for a friend...

my friend ellen asked me to make her a little book.  small, without a cover, a mix of handmade paper and artist paper...the rest is up to you, she said.  there's something kind of nice about being given artistic freedom like that...

so, i thought on it for a few days, changed my mind several times and this is what i decided on.  i really like the natural and rough edges.  

i also like that it has no cover...the handmade paper is so beautiful, it needs to be seen. 

the simple coptic binding makes it open nice and flat so she will be able to write in it easily.  the tattered piece of silk was an afterthought...it needed just that one little thing to make it shine.

i think i am in love with this little book.  and i hope she likes it too...

always...

"Never lose faith in yourself, and never lose hope; remember, even when this world throws its worst and then turns its back, there is still always hope."

-Pittacus Lore, The Power of Six

always...

the love letter...

a couple of years ago, at christmas time, a man asked me to make him a journal.  he was going to gift it to his new wife .  he wanted to use it to write notes and letters back and forth...to create a record of their love that they could treasure forever.  that story touched my heart...i'm a sucker for good love stories.  i made him a lovely journal and that was that.  but sometimes i still think about that journal.  i wonder if they kept it up.  if they are still in love.  i think yes.  so, in honor of their love i created a little journal i've called "the love letter".  you can find it here.

***

"Every great love starts with a great story..."

Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook  

brave...

remember:  you're braver than you believe, 

and stronger than you seem,

and smarter than you think.

-christopher robin (a.a. milne)

in the beginning of my creative life, i made dolls.  elaborate little creations...fairies and magical beings.  my favorite part and the part i always saved for last, was the creating of the face.  it was like magic, seeing my hours of labor come to life.  i imagine that's how pinocchio's dad felt.  if you like this brave warrior princess she can be yours...