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.
My journal project: eco-friendly lined journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.
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.
My journal project: eco-friendly lined journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.
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).
My journal project: eco-friendly lined journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.
About 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).
My journal project: eco-friendly journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.
The 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).
My journal project: eco-friendly journals made in Canada with covers screenprinted by me in my Vancouver studio.
Para 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.
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).
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.
I 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.
At 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.
I thought the ribbon would look neat as the pinwheel whirls around
Tuesday I introduced my new desktop wallpaper series. March’s wallpaper was a DIY project on how to make a pinwheel. Today, I’m showing you my pinwheels and I’m hoping to see some of yours too!
For this project, you can use newspapers, magazines, and most scrap paper. Check your recycling bin for ideas.
here I used up a takeout chopstick
I played around with several types of paper. I used thick scrapbooking paper on its own, magazine paper, old bookkeeping ledger paper and word rubber stamps that I make available also for my collage button making workshops (next one is Saturday March 12).
a circle attached to the top and held together with a rivet
These days I am doing lots of design work on the computer, so taking breaks to whip up a pinwheel is very satisfying. I get to play with colour and pattern by putting together different combinations of paper (I use a glue stick to attach two thin sheets together).
thick scrapbooking paper, edges cut with craft scissors
But getting a pinwheel to move freely is a little tricky. Sticking a pinwheel with a pin to a pencil (or a chop stick), as per the instructions, does not work really well. After all, the pinwheel is supposed to turn with the wind. The pin can make the attachment too tight, you have to leave room for the paper. While a fan will generate a strong ‘wind’, a gentle wind won’t probably generate the excitement you’re looking for. So, I’ve been playing and attaching eyelets and creating a modified version of a pinwheel.
a sheet of booking ledger and a sheet of magazine paper glued together
One book I saw suggested using a dowl and drilling a hole in the dowl or pushing the pin through and then using contact cement to secure the pin in place. I also used chopsticks but you have to be careful as they split easily.
rubber word stamps applied to the paper
If you make a pinwheel, I’d love to see it! Leave your link in the comments.
I am starting a fun new series for my newsletter subscribers. On the first of each month, I’ll be sending out a desktop wallpaper like the one seen here. March marks the first of the series. The wallpaper is meant to be centered on your screen leaving you room to clearly see your icons. Click on the thumbnail below to enlarge it and then right click on the image, choose “Save image as” to download to your computer.
What colour will you choose to surround the image? I chose a dark gray.
I remember when I was a little girl learning in school that March was depicted as a big cloud with huge cheeks blowing out huge gusts of air. March was the month where the winds picked up and everything swirled about you. So when I saw this lesson in a vintage book, I immediately thought of March.
In keeping with my own work, each month will include a calendar and vintage illustrations or images paired with text. March’s illustrations happen to also be a DIY project. A simple and fun project for children and adults alike. I think adults especially will love taking time out to play with paper and make some cool pinwheels for the walls or to hang off the ceiling.
So, did you ever make a pinwheel? It just so happens that I never have, so I’ve had lots of fun making not one but many and I don’t think I’m finished! Check in on Thursday to see what I’ve come up with!
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