File Folder Journal (Guest Post from my BFF)

My BFF (whose creativity I greatly admire) has generously contributed a guest post describing how she makes these adorable journals from a decorative letter sized file folder.

- christina

I was going to an art conference and needed a something to take notes in.  A store bought journal would have sufficed, but NOOOOO, I had the knowledge and time (okay maybe not the time) but I could make my own!  And then I spied my assortment of funky, beautiful file folders that I had collected stuffed amongst my collection of maps, tissue paper and colorful plastic bags.  You know the shelf I am talking about – everyone has one!   

To begin, I cut some 90 lb. paper to create 4 signatures.  I wanted my completed journal to be something that could easily fit into a purse or bag.  I used 11x14 inch sheets of Bristol, torn in half so that each piece of paper was 11 x 7 inches.  These were folded in half lengthwise. Four pages were stacked together to make a single signature, 5.5 inches wide and 7 inches tall. 

The file folder became the cover of my journal.  I used the size of the signature to determine where to fold and glue the file folder.  Using the main fold of the letter sized file folder as one side of the spine, I measured 1/2 inch away and folded along this line to create the other side of the spine.  I measured 1 inch from the top and folded the top edge down to the inside of the folder.  Using the signature to determine the required height of the cover, I folded the remaining bottom edge up to the inside of the folder.

Finally I cut out some wedges where the folder was double thickness along a fold, such as the top and bottom of the spine.  This reduced the bulk and gave the file folder a little more "give."  When gluing the bottom fold up, I only glued along the spine and the edge in order to leave a pocket on the front and back cover.  Once all the edges were glued in place, I pamphlet stitched the signatures into the spine and added a Velcro tab for the closure.

I also thought that this would be as much fun (if not more) to decorate a file folder myself.  So I took a plain manila file folder (letter size, these were all letter size) and collaged some papers and tissue on, then stenciled a bit and finished with a wash of color.  I am definitely going to do some more of these! These are addictive. I made a batch of 8 so that I could share with friends!

- BFF

Meaning of Life

The meaning of life is to 

find your gift. 

The purpose of life is to 

give it away.

-Pablo Picasso

What to Wear?

Lately I have been feeling that I want to dress more "artsy."  It's difficult to describe what I mean by that.  It is not the same as "trendy."  I suppose it's "creative" meets "sophisticated."  I usually shop at Ann Taylor for my professional clothes, but that look is more "classic" (not to mention the same thing I have been wearing for the last 20 years).  The trick is to be both "artsy" and age appropriate.

I have just discovered the store Hot Mama.  Here are some of the looks that I like.

I want to start wearing colors!

I like this outfit but not sure I could pull it off.

How cute is this?  Could be more colorful though.
I love the shoes.

I like the layering in this outfit. 

I am actually going shopping at Hot Mama's today with a girlfriend.  We are trying to find new clothes for her, but I suspect that I will try on a few things as well.  I must be strong and resist the urge to buy - unless I find something fabulous!
-christina

Creativity Weekend

My friend, LD, and I held a creativity workshop that we called Relax, Create, Rejuvenate.  We were lucky enough to be allowed to use a friend's cabin by the lake. Eight women attended our weekend long event and it was a wonderful learning experience for everyone involved.

The house where we taught had an amazing
view of a lake covered in snow.

Creativity can be messy.

Backgrounds done on multiple pages.

This completed page became part of a signature.

One of the completed books.

Another completed student book.

I learned new things about being an art instructor, especially realistic expectations.  I don't know if we will hold another weekend retreat because it was a lot of work, but I am very proud of the job we did on this one.  Thanks to my friend, LD, for doing it with me.

-christina

The Lettering Continues

I am a little more than halfway through the Artful Lettering online class from Joanne Sharp.  I have enjoyed her daily lessons.  Admittedly I am not spending tons of time on them because I have other distractions.  I am skipping some lessons entirely with the rationalization that I will go back and do them later (probably not).  All in all, though, I like the class and I like her as an instructor.

Here are 3 of the lessons that I have completed.

Joann calls this the "letter vortex."  I think I should have added more letters, especially smaller ones toward the center, to give it more of a vortex look.  I used my Tombow markers and it was good practice.  I love the bright colors.

Who doesn't love a Word Cloud??  I make these all the time using the website Wordle but this is the first time I have made one by hand.  I really like the way this turned out and I plan to make more of these.  Joann suggests using the same color family so my next one will probably be all blues . . . or reds. . . fuchsia, maybe. . . .

This lesson was all about creating a "masterpiece" using tiny brush strokes.  I would like to repeat this a few times using different sized brushes and trying different degrees of blending the colors.  It was difficult to know when to stop working on this piece.  That's a problem I run into frequently.  I'm not the only one who has that problem, right?

-christina

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!

These cards decorate my office.  It's not that I love Valentine's Day or even the heart motif.  I guess I like the idea of exploring the V Day card in multiple ways.  Plus I like red.  

Most of these cards were made by my sister.  I hope I get to add another one this year.

-christina

Artful Lettering

I just started an online class called "Letter Love 201" offered by Joanne Sharpe.  She is the queen of markers, as far as I am concerned.  She knows everything there is to know about all varieties of markers and pens.  Along with her seemingly limitless knowledge, she also creates beautiful lettering, fonts, and alphabets.

Check out Joanne's website called Whimspirations but beware!  You will leave with an uncontrollable need to own more pens.
-christina