I finished my little journal booklet a la Teesha Moore, who by the way has just added 8 or 9 videos detailing her journaling techniques to HER BLOG. Fascinating. I love watching other people deep in thought about their collage habits.
My journal zine booklet thing is going to document my week in and out of the classroom. The craft punks were dumbstruck.
The most rambunctious kid in the class was silenced for a full 94 seconds when she picked it up during recess to have a closer look.
We’re going to make journals like this. Shhhhh don’t tell anyone. It’s our secret.
She stared at me. Mouth open wide. No words coming out. Then…
It looks hard.
Everything looks hard if you don’t know how to do it. I’m going to show you.
You will?
Our versions will be constructed out of a dazzling mountain of scrapbook paper donated by you, kind readers. And collage bits, magazines, and other stuff. We’re going to start this week. Shhhhhhhh…
In my pamphlet journal I used blown up photos of some of my old visual journal pages as my base collage. Then I added other bits over the top. Next, spraypaint, stencils, some writing. You know, the usual routine.
I randomly added days. I’ll write in those spots on that day of the week. Naturally they aren’t in order. You would be surprised at how no-duh kinds of thought processes (like keeping the days in order) completely fly under my radar at times. I came to after I’d glued them all down. Then cheerfully disregarded the mild urge to do it again.
I dig this little 3-hole pamphlet stitch. In my continuing education on book-binding I’ve discovered that the smaller the signature the easier to bind. If you saw the size of the signatures in some of my older journals you’d think:
You got the needle through THAT?
And with a woeful look on my face I’d nod my shaggy head up and down and squeak out a very small,
“yes.”
It would be wrong of me to end this post without a proper weather report from the city of angels. Wouldn’t it?
65 degrees. Winds from the West at 2 m.p.h. Visibility 6 miles. Tomorrow another hot 85 degrees like today. Sweet dreams.
As always, your journal is great! You have such an amazingly fantastic style and I love it. Those kids are so lucky! I’d almost be willing to go back to grade school if I could have you for a teacher!
Great work 🙂
And yep, like someone already said – You are very talented.
Well, great work as usual. I loved the videos too. I am going to make one.
Mary Ann–your book looks fantastic! I wish I could be there to bask in all that journal making goodness when you start up with the kiddos this year…they are lucky to have you! Let me know if you need more paper, xoxo, Sara
These are just awesome, such wonderful eye candy! Please resend your addy. I somehow managed to wipe out the entire contents of my email box (see blog!) and your address was in that pile. I have a box ready to go!
Wonderful journal. Thanks for turning me on to Teeshas journal videos. I’ve attended her PLAY retreat(loved it) and have seen her in real life action. But the videos are great to get the juices re-flowing.
There you go, inspiring me again 🙂 thank you! One of my biggest triumphs with journaling came when I stopped trying to be chronological with the days/dates. I think you’ll love not being “in order”.
Joining my voice to the chorus. The little seeds you are planting with those kiddos I just can’t imagine. I hope you’re still blogging in 10-20 years time to tell us what those kids tell you when they come back to find you and how you changed and opened up so many little doors in their lives. BRAVO!
Girl, you’re dancing circles around the rest of us. You finished that book in a weekend? Holy moly, I bow to your genius.
Wonderful, wonderful book! Oh, those craft monkeys are such fortunate kiddos to have you in their lives. They will remember you forever Mary Ann.
I’ve been watching Teesha’s videos too.
Mary Ann, how fortunate your kids are to have a teacher like you! Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord has great site on making books with kids, with lots of resources and templates and such, if you’re interested. She’s at: http://www.makingbooks.com/ . Can’t wait to see what your craft monkeys come up with.
Wonderful little book (and thanks for the heads up re: Teesha’s video’s). Those lucky little Monkeys…wish I had had a teacher like YOU!
Jacky xox
yum yummy yum!
Those rambunctious art makin’ monkeys have one heckuva teacher!!!!
love it – entirely!!
fab~yoo~lo~so!!!
xxx
oh yours looks so great. I have cut the paper on mine and got the pan pastels,,,,they are yummy, ….
oh yum and yum again! I keep tellin’ ya – a book on artists’ journals with kids – either for teachers or anyone who cares about kids. It is a formidable tool ( to help subvert & combat all those “accountability” pressures that are so inappropriate) but more sh-h-h-h-h- don’t tell.
i’ll help in any way I can – no! really!!