It's All In There...

So many treasures fit in this small hanging journal. It's a creation I made during July in Fodder School 3 with instructor and creative visionary Kecia Deveney. I've taken online classes before with Kecia and this one was just as much fun as the others. It took me more than the month of July to complete the project because, as you can see, there are many elements. It's all in there. Class members made the journal itself which includes fabrics, sewing, and mixed media. And we also made the swag from which to suspend and display it. All together, it's quite eye-popping wouldn't you say?

 

Here's the swag alone. It's composed of a good-sized, yarn-wrapped stick, various lengths of jewelry chain, shrink plastic doo dads, funky round tokens, charms, fiber ties, and pretty much anything else we had on hand that took our fancy! I had a lot. Still have a lot. But, oh the fun of this.

We made a cover of other assorted fiber, trims and papers. And we learned to alter Tim Holz paper doll images to make them colorful and shiny.

Paging through the journal, you can see the inside is just as much fun. These three little First Communion vintage girls looked so nostalgic and invited the addition of colors and flowers.

There's a place for everything inside the journal. The fabric background is one that I stamped with paint. The ruffle is a journal embellishment given to me by a friend. Another Tim Holz paper doll image- isn't she sweet? That hair bow! This was such an enjoyable project. And guess what? I've got enough stuff to make another!

 

And now in "other news". I've been missing from my blog, and may be for a little while yet. We sadly lost my husband's beloved Quarter Horse Freckles this summer. He was 21 and had been born and raised here on our farm in Florida. My husband Jack, who is 84, still rode him nearly every day and they were bonded. So the loss has been very difficult. It also precipitated some hard thinking about where we live and whether we can continue to maintain a 10-acre horse farm. 

Around the same time, we had to make the decision that our sweet Abby was at the end of her life as well. She had several chronic health problems. Abby came to us as a rescue about a decade ago. Jack found her near a restaurant dumpster, malnourished and unwell. We took her in, and while she had some difficulties, it would be hard to find a more devoted and sweet natured pet.

So, rest in peace Freckles and Abby. Since their loss, we have found and purchased a new home closer to town- smaller, more manageable, and closer to services. We've always been rural dwellers, so this will be quite an adjustment, but a necessary one.

This will explain my absence from blogging for awhile. As you might imagine, my sewing room is in an uproar and nothing much is happening at the moment in there! I may have a post about a lovely quilt show I attended and will share some photos of the exhibit quilts. Until then....