Decorative Tape

For a while now I've been contemplating selling decorative tape via my Art Fire shop. After much back and forth with myself on cost, setting up with wholesalers, etc. I finally made up my mind. I just finished placing an order for an outrageous amount of tape and will be selling it soon!!!!!! You hear that KELLY??????!!!!!! I'm gonna have a boat load of tape for sale. Just what you need right?????

I can hear some of you now, "Tape, why tape????? " Because it is one of the hottest, coolest art/craft items out there and you can never, ever have too much of it.

When the order gets here I'll post a photo of the enormous box of tape I foolishly, I mean WISELY, bought..........

Book Lust

A few of the books I'm currently drooling over. I'm doing my drooling online so no need to worry about yucky, wet books in stores...

The Book as Art: Artists' Books from the National Museum of Women in the Arts

Marc Chagall: The Lost Jewish World

Chagall: The Lithographs

Political Posters in Central and Eastern Europe 1945-1995: Signs of the Times

Graffiti Women: Street Art from Five Continents

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"May Day! Why, that's the Russian New Year. We can have a parade and serve hot hors d'oeuvres... "

Collate: A Paper Collaboration

After seeing this on Kelly Kilmer's blog I just had to check it out. Sweet Jessie is hosting this totally awesome paper collaboration where each participant sends in 50-70 pieces of paper and for a small fee gets a bound journal of mixed papers in return!!! Being a total paper whore I joined immediately.

My pile of 6" x 9" papers were cut last night, put in an envelope this morning and will be mailed off tomorrow. Now I just need to wait (impatiently) for the day I receive a bound journal in return. Can't wait to get it in my hands and make those first entries!

Altered Books

I love altered books. Long before they were the in thing I had been taking old books and transforming them into mini artworks. Granted, I didn't really think I was creating art. It was just a wicked cool thing to do. I know a lot of other people of "my generation" altered books too. Again, with no intent to create art just a cool activity, rather rebellious and annoying to those who believed we were a group of juveniles defiling books!

These days we have so many techniques, resources and supplies available that altering a book can be far more creative than it was back in the dark ages. When the dinosaurs roamed all we had was junk mail, some low quality paints, a handful of rather mundane stickers and a few ink pads stolen from the office supply closet! But we still managed to create some pretty amazing stuff.

The supplies available today are amazing and a bit overwhelming. Most of them I can live without, but there are some I consider must-haves. Like the decorative tapes used in the journal page shown above. There are so many uses for it and it can really pull a layout together. If I had a pile of money I'd stockpile decorative tape. And Sharpie poster paint markers. And gel pens, and.......

A Serious Addiction.....

I have a serious addiction. Those who know me well will be well aware of what an addict I am. I crave & I covet. I compulsively give in to my addiction. It rules my life. Consumes hours, weeks, months. Is it drugs? Alcohol? No. It's books. Yes, books. I love books. Hundreds of them line my shelves. Perhaps even thousands. Many of them have been read, but the majority are TBR (to be read). Cozy mysteries are a favorite, but historical fiction holds a large place is my heart as well. So do art books, reference books, herbals, gardening books and illustrated vintage children's books. I cannot get enough. Seven bookcases filled to overflowing, a huge under the bed box and a large box in my closet. All filled. All offering a symphony of color, texture, scent and adventure within other worlds.

For the past year I've been cataloging my books via LibraryThing The ability to tag books by genre, time period, series or whatever else you feel like tagging by is awesome. but the best part for me is being able to comment on the location of each individual book. No more hunting through multiple bookcases & boxes for a certain book. Now I just look on Library-Thing and because of my diligence in tagging I can tell at a glance exactly where a book is in relation to my multiple bookcases. Knowing that a certain book is on the top shelf, bookcase 1 or middle shelf, bookcase 2 allows me to lay my hands on a particular tome instantly. Oh joy! How did I ever live without Library-Thing?

Addiction

I have a horrible marker addiction. For whatever reason I can never have too many markers. Sharpies, in all their many & varied forms (especially their poster paint pens!), Sakura souffle, pigma & gellyroll and Staedtler Triplus Fineliners are just a few of the markers I consider a must have in my studio. I have them in every size, shape and color. Truly, it is an addiction!

Just today I received yet another box of markers in the mail. As if I didn't have enough.....

Today's addition to my addiction: