It's January and rather icky outside most of the time, so I've been cleaning up my studio where a twenty something stray kid had camped out for a few weeks. Now he's gone and I can reclaim my creative space. So what do I do in there? I make altered books, I create beaded brooches, I paint, I cut, I sew, I glitter. Whatever catches my fancy.
Two years ago a friend was diagnosed with cancer. I decided to make an altered book for her; making a few pages each week and sending them to her to insert in a customized binder I had made.
These pictures show a page that has a wheel in the center that displays the different seasons
The text on this page reads: "Ever notice how you can tell a lot about a person by what they have in their handbag? Is it schedules and parking stubs or fairy dust and theater tickets? I believe that our handbags manifest themselves in us- A really scary theory not yet substantiated by any well-known university. But a theory nonetheless.
What's in YOUR handbag? Here's a little one that you can write healing, happy thoughts in - so we can test our Theory of Handbag Manifestation."
I would always encourage my friend to be strong - Be a Woman Warrior.
Making a "ransom note" poem from the L. L. Bean catalog was great fun.
We both love Day of the Dead and I had to include this happy little dog skeleton
I don't remember how many pages I ended up making. But I had a great time doing it and she had a great time using it to keep her mind off her fear.
Do you have a space where you can get creative? Let me know what you have made.
5 comments:
Cindee I'm just creative in the garden these days - I used to do patchwork and quilting but I don't have time to do those things much these days. I'm trying now to express my creativity through photography now........... but I used to use scrapblog (when it once was free!)and made a special memory scrapblog of my dear friends daughter who died and I made a collection of her photos from a baby in a digital scrapbook and then placed the individual pages on youtube with music
Cindee, What a wonderful way to have a conversation with your friend. I also enjoyed your blog intro where you recognize the strong women in your life.
Lisa
The book you made for your friend is beautiful and filled with meaning. She must treasure this special gift. You are very creative - no doubt another reason you are drawn to gardening and do such a good job of it.
Cindee...those are absolutely beautiful pages! What a gift of love and creation for your friend. How is she now? My friend who had leukemia is celebrating 5year remission this week. I know the suffering you went through as her friend. I wrote poems for my friend. Your artwork is very complex and pleasing to the eye. I LOVED your found poem in the catalog!!!! That is fun to do...I did one with the New York times...it's amazing the poems that are hidden......within us
I love your thoughts and attitude. I am totally going to analyze my handbag :)
- and have always thought of myself as a woman warrior-
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