Journals ~ With an Ending, Also Comes a New Start

My last entry completed my road trip to my beloved Telluride summer-before-last, and it also finished out the final pages in that journal. Sort of a sad, but exciting time to this journaler. Especially because this next journal is one I actually made myself. Yep, I've been taking on bookmaking - - with none-but-the-best bookmaker, Denise Kester!! I'd been all too long drooling at the amazing books Denise makes and finally took the leap of joining one of her all-to-rare classes. To date I've made three books and this next journal was my very first.

In planning the book, I decided to challenge my ole'

journaling habits. Before even going to take the class I talked with my wise instructor. I wanted some pages to be watercolor (140 lb.), both hot and cold press alternating with some of Denise's standard writing papers and other, long-in-my-flat-file-drawer papers. With all that together ... I headed to the two day class.

First day is deliciously messy, gooey and magnificently freeing!! We make Paste Papers for the cover and inner signatures. Slather on paint
and through a plethora of techniques, remove, create pattern, layer! Yep, that's it in a nut shell. Then, overnight these all dry.

Second day, is the actual bookmaking. You select the dried Paste Papers you want to use for where and what, trim, shape and get into position for the bookmaking. WHAT a process - boggled my lil'
mind! But here you can see in brief, my putting together the book, from scratch!

You start with the backbone of the book, begin covering with beautiful materials (that you made the day before), and lastly stitch in your book signatures with your paper in them, tenderly into place. WELLAH!! Here's my book, who came to be known as my "HeartBook". From it's imaginings, it began to take on personality and even the beads I choose were meaningful. Once

I began working in it, friends gave me different quotes, this one in particular spoke to me and became part of this books story.

So now that you've see "her" birthed ... you'll begin to see what her inner workings begin to reveal ... in the next post! I have to say, this book has stretched me, and witnessed me stretch in ways I could not have imagined ... stay tuned ...