Crafting Malaise....

Ok - i have definitely gotten off to a slow start in 2009. Having guests, looking for a job, and having no current projects has kept me out of the craft studio. But you know, the weather here in Northern California is beautiful - the forecast is calling for a week straight of sunny blue skies and up to 70 degrees! So there is no time to waste my life staring into the computer worrying about what's going to happen. So how do i get out of this malaise? I signed up for things! I am never one to shirk responsibility or be late for a deadline - so the more projects i have lined up, the more time i will spend being artsy. So in no particular order - this is what i have to work on in the next few weeks:
Altered book swap - i have been meeting monthly with a group for over 6 years. Participants have come and gone - but there is a core group still wanting to meet, swap altered books, and create something in a fun workshop. Not knowing if i'll even be living here next month makes it hard to get psyched up for this - but i kicked it off yesterday, so i need to start working on a new altered book.
The images here are from the book i have chosen. It i called The Gift of Life by Dean Walley - a hallmark book from 1971 i picked up at an estate sale. It is a sweet book with lovely earth tone illustrations by David Welty. Things from the 70's can be a bit dated - with their overuse of the colour "rust" or burnt orange. But this one still feels somewhat contemporary. And there are many birds, which continues to be my obsession. There is a poem throughout the book that talks about motherhood and rebirth in simple prose. It will be interesting to see how the pages are altered.

I also signed up for a few other things: a wedding themed journal round robin. I just love weddings and have some fun ideas. Including creating a flock of bridesmaids with crepe paper dresses like this one.

Next I signed up for a trashy romance novel themed fat book. For those you just do one page - but make 25 or so copies or versions. That will be fun to do. Then you get a 25 page spiral bound book filled with everyone's bodice ripping artwork.
And finally - although who knows how many other projects i'll line up, i am going to do a valentine swap - i'll mail out 15 victorian valentines, and get 15 in return. I wonder if my husband will get jealous.....? Please stay tuned to see how these projects manifest themselves. I'll continue to share my ideas and tips for creating your own paper based works of art!