

Read about my other journals.

Posted:
November 7, 2011
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to banish a bad mood

My journal project: eco-friendly journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.
Screen printed Eco Friendly JournalPara desterrar el mal humor – This Spanish phrase written by artist Frida Kahlo in one of her sketchbooks inspired a composition for my journals and a pocket mirror. The translation is “to banish a bad mood.” It is no secret that Kahlo drank a lot and that the reasons for this were the incredible amount of physical pain she endured since her street car accident, and her stormy relationship with muralist & painter Diego Rivera. The image of the woman advertising ‘aguardiente’ (brandy/whisky) is from an ad painted on a wall in Guatemala — many ads are still beautifully painted on exterior walls in the country. For me the juxtaposition of the phrase and the happy lady promoting the drink presents one side to ‘booze.’  The truth though being that for some, engaging with aguardiente can have heavy consequences.

The pattern image is from another photograph of a tile wall I have taken in Guatemala. All the design elements come together to offer a visually rich composition but with undertones of something else inferred. There’s always something else below the surface.

Screen printed eco friendly journalAt the moment I have printed only a very limited edition — only 3 or 4 of each composition. I may print more depending on how they’re received. I will have these at the Culture Crawl (Nov 18, 19, 20) and the One Of A Kind Show in Vancouver (Dec 8 – 12).

Read about my other journals.

Posted:
November 5, 2011
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every journal has a story

My journal project:  eco-friendly journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.

Every journal compositions starts somewhere, either inspired by a phrase or by an image. If I start with an image, I then look through my collected phrases or sentences and look for a match. If I start with a phrase that I really want to use, then I start looking through my old film photos and newer digital photos…scroll, scroll, scroll — I look at a lot of images.Screen printed journal/notebookI hope you never read this. In this journal I really wanted to make use of that phrase and I also wanted to use this pattern. With my use of text I always want to make reference to the object, to connect the text with the object — the notebook/journal. This pattern has special significance for me. Can you guess where it came from?

One day driving in Cape Breton (Nova Scotia, Canada) with my partner, Lenny, we stopped for a bite to eat. I remember a very nondescript restaurant with its only redeeming feature being the cool Formica tables. There was definitely a picture in the tables, so I snapped a pic without really knowing how I’d ever use the image. But almost 10 years later, I have found a use.

This image also feels right because in my mind I recall two people sitting over a cup of tea at a table. The reference or implication of another person is an important element of the journal project. The first person is the owner of the journal, the second person is the one in the relationship.

screen printed journal/notebookAt the moment I have printed only a very limited edition — only 4. I may print more depending on how they’re received. I will have these at the Culture Crawl (Nov 18, 19 20) and the One of a Kind show in Vancouver (Dec 8 – 12.

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