My Kid Made Me A Froggy

Ok. So. My kid is 33 next week.
But she did make me a froggy :)
Go Here Before It Leaps Away!

I will be back once the COLD & FLU has flown...

A New Decor At The Blue Cottage

I thought it was time to redecorate our little blue cottage...

So, what do you think?
Is it "Cheesey"?



What? You don't believe me?

(Hmmm, okay...this isn't The Blue Cottage!)
Oh well...I WISH I had a little cottage that looked like this one! ;-)

I LOVE Minnie Mouses' house in ToonTown at Disneyland!

I want to move it to a bluff overlooking the ocean!
(be sure to click on the photos to enjoy the details, some are as tiny as a mouse...har-har).

*****We celebrated Winter Solstice at Disneyland Friday.*****

Greetings Readers!

I've surfaced :) At least for a moment...

The other day I HAD to cut AND glue AND fold AND stitch AND paint AND stamp...SO, I finally have the visual journal I've been working in into a book form! Yes, I admit it...until now I've simply been working on the pages with no cover or binding of any kind ;-)

But first - LOOK!- a cloudy sky over the Blue Cottage - clouds that RAIN fell from and more promised! Yes, REAL WEATHER again in southern California ...you have no idea how AMAZING this is, unless of course you live in southern California :)

***** ***** ***** ***** *****
this JOURNAL is non-perishable
At least I hope it's non-perishable :)
And, yes, that is ME in the photo on the cover - I was three or four and the photo was taken on the beach in Santa Barbara, California. To transfer this photo to my cover I made a photocopy of the original photo and used clear caulking as my transfer medium.
The covers of the journal are made from a recycled US Priority Mail box that I cut to size and coated with a few layers of gesso before I began painting, gluing, etc. to give it a bit more strength and allowing it to take a beating!

The inside of the covers were gessoed, painted and collaged creating a weathered and worn look and feel.

Some pages are completed - other's not so much :)

Inside of back cover...gessoed, painted and collaged.

The journal fanned out (I made 4 signatures with 6 pages each).

Front and Back of journal - sewn in coptic stitch using various colors of waxed linen thread.
This journal was made completely from items I had on hand or items I could recycle.

Close Out Sale @ AlteredInsomnia!

I am starting to close out AlteredInsomnia!
All of my RetroRubber authentic VINTAGE "business" RUBBER STAMPS are on sale for
HALF OFF!
They are going FAST!
If you are making an Artist's Gift Basket for one of your creative friends this holiday a one-of-a-kind vintage stamp is a great addition!
Go check 'em out today!

Think PEACE

I am so sick of the LIES...so sick of this WAR.
All I Want For Christmas/Solstice Is The War To End.
BRING THEM HOME.
NOW.
(John Denver, we miss you - your words of wisdom still touch us today.)

A Rock Star Moment!

Late yesterday afternoon we went to Disneyland for a short visit.
Good thinkin'.
We saw one of Orange County's coolest homegirls --
GWEN STEFANI
(visiting the magic kingdom with her CUTE little boy and HANDSOME husband)!

*I might have Disneyland and DCA photos to share in a post later.*

When I Began To ALTER My ART...

In 2003 when I first heard the words "altered book"...I nodded my head not wanting to look uninformed...and quickly Googled it. I was done for. I knew I had to try this new (to me) form of creative expression.

For some reason, at the time I was obsessed with images of the Virgin Mary - perhaps it was a throwback to my rebellious days of being raised Roman Catholic ;-)

As I sat down to begin the process of altering a book I didn't give it a lot of thought - letting the muse lead me. I recalled a book I had read - Our Lady Of The Lost and Found and dug it off the shelf...and so began the journey. This book created in 2003 - as you will see in my video - was the starting point of my love (obsession/passion) for mixed media 'altered' art.

Excuse the unprofessional video - I doubt Spielberg will be calling me...I have attempted to hold my camera while turning the pages as my tripod and I are not getting along today.





And one new page in my Visual Journal...