Bodhisartva ..... Art/Spirit/Life

February Flea and the Shift

I've had some rough times lately.  Nothing major, but a collection of tediously constant bumps in the road.  It's wearying, you know?  You start to wonder.

But Sunday, my luck shifted in a big way.  I had the most fabulous day at the Pasadena City College Flea Market.  Did so well with find after find that I never even made it to the indoor part.  I mean, when you run out of money, you need to leave, right?

Last month, in the rain, I visited the few outside vendors and saw a great piece I wanted, but the price was way too rich for me.  This month, it was still there and he made me a great deal.  

Partly great because it included this:

I have been looking for ages to find a smaller paper cutter...and there it was!  I'm so excited.  Now, I just need to find some paper that size.  The great deal piece will show up next post.

Found boxes and boxes of watch parts that I picked through and came up with a bunch of great stuff for my books and jewelry.

This aged wooden box feels so good in the hand and will be useful as well.  That blue and white box contains a never been used bakelite button, like a doorbell button - great for a book cover.  

Would you wear a necklace with a glass shaker on it? Too scary?

But they're cool, right?  How about this?  It's a pencil sharpener.

Wish my bank gave those interest rates now.  

I have a regular flat cigarette tin with this design but never saw a big box like this. The colors are so beautiful, especially the sides.

This will go on a necklace, but I don't know how I'll be able to let go of it.  It is such fun. The pencil still has lead and there is paper inside.

Now, I don't want to hear anything from Gina about this next item.  I know, I know...I have a lot of these already. That's why it's called a COLLECTION.  Seriously, I needed these to fill the container on the porch.  I'll post a picture of it next time.

The box included a chalk cube and a little bag full of cue tips (get it?  q-tips?).  They are actually quite neat and will also be a great embellishment.  The cue tips, folks, not the pool balls.

And finally.  A sign for the extra bedroom....hee-hee.  Y'all come on down, y'hear?

 

Actually, that image is only the final for today.  Two more great finds to come...

Long Beach Flea Market

Sorry for the delayed post here...I couldn't find my camera cable and there is no point in posting without some pictures, after all!  (Of course, now it's Friday and it's raining HERE...).

It's been a loooooonnng time since I got down to Long Beach.  Of course, it's been raining on them the last few months, so I guess I didn't miss much.  No rain today...78 degrees!  It was hot.  And the market was hot...here is what I scored.

An old medicine cabinet - so cute! The inside is painted golden yellow and has more than the usual cubbies.  I'm not sure what I'll do with it, but who cares?  It's such a find.

I love little stools, especially ones with a bit of green on them.  Alas, stools seem to be another "collection" for me, but I like the way they look lined up on my porch.

And here's the little stuff.  I can't wait to put that battered round keyhole (?) onto one of my book covers.  I am trying to make the faucet handles into necklaces, though they may be too heavy; we'll see.  I have no idea what the three round disks are, but they were just too neat to pass up.  They are almost like pulleys, but they are covered with what seems to be a leathery material.  Interesting.

This odd thingy will go onto a book cover also.  The wheel actually moves, which presents some interesting possibilities.  And here is another item destined for the cover of a metal book...

I'm excited about this last piece.  It's wood.  The numbered holes go all the way through. The metal circles along the right side are angled.  I'm going to flatten them out or bend them even more. Either way, I think I will be doing some kind of lacing number for the front of the book. We shall see, but I'm looking forward to it.

And the last thing of the day, because after all, I am sewing books..

Next...a new toy....

 

Tools

One more thing I found at the flea market may seem prosaic and not such a big deal. But for me, it was.  A big deal, that is.

I broke my favorite awl for punching holes in signatures to make books.  I like it so much better than any of the others, but couldn't remember where the heck I had gotten it.  

I looked in all my regular sources and even checked the hardware stores.  It was such a cheap tool and I knew it was from someplace I visited regularly.  But where?  It was driving me crazy until I went to the flea market and visited, duh, "The Tool Guy".

