All Mixed Up ~ 2012 COF Journal

Another year has come and gone, which means a new Circle of Friends Journal rotation. 

This year I was inspired by Andrea's piece that she created for my Alice in Wonderland Swap.  I love how she mixed two children's stories together.  So, that's what I decided to do with my Journal. 



All Mixed Up

The instructions are very simple, the participants choose 2 classic children's stories or Nursery Rhymes and mix them together.  

Off course there had to be a table of contents.  Participants can add their titles any way that they like.  

For my page I used Wizard of Oz and Little Red Riding Hood

Each participant can write their story on the back of their creation.  

Of course to finish it all off there has to be a classic black and white "The End"

And this is the back cover of the journal. 

I am so excited about this journal, it is the first one I've ever sent out that will come back completed, in other words I won't have to do anything else to it. 

 

This year looks to be a great one for journals.  Just wait till I share the one I am working on right now!

Halloween Tag Swap

 Kim over at artJoystuff recently hosted a Halloween Tag Swap. 

This is the tag that I created.

 Participants needed to make 5, all of mine were just slightly different, but the same theme.

 And here are the beauties I got back...just love the packaging.

 and such a fun clothespin!

 This one is from Kelly at Dreaming of Vintage

 Kimberly from ArtJOYStuff

 Lynn from Trash To Treasure Art

 Tabitha of Creative Wings

Wendy of Bliss Angels

 

This was a wonderful swap and I am so glad I took part.  Make sure to check out all of Kimberly's swaps, they are all great.  Thank you ladies for the wonderful tags!

 



Altered Cabinet Card Blog Hop

 Hey everyone! 

 

Today's the day, all the participants in my Altered Cabinet Card Swap are going to link up and share their work. 

 

This was a great swap and everyone did a fabulous job so make sure you stop by everyone's blog. 

 I created this piece. 

 For my envelope I used a book, altering the outside to my partner Tabitha's tastes. 

 I was inspired by a Poe poem so I printed it off and included it on the front inside cover of the envelope. 

 I also left one page so that the altered card would have some protection.

 To decorate the hollowed out book I colleagued papers and lace that I had stained to look old.

 Here is my Altered Cab Card inside the envelope.  It barely fits eak!

 The poem I was inspired by is also featured on my altered Cab Card along with a glittery spider web.  I coated the entire image with crackle paint. 

 I just love this addition, I did it at the last minute to make it more Tabitha.  The skull is a paper clay mold I created and then I surrounded it with grunged up flowers and some leaves.

My angel, who is talked about in the poem, I outlines in black and she also got coated with crackle paint.

 

But now onto the really fun part...

What I got from Tabitha of Creative Wings

 The envelope is made out of a large photo envelope, you know the kind you get with wedding pictures in it.  Very nice brown color that she added gorgeous paper to and the black items are 3D painted with crackle paint, a really cool effect!

 Tabitha gorgeously printed out the definition of a devil and created one for me!

 Dev-iL

-An evil spirit; a demon

-A very wicked or cruel person

-A mischievously clever or self-willed person

-Fighting spirit; wildness

 

"he was dangerous when the devil was in him."

 Multiple layers make up this page.  Gorgeous papers, the altered cab car, more gorgeous crackle paint and a transparency on top of it all.

 Can you see the Devil horns? 

 But Tabitha Didn't stop there, check out all these goodies she sent me!

 My very first Millinery flower and what a wonderful color she sent me.

 A handful of fabulous vintage papers, bingo cards etc...I can't wait to play with them.

Buttons Buttons Buttons!  I've been spoiled!!!

 

I am so happy with this swap thank you Tabitha for my goodies and all the other participants for the great pieces you created. 

 

Make sure to check out everyone elses creations and thanks for stopping by. 

 

Holly of Paper Pieces of Me

Monica of Art Rocks

Kelly of Dreaming of Vintage

Tabitha of Creative Wings

 



Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

you can read the first couple of pages HERE

Review:

 

Ah Shiver, a book that I have been looking forward to reading.  I even waited until I had all of the books in the series to start just in case I wasn't going to be able to stop reading.  But alas, my dream of reading straight through this series because it was phenomenal came crashing down shortly into the book. 

 

Shiver takes place in Northern Minnesota, Maggie does a quick description of the woods and Grace's home but for the most part she lets the reader imagine the location based on her mentioning the state and providing the temperature.  Maggie starts each chapter with the temperature which I really liked, it instantly set the scene but I do wish she had gone into a bit more detail and not relied so heavily on peoples preconceived notions of what Northern Minnesota would be like at 37 degrees. 
 

 

The beginning of the book was enjoyable.  Maggie takes time to set up how obsessed/in love Grace is with "her wolf."  The reader (or at least me) feels heartbroken for Grace, knowing the feelings she has for the animal that will never be returned. 

 

When Sam, "her wolf," shows up in human form the book comes to a screeching halt.  I'm talking a sick tortuously slow pace.  You can see that Maggie was trying to mix in the mystery story line with the romance but it just didn't work.

 

"One Happy Day"

written by Maggie Stiefvater, performed by Maggie Stiefvater and Kate Hummel.
 

Grace is portrayed as a typical teen - self absorbed - only cares about Sam even when she finds out Olivia (her best friend) has been bitten.  Grace drops her friends as soon as Sam comes into the picture.  However, I don't think a teen reader would see the downside of this behavior or even recognize it as a bad move.  I'm not saying that ever teen book needs to have an overwhelmingly good message but this book seemed to lack any positive teenage behaviors. 

 

Maggie's use of foreshadowing is so obvious that its frustrating.  One can hardly call it foreshadowing.

 

This book wraps up all the loose ends so I don't see a reason to read on.  I read the jacket flaps on the next two books and they do flow but since I didn't enjoy this book to begin with I won't be reading on.

What have you been reading?  Let us know. 
I'm linking up to Ricki Jill's Literary Friday

 

Bird Song Journal

 Recently I got to play with the Bird Song paper collection from Graphic 45. 

 Alpha Stamps is carrying this fabulous line and a wonderful selection of goodies to go with it. 

5 Petal Flower

Half Round Dresden boarders gold

Bird Song Seam Binding kit

 

 I decided to make a journal, after all I love art that has a purpose and journals are always a great thing to have laying around. 

 

One of the things that I really love about this set is that there are a lot of collage type images that can be used with the lovely background papers.  In fact everything paper on my piece is from the Bird Song collection.

 Bird Song Cherry Blossom Scrapbook paper

Bird Song Jasmine Dream Scrapbook paper

 

 I bound my journal with some lovely Rayon Cording.  I wanted to make tassels with this also but for some reason I just couldn't get them to stay tied. 

 

I kept the back of the journal simple so that it will lay flat and be easy to write in.