paper: pretty paper. true stories. {and scrapbooking classes with cupcakes.}

Carrie’s journal was a tough one—describe your Christmas traditions. I wrote about the non-traditional traditions of my family. This was one very thick book. The vellum is bound in between the pages, but I had to be a rebel and rip it. The collage papers are all metallic gold. More of those paperclips I love.

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Janice asked us to pick five songs with a special memory, so I wrote about something that started when I was a teenager—late night meetings in an all hours cafe to discuss song lyrics and other pop philosophy while drinking copious amounts of coffee. The cork is stamped with sheet music—difficult to see on the scan. The coffee print is actually chalk ink on vellum, not solid paper like it seems here. Hmmphf.

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Michelle introduced us to glamourbombing, and asked us to make two identical tags. One for her book, one as glamourbomb ammunition. Yes, I’m still going overboard on the metallic rub-ons. I’ve got bronze powder ingrained in my fingerprints. Seriously.

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Mary Anne is a bookmaker extraordinaire, and this pocket book with glitter bindings was no exception. The theme was ‘after midnight’ and Mary Anne asked you to work late at night with a limited palette. I can’t believe I used all three of my favourite filler stamps on the same piece, but I obviously did. The tiny tags say ‘sleep is overrated’.

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Katie asked us to describe a moment we would never forget. I actually went with a feeling rather than an exact moment, but I tried to link it as much as possible. The book folds up so that it is in readable order, but obviously the panels are out of order to scan. I was big on the staples that day, obviously. The pink is velvet and I love those pewter stars. So me.

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Elisa asked us to create a tag that described ‘home’ as we see it. Not an easy topic for me, I must say. I had been totally stumped, but took it away to Leeds determined to finish it during the weekend. When I got there, I had this wonderful feeling that I get in hotels and decided my lack of one solid place to call home should be exactly what I was writing about. Used the Do Not Disturb sign to force myself to work in a colour scheme I wouldn’t normally pick. The writing scrolled into the sugar packet explains the Kansas home link—that we don’t leave with ruby slippers and such. On the back I made a mini book with the hotel manager’s business card that was on the nightstand. Inside, pink pages explain how someone gave me the electronic gypsy nickname and how I am efficient and peaceful in hotels.

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A mystery journal, as it wasn’t signed so I don’t know who created it. It simply asked us to jot down how we feel today. The tied tags are loose and the torn one is stuck. What looks like a splodge on the scan was actually iridescent in real life and I liked it. More of that green ribbon I love. And I’m trying to start liking that scripty set of letter stamps more, in case you couldn’t tell.

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Karin’s journal asked us to describe what inspires our art. I was surprised that many of the entries were actually visual links, like being inspired by patterned papers. I don’t really work that way—although I am often inspired by other works of art, a product on its own rarely inspires me. Instead I wrote about my process of choosing the right mood music for creating. The background paper has the lyrics to ‘I Love Rock & Roll’ and the accordion book is half an explanation, half a list of songs that inspired specific projects. Yes, that frame stamp is upside down. Yes, I’ve been going overboard on the metallic rub-on recently. And I love the lace—someone very kind gave that to me at Scrapbooktopia and it is actually from a wedding dress. Obviously I am not kind enough to leave it white, of course.

And if you’re that curious, the music credited for this is Lisa Loeb’s ‘Firecracker’, Tori Amos’ ‘Little Earthquakes’ and Britney Spears’ video for ‘I Love Rock & Roll’. Yeah, really.

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