I LOVE these!  Sturdy, clean...and one or two dollars each, so I bought a bunch.  Just in case, you know, I forget again where they came from.  It could happen.

New Toys

Sometimes, it doesn't take much to give you a lift. Case in point, these new gizmos from Dick Blick.

I have for a long time had some texturing things like this. But these are very ergonomic; fat in your hand and I love the colors! We must have pretty things, musn't we? Cheap, too.

They're really made for heavier body acrylics, but I tried them with fluid Golden paints and they were equally fun.

Here's a close-up:

I'm anxious to try them on canvas with some heavier paint, but in the meantime, I played more in my journals. If I do this just right, I can imagine writing between the raised lines.

I had to get that orange in there somehow :-) But, I do try to use other colors.

I really like this version.  One of the wedges has notches that graduate from thick to thin. I can see I'll have a lot of fun with these new tools. I've been in a bit of a rut lately, so I need all the help I can get. Spent time in the studio just laying down paint on tons of paper, getting ready to make a new journal.  

What ways do you have when you seem to be stuck?

Chicago, Chicago

I'm done with my meeting in Chicago and now I can visit with family.  Now, you understand what that means, right?  There are 9 siblings, so that is a fair amount of visiting.

Brother Rob is a master woodworker and restorer of antique furniture.  Nan is an artist who is rediscovering the joys of watercolor.  I'm visiting Rob's studio later and will post pictures.

They took me to Lulu's for lunch in Evanston. Great place with a wide variety of Asian dishes.  Also this cooling and delightful ginger lemonade.

We also went to a delightful old bookstore that is going out of business, Bookman's Alley.  Well, yes, it IS in an alley and filled to the rafters with used books, collector's editions, antiques, old falling apart books, junk and, oh, did I say? books.  The quite old gentleman who has run it for decades sits behind his overflowing desk like some ancient pasha and receives his customers.  Everyone who comes in bemoans the fact that he is closing, but he seems fairly resigned to it.  

The good news is that all books are 50% off and he is selling fixtures and other cool objects.  Naturally, I had to acquire something that would fit into my suitcase.  That would be inside the extra suitcase I had to use to hold the Brooklyn Flea Market finds. 

This great book holder is handmade and has the nicest curved arms to hold the book in.   And this is what is inside the book. Fun.In addition, Rob gave me this amazing book with an interesting binding.  I've been researching that interesting library stamp. There was definitely an abbey in Bergholz in 1715, but that's about all I could find.

Isn't the little tinted engraving lovely?  I suspect it is not contemporary to the book, but old nonetheless.  There are also bits of mica falling out of the book and I have no idea what THAT means.

Big Projects - Part III

Welcome back, boys and girls.  Here we go with the next phase. Well, truth be told, going all the way to the end here.  

When we last saw our paper, it was out of the book press and crisply folded.  Each paper folded in half is called a folio. When you combine a number of them together, they are called a signature.  We have 10 signatures in this book.

Next, I search through my stash of patterns to find one that has 10 signatures and is the right size for the spine of the book. Finding none, I have to make a new one.

The spine and covers are cut from Davey Board, which is thick cardboard, essentially.

Using the paper pattern I made, I punch holes in the spine with an awl. This is the tedious part of the process, as the board is thick and there are 80 holes to punch.  Ouch. Can you say finger cramp?

The front and back covers, with the spine between them, are laid out on top of my chosen bookcloth and cut to size.

Using my handy PVA glue (polyvinyl acetate), I glue down the bookboard. I trim the cloth and fold it over the edges of the bookboard, sealing neatly.

The inside of the covers is lined with more bookcloth, again using the PVA.  I think these colors are a nice combo.

Usually, I would cover the book first and then punch the holes in the spine, but this time, I experimented with punching the holes and THEN covering them.  It was pretty easy to punch the holes in the spine when it wasn't covered with the cloth - and even easier to punch through the cloth alone.  I might do this from now on. 

Here is the finished book, showing the waxed linen thread stitched through the spine and holding the signatures in place.

I finished it off with a vintage bone button.  I may add some bead later, so I left a tail hanging.

