Paper Crown Altered Book Swap

I have committed to a year long project put forth by Jackie Peters and Cindy White via Paper Crown in Oklahoma City. 20 of us will swap books and design a page each month according to a theme.

Here is my book. Also Lucilles foot was so dirty right then.

A cover page.

My first swapped book belonged to my friend, Nan. The theme was "heart."

Immediately I drew an anatomical heart. With wings. Thinking about our siblings, Janice, Nan's sister, and Kerry, my brother, that both have severe retardation.

I was thinking how they don't really have freedom but someday their hearts will fly free.

Then it occurred to me, was whispered in my ear, that it is Nan and me that experience a feeling of clipped wings. Its the sadness of seeing your beloved with a life long affliction that limits them. Its seeing your parents look at that sweet child and know all the dreams that will not be. Sadness snares us.

And so this phrase came to me and I stamped it on the page.

 

We are more free than we know.

 

What a emotional experience this turned out to be.

Now I am working in Jackie's book...

Lucille Thomas

With empty arms and feeling forgotten I was moved to go to the Central Oklahoma Humane Society on a puppy day. I was thinking there might be an older dog who needed me.

Then this happened. I knew it was trouble. I held her about 45 minutes. Cried and paid.

Lucille is a long-haired chihuahua mix.

Two years old. They marked her birthday as October 23rd, mine.

I only saw that a month later on her records. Made me swoon.

Meant to be.

Her world is silent. She is deaf.

She has two healed rib fractures.

 Her life was tough.

But she is so confident.

Spencer is nonplussed.

She moves extremely quickly.

I have ruined her.

And Husband likes her.

Alot.

Je captioned this picture, 'he my man.'

She makes me love him more.

And this one. Oh gawd. How I adore her.

Life Journal

This is a journal I challenged myself to in January of 2012.

The goal was to have an entry each month. 

 

A title page.

Answers to this 'Currently' prompt.

A favorite photo from the month.

 A self portrait.

Finally anything that marked a highlight of that month.

It took very little time each month, but the overall effect is quite satisfying.

I put to use a Rebecca Sower journal I  have been holding on to.

I was so proud of letting myself use it.

At the end of the year I did a 'Reflect" section...

which included mini booklets of things from the year.

Things I created...

This journal tells a personal story of the year one month at a time.

I decided not to do the same thing thing year.

I put together these pages with the thought of doing an art journal page each month. 

Haven't started in it, though. Seems this thing keeps getting all up in my grill...