Thursday, July 10, 2008

Oh, Poor Me! Poor Me!

IT'S one of those nights when I'm feeling pretty worthless, insignificant, uninspired and sorry for myself. And there's only one cure for that ... go make something with my hands.
I remembered the large amount of grocery bags to be recycled and felt my hands itch as I recalled a technique Judy Wise used to make a book from grocery bags.
Search her blog (upper left-hand corner) for "more stuff" or click here. Scroll down and you'll see her ripping apart grocery bags and then soaking them in water ... just like the ones above.
I like to really wrinkle them up by quickly soaking them and then squishing them in my hand. Dunk them again in the water until they are soaked through. Squeeze as much water out as you can and then hang them up somewhere so they can dry.
I have eight 10 x 15 1/2 inch pieces of paper drying in the garage. So my book would have 32 pages (four pages would be taken up for the cover, front-inside, back-inside). I think I want a bigger book, so tomorrow morning I'll tear a few more bags apart.
I have one pretty thing to post and then I'm out of here for the night.
The magnolia tree is now in bloom. It is the most wonderful tree, even though it sheds a bazillion leaves in the summer and fall. The older leaves fall off and are replaced, but I will gladly rake up the "castoffs" for the greenery the tree provides year round and the summertime blooms which smell like exotic places I'd like to be - femminismo
p.s. Something that made me smile today: A new lily in an unexpected place
Something that made me happy: A spontaneous hug I got.
Something beautiful I saw: Hosta leaves.
Something wonderful I felt: Warm summer breezes.
Something great I smelled: Warm chai tea.
Something I thought about all day: A dream I had last night about an old boyfriend.

3 comments:

Southern Girl said...

What a wonderful, creative idea for paper bags! I can't wait to see how it turns out! And thank you, by the way, for reminding that it's about time to revisit Latour and that desert landscape I've come to love so well!

Candace said...

Oh Jeanne, I hope you are feeling better as this new week gets underway. I have those feelings loom up at times, too. AND I go make something, too, or read while music is playing...

that paper bag idea you were so kind to share is great and you've inspired me to check it out further when I have a little time -- oh haha.
Candace

Primrose & Tumbleweeds said...

Squishing those wet paper bags looks like wonderful therapy. Hope it worked. I can't wait to see the book. I have some paper bags saved for a water/glue/acrylic paint technique that is very similar. Now might be the time to try it. With this weather they are sure to dry quickly.