So, there you have it.  Did I go too fast or skip some steps?  No problem, because I am teaching this class at Zinnia in South Pasadena on July 14th.  You can join us and I promise I will be much more specific on the directions - you can even take them home.

Sign up here for "My Big Fat Artist Journal".   

 

Big Projects - Part II

Remember all that ripping and folding and ripping again?

Well, they've been squashed in the bookpress for awhile now and they currently look like this.

Quite a difference, yes?  It's not a necessary step, but it does make it easier to sew the signatures and also to envision how thick the final book will actually be.  

Next, I'll tuck three pages one inside the other to form a signature.  You'll see.  I'm making a wonderfully thick journal with 10 signatures, so I have to create a template for it.  You'll see.

In the meantime, stay silly.

 

Big Projects

I'm prepping for some bookbinding projects and thought I'd share the process with you.

It's simple, really - paper, board, cloth, thread.  Put them together though, and a miracle occurs. At least that's how it feels when I hold a finished book in my hands.  

Tools of the trade:

Folding and tearing down parent sheets of watercolor paper is rather meditative. The repetitiveness of it was soothing to me on a day when I needed it.  I usually work with 140 lb, but this time, I'm doing some 90 lb as well.  If I like it, it will be a lot cheaper!

I will probably tear down some of these into smaller pages, but for now, they go into the bookpress overnight.

I would love a "real" bookpress - old, heavy, metal - but until then, these are working very well.  And how lucky am I that I found them. Well, the first Smith and Hawken flower press was a gift. The second one was on eBay and the third one just turned up at the flea market. 

Hmmm...flea market....I'm going tomorrow. Something to look forward to.

 

The Return of the Flea Market

Oh, Flea Market, I have missed thee!  For all kinds of reasons, I have not been at my usual haunts on Sunday mornings much at all since January.  But today, ah, today!  Long Beach Flea Market (really the best) with my DH - who gave me lots of room to roam and even brought me a cold drink halfway through. What a prince!

It does seem rather monochromatic, but you take what you can get.  I love the large thread holders and that box holds - count them - 144 spools of creamy white thread!  As usual, there is a coin purse, some rulers and old rubber stamps. You may notice that one rubber stamp and the metal number are both "3" - my magic number. 

I'm so excited that I found two things I can use for my jewelry displays at art shows. This is pretty cool - rusty and pretty large - with a hole at the top where I can mount a sign or flag of some kind.  In the first picture, you can also see something leaning against it that will work for hanging necklaces.

I do love my little red vintage metal box - perfect for carrying tools for bookbinding or jewelry making.  

The "Field Book" is an old leather bound journal with surveying notes.  All in all a lovely haul...but OH, the things I left behind!

How about you?  Did you do any flea markets, junk sales or yard sales this weekend?

What a difference a year makes

Artfest withdrawal. I am having it BIG time. Right NOW!

This is the last year for Artfest - and I am not there. Last year, I was there.  It has been a spring ritual for years.  

For those who are wondering what I'm talking about, Artfest has been an annual art retreat for many years.You live, eat and sleep art.  You talk art.  And oh yes, you make art.  You play, you laugh, you walk in the rain lugging 68 pounds of art supplies half a mile.  There are 500 people and you feel you know them all.  You take 3 classes with some of the most fabulous teachers around.  You live by the water in funky old military base housing, which you share with ghosts.

In other words, you are in HEAVEN.

It's a loooooong climb to get there........

Fly into Seattle, take the ferry to the island, drive over the Hood Canal, pass the paper mill (phew), drive through town and into the fort, maybe see some wildlife.

Check into Officers' Housing. Have a talk with the ghost.  Decide to ignore it but turn on all the lights anyway.

 

 See some friends.  Drink some sangria.

You soak up everything from every teacher and every student - every technique, every smile, every success, every failure. Then, you journal about it.

You write and paint and pay attention.

Your drink wine and eat yummies and get silly.

Then, too soon, it's over, but not really. Because when you leave, you never forget. Because now you have learned to fly.