Paint Chip Pockets

In the May 2012 Country Living magazine, the Idea Notebook suggests stitching those free paint chips from the hardware store on three sides to create pockets that can be tacked onto bulletin boards for clever organization. 

I just happened to have a number of those paint swatch cards in my craft stash, and--as you know--I love stitching paper, so I couldn't resist giving this simple craft a try:

I'm not sure how practical they are as bulletin board organizers; let's just say they don't hold a whole lot.  I didn't have an available cork board handy to test them, so I photographed mine laying on the work table.  They look pretty nifty, don't you think?

It occurred to me as I was making them, though, that they would make awesome little pockets for art journal pages. 

There really isn't anything complicated about making these little pockets.  You just stack two cards of the same size together with the right sides facing out, then stitch along the bottom and sides with contrasting thread.  And you can give all your sewing machine's fancy stitches a try while you are at it!  

Enjoy an artful Memorial Day holiday!

All in the Family

I've been thinking about making up an "official list" of summer activities and excursions to enjoy with my kids this summer, like I did last year.  But then my husband just jumped in and started making it happen:  a super-memorable-and-fun-arts-and-crafts-activity!

He has gotten all kinds of "handy" with his basement tools, and his latest project was a sort of bookcase for storing our shoes by the back door.  We were using a small wire rack that was sadly deficient, and led to shoes being strewn in front of the back door.  I fancied it a kind of burglar trap, actually, since no one could get in our house without tripping over all of the mess!

But I like the results of my husband's efforts much better:

He used the frame of an old bookcase, then created new shelves for the shoes.  We wanted to use paint we already had, rather than buying anything new for the project, so we ended up with the same blue we used in our dining room.

Bayla, my younger, helped to paint on the blue while Katy was at preschool (much to Katy's competitive chagrin!)...

and then when she got home, Katy used one of my craft paintbrushes and orange acrylic paint to add her own "signature" to the project:

I am the only member of the family who didn't contribute to the project!  But I probably enjoy it the most now, as it adds order to my ridiculously-small double-duty mudroom/laundry room by the back door. 

I declared a "new rule":  no shoes that don't fit on the shelves!  (And now I have to be careful that I'm not the one who violates it!!)

Enjoy a happy, artful weekend!

Giveaway Winner & More

Because I never heard from the first selected giveaway winner, I have drawn a new winner.  I am looking forward to sending off the stationery set and art journaling book, so here's hoping I hear from:

Tina!  Also known as Beansieleigh of Beansie Babbles.  Please send me your snail mail address at aleakaskey@yahoo.com, and I will get your giveaway prize out to you.

I was on the receiving end of a giveaway recently, and I wanted to share it with you.  Do you remember my post about finding poetry on the spines of books from last month?  For my poetry-finding efforts, Quinn McDonald was kind enough to send me a copy of her recently-published book Raw Art Journaling:

One section of the book features--of course!--Found Poetry.  Not only does Quinn take us through the process of creating Found Poems, but she provides plenty of examples to inspire us to use it on actual art journal pages:

You might have noticed some Found Poetry in the art journal pages I posted from my beach trip.  With the very limited stash of clipped words and phrases I brought with me, I was able to put together this thought:

"Enough of all the noisome chatter and clatter--to be in a place around beauty, pure contenement, energy, family--so that my soul can begin to stir."

Perfect expression of my week away!

I am looking forward to really digging into Quinn's book to let it inspire this kind of meaning-making in my art journaling practice.