LILY AND THE LOTUS: Beginning stages of a new Junk Journal..Scraps and Cats!

This beautiful journal is from Canvas Corp Brands.
When it first arrived I gently looked through it over and over again..thinking what do I want to do with you..because that is what we do as paper artist right?
We feel it and think it..and then when we go to make it..nothing we thought applies.
There is a video of what this journal looks like before altering it. Click HERE.

I am in such a strange transition right now I asked myself what I wanted it to become if I did it for just me. Not to sell it..or give it as a gift..but to make it for me. I thought a combo of many things inside would be needed.
The first section...thoughts that need to become reality.art thoughts...moving thoughts that can become.

I am showing beginning stages of my process. The papers have all been coffee stained even the ones that came in the journal. I have not distressed everything yet..I am simply attaching with paper clips and thinking about the first section.

This is the back side to the cover. How gorgeous is this. No I have not filled it out..I might find a calligraphy artist or I might use my 1970 punch with the plastic ribbon we all punched our names with and put on our school notebooks...remember that anyone?

Again, I stress I have not done anything but the lay out a bit of distressing in this part. I have glued and planted the idea down but I have not added extra papers in the pocket I made ribbon or embellishments.

This beautiful post card comes at the beginning of this Canvas Corp Brand journal..as you can see I have only coffee stained it and the beautiful envelope behind it. I have not decided on the stamps I will use.

This is a medium sized envelope which come with the journal. I coffee stained and added a tag. sorry about the glare. Upstairs it is dark with out light the flash does the same thing.

This is the envelope minus the tag coffee stained. Beautiful isn't it.

This was a card I made earlier this year. I have coffee stained paper on the reverse side for a note.

I have decided to use manila folders cut and separated at the fold as my dividers..and of course the little name label thing will make my print on the tabs for the sections. I also plan to sew fabric on the borders as I did here.

The pocket has a couple of coffee stained tags and a guest check I have not stamped or embellished yet, also, there is plent of room in this pocket for additional items. The magazine clippings came from Victoria Romantic Living Magazine.

The back side of the manila folder is also coffee stained and another pocket using a music sheet. I am one for having many notes in my pocket by the end of the day..

I always need a calendar to glance at so I sewed a manila folder together leaving the top open for a giant pocket and glued on a calendar.

This is the back. I wanted a inspiring picture that lifted me up when I opened my journal.I love this picture. sums up my life right now. My Mom passed 2 years ago I was her care giver for 8 years. My Dad is 84 and has serious health issues and I am here for him. There will be that day when both are gone I am preparing for that new beginning in my life. But for now....

The beautiful flowered pages that came with the journal I coffee stained this one I added a pocket using a magazine clipping and made tags and a card with paper on the back for notes..Not finished no ribbons or embellishments yet.

The back side I used a small brown envelope and Graphic 45 paper to cover it from "Portrait of a Lady" and the image is from the Graphic Fairy stamped with multi colored ink "Post Card" from Tim Holtz. The sentiment on a small tag is also from Tim Holtz.

I added coffee stained paper in between the flowered papers, There is more thinking room to write.

The lined paper on the left is fro Canvas Corp Brands and the beautiful lady lined paper on the right is from https://www.etsy.com/shop/Stardustandroses.

This is the beginning of the next section which will be about my Etsy shop..and this begins another story.

SCRAPS

One thing that happened to me being a caregiver 24 hours a day...was no time to deal with many of my own things. As a DT I was always in a hurry to make items show and tell. I ran out of time to figure out where to put my things so I bagged and threw them into tubs. Many of you know the situation I was thrown in living with my folks and the extreme mess I have been dealing with since Mama passed..It is Better ! Not finished sadly but soooo much better,so I began to clean through my own things as fall set in and the cold weather began.
Right before we began this process we lost a 16 year old mascot and friend. my little furr baby Sammy was put down day after thanks Giving.

I miss him terribly.

Magic is having doubts about filling the old Mascot's chair but trying and for a 3 year old..not doing to bad.

The new mascot of Art Mr. Magic and I began a huge project yesterday. SCRAPS I had stashed from card making in a tub, well needless to say...

Mr. Magic has much to learn lol.

Needless to say...the task got done!

CATS CATS CATS CATS CATS

Speaking of cats.....my new wild out door "wild things" are becoming a bit more friendly...

The Daddy of the group came to see me yesterday
I have named him Tigger. I do not dare try to touch him yet working up to becoming friends right now. Huge 20 plus pound cat..