Fighting with the computer

I just spent an hour messing with my computer. First when I put floppy disk in to take this photo off, it wouldn't read the disk. I peeked in and decided that maybe all the dust bunnies in the drive had something to do with it. So, I vacuumed through the little door which I held open and broke. By the time I figured out how to get the case off so I could figure out what to do with the broken drive door, I was pretty frustrated. More dust bunnies inside the case, so I vacuumed there too. May not have been a good idea. I finally decided I couldn't get the little door to work and just took it off. When I got all the cords plugged back in and started it up all it would do is beep. I took it apart again and managed to get it to start and read the drive for one photo. I suspect the drive is about shot. Speaking of shot, it now shoots the disks out like a gun. I may need a new computer in addition to a camera.

Blue

Sometimes I go for a cup of herb tea when I'm in one of these moods. Last night I attempted to journal it away. I was somewhat successful. At least I was able to sleep well when I was finished. I really need to get around to getting another camera or figure out how to get better quality inside photos out of this one. There is a lot more detail on this page then is showing in this photo. Maybe I'll try again when it gets warm and sunny out. Probably not.

Time to take down the fruit stickers

When I have fruit, I take the sticker off and put it on the shelf over my kitchen sink. Every so often it gets full and I stick them into my journal. It looks a little bare for a while afterwards until they start accumulating again.

More faces

I did some sketching while watching TV. I'm not quick enough to get anything from just a glimpse, but fortunately most of the actors keep reapearing in nearly the same pose. The lady in the corner is from a photo I posted on the Jan. 6 journal spread. I want to try drawing her again. She has such an interesting face.

The gold candy paper seems to need something on it, but nothing I tried worked. Something will probably turn up.

Coveralls

I was going to just write, but Johnny's coveralls hanging on the log wall made me want to sketch them. I had told the story of the patch on the new coveralls earlier to some of my students just before the bell rang.

These photos stink, but the rain isn't supposed to let up all week-end so that I can get some outside.

I like the challenge of the vintage pages sewn in ~ at least for now. The other journal I did this with irritated me at times because I just wanted to journal and not deal with challenges.

Journaling reads: Top left from found words in a magazine -

Fresh starts belong
in everyone's attitude
perpetually painting improvements

And in the circle on the right:

Little girls who can't sing are told to mouth the words.

These pages are from an old Brownie book. I wasn't ever a Brownie, but I sure liked the idea of being one.

A little restraint

The next morning after sewing in the velvet, I was pondering what to do to cover up the stitches on the reverse side of the page. I decided they look like chicken tracks or grain and quickly sketched in a scrawny hen and grabbed the flap off a cracker box that was sitting on the wood cookstove that we have in our kitchen. I peeled it down to make it thinner, wrote my journaling and glued it in.

The journaling says, "Occasionally one needs to show a little restraint. A minimalist approach if you will."

I think the fact that I had been reading Dwell, a modern interiors magazine, had something to do with my sudden desire to make an uncluttered page. I got a little carried away stamping the date. Later that evening, I added the sun.

If a thing sits around long enough...

I was journaling along in my new a-little-bit-each-day style when the strip of black velvet that has been appearing in different spots in the computer room ever since I finished Madelyn's Christmas dress showed up one too many times. Despite my good intentions to get into bed at a decent time for a change, I wound up sewing it into my journal. I didn't cut the needle off because I didn't want to take the time to hunt up a pair of scissors. Now I think I like it there. Some how it reminds me of the thorns that always come with roses.

A little each day

I've also decided to change my habit of having to do a whole spread every time I sit down to journal. That's fine for the days when I have time and energy, but it leaves way too many days totally undocumente. There are just too many days with neither time, nor energy left at the end. So, I'm writing in small blocks, sketching on bits of copy paper, grabbing the time as I find it.



So far it's working for me.

New journal - volume seven

I think it's pretty cool that I'm starting 2007 with volume seven, and even cooler that I've filled six compo books since I started painting the pages.

I finally decided to take apart a compo book and put it back together with pages from old books interspersed with the regular pages. What I really wanted to use was a graph paper compo book, but I haven't been able to find one. I hate the thought of paying $5 shipping and handling for a three dollar item or I'd order online.

This one will be fine and maybe one with the squares will appear for the volume eight. I used a variety of papers which will be showing up in my journal pages in the days to come. Volume five also was done like this. It's a challenge to use the papers.

I'm also planning a different cover for this one. We'll see. I want to participate in the Take a stitch Tuesday Challenge, so I'm hoping to work on a crazy quilt cover for this journal. I haven't done a fabric cover because I always journal on the front inside cover. I'm leaving this one blank on purpose.

1-1-2007

I sketched on New Year's Eve and journaled on the first. This may be a pretty good rhythm to attempt. I really enjoyed the Bomba y Plena show and was disapointed this morning to discover that the VCR was on the wrong channel while I was recording. Wish I had stayed up and watched the end of the show. I was looking forward to sketching some more of it.

Happy2007!

I have finished up 2006 with a bout of sketching. Now if I can just keep the momentum into '07.