October 27th, 2011
As a change of pace I thought I’d share a few of the new additions to my personal library, none of which will end up as altered books.
Paper-Craft 2: Design and Art With Paper
Paper-Craft 2 is a fantastic book full of an amazing variety of projects, designs, illustrations, art installations, fashion and more – all made from paper. It’s inspiring but also a bit intimidating to browse through this book because of the high calibre of the work included. But the collection makes it clear there is no limit to what a creative person can do with paper.
Masters Book Arts
Masters Book Arts is part of Lark Crafts excellent masters series of books. I also have the collage edition in my library. It mainly focuses on handmade books and showcases the wide variety of forms a book can take, and they often don’t look like the traditional form of a book.
The Repurposed Library
The Repurposed Library is written by book artist, Lisa Occhipinti, and it focuses on transforming books into home decor items. There are projects for lamps, chandeliers, vases, bracelets, wreaths, and more – all made from old books. My favorite project is the book bursts, which are deconstructed books transformed into circular wall sculptures.
All of these books were purchased at Oscar’s Art Books in Vancouver. (Support your local independent book store!)
October 12th, 2011
Boris and I took a few days of vacation to enjoy a four day stay at Yellow Point Lodge. It’s a small rustic resort on Vancouver Island, just outside of Ladysmith. It is a beautiful scenic area of BC.
Boris enjoys the view.
A different type of deer than what we see on Bowen Island.
Tall trees along the forest trail.
Anne left us a stash of chocolates when she visited Yellow Point the week before, and we had to find it.
Spectacular sunrise.
Spectacular sunrise turns into a beautiful day.
The pool by the ocean.
Honeycomb formations in sandstone.
A murder of crows flies overhead.
These last three photos were taken using a pinhole camera app, while some of the others were processed using Instagram.
It was a relaxing vacation, and I’m glad I finally got the chance to visit Yellow Point Lodge. It’s not an easy place to get a booking.
October 11th, 2011
I haven’t written one of these lists in ages, which is a shame because there are many things that have happened this year I consider good. Here’s a list of the ten most recent good things in my life:
1. Taking a very short but much needed getaway to Yellow Point Lodge with Boris. I still need to upload the photos to Flickr, but it was a beautiful place to stay.
2. Walking around the city on Sunday, enjoying adventures and sunshine.
3. Enjoying a decadent Thanksgiving meal with friends. I am lucky because everyone I know is an excellent chef.
4. Making paper flower decorations in preparation for Monique’s wedding.
5. Walking along a very quiet Commercial Drive at night in the rain.
6. New art books to inspire me – thanks to a gift certificate from my sister.
7. Keeping up with healthy habits, like 6am yoga and tracking calories with an app.
8. Slowly moving closer to having our apartment organized and decorated.
9. Finding a good balance between a part-time job, and having time for art.
10. Lucking out and finding a beautiful dress in a store I’ve never shopped in before, to wear to an upcoming wedding.
