besottment by paper relics

On the road again...

I am headed to Maine to help one of my oldest online friends - Jes and her business partner Jolene - get their company (Sweet Mojo Apothecary) website up and running. It looks really amazing, I used Jes' artwork for it - I cannot wait to show you. In the meantime you can check out their wonderful products HERE. Jes also makes some amazing jewelry you can see HERE.

Jes was one of the first blog readers I had back when I was The Soul of Hope - and she encouraged me when I started making collages - and when I opened Paper Relics, etc. So I can honestly say that if not for her I am not sure Paper Relics would even exist.

Anyway - even though I will be working, we plan to do some fun things too - so of course I needed to get a journal ready to work on for this visit. Here is everything I am bringing - more than I usually do for a souvenir journal:

Some of my favourite pens, and pretty tapes and one of those tombo rollers (I have some double sided tape, not shown, that I am bringing too):

A photo of me, Jes and Dawn (miss you! wish you were coming too!) from my last visit to Maine - this was taken on the streets of Portland. Some vintage letters to spell out Maine. Some die cut shapes (the crest and banners I always use), some moleskine lined pages, new letters (jenni bowlin) and more.

and one of my new journaling collage sheets:

Hopefully I will make a fun journal to share when I get back! Also, when I get back I am going to do a post where you can ask any of the journaling questions you want and I will do my best to answer and keep it as a Q & A section on the blog.

The Unconventional Book Tour - Washington DC

A couple weeks ago, I headed into DC to meet with my friend Danielle (check out her amazing textile company HERE) for dinner and then headed to Barnes & Noble to check out Chris Guillebeau who was there on his Unconventional Book Tour. His book, The Art of Non-Conformity, is an interesting read. I really got a lot out of it, I will admit that some of it was just not 'me', or things I will ever do - the bits that did apply to me though, were pretty good.

I first heard of Chris from Danielle LaPorte when I attend one of her Fire Starter Sessions the spring 2009 - and started following him on twitter. Here is the spread I started while I was at the event, using it to take notes, etc:

... and here on Chris's flickr stream I found a photo of me while I was working on it (I do not know the photographers name for proper credit, but here is their photo):

Anyway, I would check to see if he is coming to your area (he is hitting all 50 states) so you can go hear him talk.

New products & new journaling class

Finally, some new products in the shop - A new collage sheet that is passed off my journaling style, including images that I like to use, and some hand lettering (click here for a coupon code good through 10/29/2010).. And, just in time for the holidays - address labels for your winter correspondence.

For a new journaling class I have teamed up with Kari of Artsy Mama to offer you a fun winter holiday keepsake book course - see all the fun details here... I hope you will join us - we are very excited about the class!

a belated journaling post & other news

Here are some long overdue journaling spreads to share...

Here is a fun spread using silhouettes and fashion ladies from the 1800's - some of my favourite things:

Close up so you can see what she is holding:

Fun with some vintage language cards on the right, and an old glassine envelope on the left:

Here are the flip sides:

and a peek at a page from the last exercise in one of my journaling e-courses:

A glimpse at a page I did mostly writing on:

In other news - I am working on a new look for Paper Relics - very exciting as I rarely get time to design for myself anymore.

Also, I am going to be having a tag sale* - details to follow, but basically it will be a bunch of stuff that I cleaned out from my studio, and closet that I will be listing in eBay in the upcoming weeks, there will be antique french fashion plates (from the early 1800's), copics, craft supplies, vintage supplies, bags, and lots more! So be sure to check back soon to see what treasures I have for you!

*tag sale -noun
a sale of used or unwanted household goods, personal items, bric-a-brac, etc.,
typically held in one's garage or yard. (definition from dictionary.com)

I was born and raised in New England and I have always loved tag sales. When I moved to Maryland, I was shocked that no one knew what I was talking about when I said it. Evidently most parts of the country call them yard sales or garage sales, but to me, they will always be tag sales.

Minneapolis: Souvenir Journal (After)

 

 

new design: such pretty things

Take a peek at the beautiful design Jessica Enig and I came up with for her new web shop, such pretty things... the shop.

And while you are there, take a peek at the beautiful items she is offering for sale!