Why not? Christmas in May

I've taken to this seeming new tradition when starting a new journal. This new organic material, Paper Clay, with which you can shape most anything, roll extremely flat, dry in the air and paint with most anything is how I'm launching the first page ... this particular journal starts just before Christmas 2011.

This year the holidays were an awkward, uncomfortable time of year for me. Unpredictable tensions, personal health issues, relationship challenges and then, add the element of everyone being jolly ~ well, except me. I loved sculpting my lil' green Christmas Tree. It was indeed my heart, that early December, placed me overnight in the hospital for observation. So you see the role my heart needed to play in this journal entry.

At first I was bothered by the red stitching I'd used. It made the lil' green tree look like a cactus. But the more I observed it, the more appropriate was the statement for what I was feeling. The cut-out that is necessary to allow the perhaps 1/8 inch depth of the Paper Clay element continues thru several of the next pages, creating an interesting design and element with which I'll need to wiggle my future page designs around. But ... I love a challenge. :)

The main street in my sweet Jacksonville is the sketch filling the rest of the page, where I especially wanted to accent the charming Clydesdale-like horses that pulled the festive wagon thru town.

I also enjoy finding some charming, appropriate small image to sort of lead into the start of a new journal ... for this one I chose colorful lil' Christmas tree ornaments.