Oh! Have you ever been working on so much, your brain just boils over? AIEEE! I received an email today from someone who requested a file from me WEEKS ago wondering where I went -- I have been so overrun by projects and such, I completely forgot! And here I thought my email filtering system was good enough to keep stuff like that from happening!
*waves* to all my new visitors! Feel free to look around and pester me with all sorts of questions -- I'm now checking my email & flickr comments more carefully and promise to not miss much! *laughs*
A bit of business. Tomorrow is the LAST DAY FOR PRE-ORDERS. The 'zine's off to the printer next week, and honestly, I don't know how I'll ever decorate this many envelopes for all the pre-orders -- I suspect a weekend spent outside on a drop cloth with spay paint and my new stencils. ;) I cannot WAIT to get all of them pretty and stamped and ready to go!
And yes, the 'zine is accepting submissions for our fall issue. If you've anything art-journal related, email me!
Uggg! I went to get my x-rays done (yes, still with this shoulder/neck thing from LAST MONTH), and THIS time, they wanted me to wait because my registration from Monday expired. It wasn't my fault they wouldn't let me get them then! They wanted me to wait 40 MINUTES!! ARG! I'm SO going in before work tomorrow to GET THEM DONE because I WANT this shoulder to get better because I can't paint for long! *laughs* Of course, I could use this as a time to experiment with doing art with my non-dominant hand. You know, I was ambidextrous when I was little?
Look what my dad found in the print shop today!
Isn't it COOL? They're lead letters from an old press (his print shop is closing). There are at LEAST three fonts in there -- I found an & that is TOTALLY FUN! He found some rubber-based ink, too, and this weekend, I am having tons of fun stamping them. I was also thinking about drilling through the lead and making charms out of them. Wouldn't they be CUTE? Now I just need to get my own press. OMG I would DIE if I got a letterpress. That stuff is AWESOME.
Nancy's cracker-box tutorial yesterday reminded me that I've ALWAYS wanted to bind a journal that way, so I got out some book board and FANTASTIC paper I found -- OMG, let me tell you! It's 90lb. card stock that's SMOOTH and everything writes on it perfectly and my Sharpies -- I cannot LIVE without my Sharpies! -- DON'T LEAK THROUGH THE PAPER! Do you know how RARE that is?!
So, I totally had to make my own. I covered the board with wallpaper and then played with some stencils I got at Michael's this afternoon. Half my colors are missing, though, and my purple wouldn't work! I really have to get NEW paint because some of mine have been out there for YEARS. I really want to get rose and a pretty green....I figured out how to make two-colored stuff...it is SO fun! *G* I need to get an apron, though, because last time I got spray paint on me, it didn't wash off for a WEEK!
Here is the journal I made! I added pretty reddish end papers to it. I don't like how far apart the signatures are, but it seems like the journal will grow into it's cover.
Here's a tip for working with bookboard: you ALWAYS want to cut WITH the grain. How do you figure that out? Try "bending" it. Whichever way bends easier, that's what you want to cut AGAINST. If you've made a journal and the covers bow out all funny, that's why -- keep this in mind. It was news to me when I first learned bookbinding.
I totally had to SPILL yesterday. My brain's FRIED from all the tiny details I've had to go back and fix -- Dawn, how do you design books without going insane?! -- so I took a break and just went all CRAZY on the page. My desk ALWAYS suffers after this, though, because I can't SPILL without making a MESS. Then again, I LOVE that kind of CHAOS! I want to keep my work area messy for a bit longer so I can SPILL in my new journal with it's pretty paper.
This week, I got an idea to make my OWN PLANNER. Like, design the pages and get it bound and such. I am TOO CRAZY sometimes -- just when things are slightly slowing, I think up something new!
And next week, I have an interview to be an assistant producer for an educational series. WHEE! I'm SO STOKED! Wish me luck!
*waves* Love you ALL!
<3 Kira