Rapid Movement

I seem to be in a constant state of motion when I am not asleep. I get up go to school, go to work, the gym, do homework and repeat. Sometimes I spend a few minutes working on my grad school application or making a small piece of a book as my schedule allows. I'm not as far along as I would like to be for my grad school application but this is dead week- which isn't dead at all 3 papers, 1 "mid-term", and my final portfolio all happen this week and then finals next! After finals it's full speed ahead with my GRE's, making my book for submission, and cranking out my essay- phew.

I was hoping to be better prepared for the holiday season on Etsy but I'll make due with what I have. This weekend was good for me and I hit a milestone of 70 sales! I did managed to get 2 new journals completed and listed this weekend, one already has a new home and the other is a lovely burgundy recycled leather journal.

This Friday the company I work for will be hosting an opening for a show of a friend and coworker of mine Percy Appau. He's been working on an exhibit of Dogon Fusion African Art work. If you live in Eugene the reception will be this Friday the 5th from 5pm-9pm at the 5th Street Market on the upper level at Swahili. Percy will be on hand to answer any questions you might have and we will be serving African Wines and Teas. Click on the flier for more information if you are interested in joining us for a good evening!

Sweet Music

Music is the theme for my local bookarts exchange this month and as I've always wanted to learn to make a piano hinge book, so I did! My first attempt is the top book with the music notes on the cover, that one is going to the exchange, the bottom I'm not sure what I'll do with. I'm still not happy with the cover attachment on either book. For the first I looped a skewer through just the cover and for the second I folded in the extra sections. I don't love either but can't seem to find a work around that I like- I'm also not sure which I like better at this point either.
Anyone out there have experience with these and care to chime in with advice?

In other book happenings I got another pair of my book earrings photographed and listed in my Etsy store. For some reason they are an absolute bear to photograph. Even with my macro lens they aren't in focus or comeout over exposed and washed out. The black backdrop seems to help some with the over exposing but as you can see from the little pic here it still happens pretty bad. It's on the agenda of things to find a work around for later this week. I've got to make it through midterms this week first!

I've got reaction mechanisims to get back to, I just wanted to share my piano hinge books despite the cover issues I really like them!

It's like Sunday....

For those of you not in the US it's Veterans Day here, which means for me a day off from school! Which makes it almost like a Sunday as I have to go back tomorrow, which makes this almost like my Sunday update!
I finally finished up a cute little leather journal I had been working on for ages and got it listed on Etsy today. I think it's blue, my husband thinks it's more a green color. The first one that I sold at Bringfest the man who bought it also said it was green- maybe it's a male/female color issue. Either way I really like this journal. This particular remnant has stitch holes across the top flap and a small pen mark on the inside right flap. I think it gives it a nice recycled feel.
Next week is the tools of the trade sale at the UO Bookstore if you are local, it's 25% off anything in the basement (the art section) and they have lot's of vendors on the ground level doing activities and demonstrations. It's a fun time, so stop by Wendesday or Thursday if you are in the area.
In unrelated news I just got a phone call that I'm going to be an Aunt! That means that 2 of my good friends will be parents in the next year... I am in no rush at all but it does make me feel a bit old none the less.

Small Interuption in Regular Programming

Sorry to interrupt the regular programming on this blog but I'm just too excited to let this slide. I would like to send my warmest welcome to the newest President of the United States- Barack Obama!
I've had my two official campaign buttons for ages and I made myself some other unofficial buttons with my awesome button maker. The company I work for hosted an Obama party at our store and everyone I know has been a strong supporter of this campaign for change.

It's past my bed time here, but I'm still too excited for bed & I had to share my excitement with someone- or the world! It's just my husband and I here and we popped the champagne as soon as it was official and are both pouring over the interwebs to excited to sleep.
Hopefully I haven't scared off any readers....
I promise books next time!

Sunday Girl

It seems that Sunday seems to be the day I'm finding myself having some breathing room to do the things I need to be doing that aren't school realted and some of the things I actually enjoy doing! The lovely new book to the right is one of those things I enjoy doing! This book is a wonderful treat for the fingers as the fabric is silky and soft, but as it's embroidered (not by me) it also has a wonderful texture.

I also cleaned my bathroom (yes I'm human after all) and spent a good portion of time today tearing my hair out trying to reconstruct and dust off my resume- It needed a good dusting, I had one version that had been updated to a .doc file but all the rest of my resume related files, job histories, references, and the like were all in .wps files. I also lost another patch of hair on trying to start my statement of purpose.

This frantic spur of work was brought on by a wonderful symposium I attended yesterday on the University of Oregon campus at the Jordan Schnitzer Art Museum. It was the Conservation Symposium Northwest 2008. I sat in for the first three sessions and had lunch with some bookarts friends. I was totally engrossed in the discussions of the ethical and moral dilema's presented in treatments and the treatments themselves. It was a moment of, Yes! I am really excited about this!

After that I called my Mom and worked on finishing up some covers for the folded brag books. They need to be reinforced and I need to match ribbon to them but I really like a lot of the paper and mat board choices I made :D
I also listed another mini frame album earlier in the week, this one is purple and out of no where I had a flash back to childhood tv shows and named this book "The Purple Pie Man". I'm trying to be more creative in the naming of my books and stop giving them descriptions for titles. We'll see how long it lasts....