Back to MJ's 32nd Book (International Fake Journal Month)

The fake journal has stolen my heart. Even though April is almost at an end I want to keep working in it for another month. Partly because April was so super busy, but mostly because I just love MJ's book!

I never had the illusion that I would fill the entire book and I still don't, but I do want to explore it further. I never knew keeping a fake journal would be so liberating!

Anyway, here are some new and updated pages from the book, plus a peek at the progress of the cover I'm making for it.

Wishing you all a wonderful and artsy week!

Getting back to myself

This afternoon I said goodbye to the last of the family visitors. I had a wonderful time and I was spoiled rotten, but I must admit it's nice to get back to myself and my quiet life again.

I sat on the couch to read and just take some deep relaxing breaths. My assistant joined me as I hardly was home in the past days and when I was my sister's dog was there also much too often for his liking. ;-)

And later today I went for a long beach walk. Of course my guests liked the beach too, but they are not such endless  wanderers as myself.

Now I will have a full three days to myself and I look forward to really get back to the fake journal and my own daily rythm.

Have a good weekend all!

Around here lately

Family visits, Easter and birthday stuff. Life is good.

Making patterned papers for MJ's 32nd Book (International Fake Journal Month)

Between me visisting my family, my family visiting me and the birthday happenings I hardly have had time to work on the fake journal. I do try to keep some momentum going however and the simplest way to do that it is to make pretty papers to serve as backgrounds and collage.

The easiest way for me to do that is to grab a small paper pad, a tiny box of watercolours and a waterbrush. In just a few minutes I can do a page with some lines on it. Or I can spread it out over several quicky sessions for the more elaborate ones. It's a lot of fun to do and it makes me feel like at least I'm doing something.

I'm doing these on my new found love: a calligraphy pad. The paper is absolutely fantastic! Smooth, light and yet capable of taking some wet media. I wouldn't do an elaborate wet in wet watercolour on it, but for just about anything else it works like charm. It doesn't buckle or anything.

The pad I use is A5 in size, so pretty small, but what I do after I finish a couple of sheets in the same colour scheme  is I make enlarged copies on a copy machine. That way the paper is big enough to serve as background paper in the journal.

It's really fun to make these simple matching papers and I'm thinking that MJ, being the handprinted fabric and paper designer that she is, would definitely get her kicks this way on busy days!

Wishing you all a wonderful and artsy week!

Giveaway winner!

One of the reasons I love doing giveaways is because it makes a lot of the invisible people crawl out of the woodworks to leave a comment. I like comments a lot, but I totally get why people don't do it as much as I would like to. I'm a lousy commenter myself. ;-) So by doing a giveaway all of a sudden you get to see some of your readers pop up as actual live people. I know you're out there, because I see the statistics, but sometimes it's nice to have actual proof, haha.

Anyway, without further ado, let's pick a giveaway winner!

There were a couple of you who didn't want the paper so I had to write the names down to make a list of those who did.

I totally understand by the way if you don't want to win the papers. I often don't respond to giveaways at all, because I have way too much stuff already. Nice of those who commented anyway to let me know and congratulate me for my birthday. It is much appreciated.

Now let's go to random.org and pick a number, shall we?

 

Number 19 is pipers1mom. Here's what she had to say:

 

 



Congratulations! Please mail me privately at c.m.j.winkelman[at]home.nl with your snail mail addy and the goodies will come your way. If you do not respond within a week I will draw another winner, but I just know you won't let that happen!

Over here I'm getting ready for a long family week. My oldest sister will arrive in a few hours with her husband, children, daughter in law and granddaughter. And Monday my other sister will arrive with her boyfriend and our cousin and her husband. We will be celebrating my birthday and they will be celebrating an Easter vacation. I look forward to it, even though it means there won't be much time for artsy stuff.

By the way the chocolate workshop was fantastic. Here's what I made:

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend and a Happy Easter!

More from MJ's 32nd Book (International Fake Journal Month)

A busy family weekend with lots of fun will soon be followed by a busy family week when they visit me on the island, so the fake journal does not get much time. But I am still enjoying it!

Here are some of the latest goings on in MJ's book.

PS Thanks for all the birthday wishes both here and on facebook and mail. Love you all!

PPS It's not too late to join the birthday giveaway (see previous post).

Birthday Giveaway - want some paper?

Hello my blogsy people!

Today is my birthday! As of today I'm 44 years old and another year closer to adulthood. Who knows one day I might actually reach that state and what a sad day that will be. ;-)

As has become tradition on my blog I'm doing a giveaway so you all can celebrate with me. Well one of you can, the rest can at least share in the anticipation that comes with receiving gifts.

This time I will be sharing from my enormous stash of pretty papers! I have so much paper I will never be able to use it all (but I do enjoy looking at it and sighing in delight from time to time), so giving some away seems as good a purpose for it as any.

Here's what you can win:

Eight big sheets of extra luxurious paper, size somewhere between A4 and A3, approx. 35x25 cm. (14 x 10 inches)

15 sheets of A4 paper. The top half has a smooth slick finish, the bottom half is more matted with some metallic details.

Eight sheets of this very happy colourful paper in A5 size.

15 sheets of this more subdued coloured paper in 15x15 cm (6x6 inches).

11 sheets of this lovely matching paper, also in 15x15 cm (6x6 inches).

I will probably throw in some extra's like little ephemera bits and stickers and such, but that will remain a surprise for the winner.

If you want to win this lovely paper package, all you have to do is leave a comment and a way to reach you online. Comment before April 18th, because on that day I will pick a winner randomly.
Please do check back, I will not chase you around the interwebs until you respond, ;-) If I cannot reach you within a week of choosing the winner I will pick another one. Those are the rules and that's that. ;-)

Hope you would like to win these goodies!

I will be going away to the main land for a birthday treat, because one sister and two nieces and I will be making chocolate bonbons from scratch in an actual bonbon making workshop! Sounds like delicious fun, doesn't it?

Wishing you all a wonderful and artsy weekend and may the most deserving commenter win!