Wrapping it up for the year....

There won't be as many to choose from this year but,
I just listed a few art journal covers...
and checkbook covers.
I really like the covers...but since it takes so long to do just one...
I opted to stop with what I've completed this far.

I'm feeling just a little overwhelmed already
so I decided to slow things down a bit...
and maybe just concentrate on creating gift items for Christmas instead.
There's not as much pressure to do those...unless I put it off until the
very last minute.

I've got a few ideas...especially since getting my new sewing machine...
and I haven't really gotten into the Christmas "spirit" the past few years..
because I've been too busy to really appreciate the season.

Getting ready for Fall

I am going to have three calendars this coming year.

I've already listed two of them...

my 'Melancholy Girls' calendar

and

my 'Tree Art' calendar.

I'll have a new 'Creepers' Calendar in another week or two.

Currently I am working on new 

journals, checkbook covers and a couple other ideas

I have for 'functional art' items.

We'll see how that goes in the coming weeks.

I'm thinking about making some

Scrabble Tile pins....

anyway

my mind is going all kinds of places thinking about

the Fall Season/ gift items...and all 

that good stuff.

Looks like I'm going to be able to keep myself busy..busy

this fall....

not to mention...

I'll be taking care of my precious little grandbaby

beginning Nov 2nd...

so my postings will probably be either fewer...

or shorter..

whichever I can manage to fit in.

What "New" Things Can I Do?

I'm actually 'thinking ahead' to the fast approaching

Fall Season....usually a pretty

good time for Arts and Crafts Sales.

So...I've been mulling over what new

things I can do.

For myself I've done a couple of

'List' Covers...

one that is 'especially'

for my Shipping,
so that I know which list book to grab

just by looking at the design...
and they work GREAT!

I've designed them to fit the little 5" x 8"

yellow lined 'legal' pads...

with a deep back pocket to slip the cardboard back 

in to.

This keeps me from having to have some way of tying it in...

my early efforts had to be tied it to secure them in place.

Now...I'm wondering what else I can do with

unstretched canvas.

Maybe I need a 'stroll through the internet' to come up

with some ideas.

'The' Experiment

Okay...my son has a roll of unstretched primed canvas...

and I cut a chunk off so that I could

'experiment'

with a refillable 'journal'.

It needs some 'fine-tuning' but I think

it might just work out.

I used a 5" x 8" pad for my prototype...cut the canvas to size

and painted that up.

Then I made a 'pocket' of sorts...to slip the cardboard

back in and stabilize the pad.

I used ribbon...because I didn't have any twine on hand

(I think I'd prefer twine..but we'll see)...to

secure the pad to the top of the 

'journal cover'.

After a couple coats of varnish...I'm all set to use

this for my

'to do' lists.

The front is a cute little creeper under a whimsical tree.

The back is a hedgehog pulling a heart on a string...

underneath which I've put my name...

I'm hoping my sewing machine can handle the canvas...

if so..

I can have a batch of them ready to go

in a week or two...

New pieces in the Shop.

I've got a few new original digital illustrations

listed in my

Rustic Goth Etsy Shop.

I'm also working on a couple of journals..

I've been 'dying' to do these.

Jaime picked me up three 40 page Moleskine Journals

with blank pages.

Now I'm going to collage the fronts and

backs and see what happens..

hopefully they will turn out.

I haven't done these before so I'll just have

to experiment and see what happens.

New paintings will also be listed sometime

in the next week or so.

I haven't painted since before Christmas...

(except in Photoshop)

so I'm very anxious to do some new pieces.