Thursday, August 07, 2008

Journaling Phat!



I love looking through altered books, common place books and journals, especially art journals that are fat and bulging with colour and texture.
It gives me quite a buzz to handle them, and gets my mind racing with possibilities.


That book shown in the Jamie At Home show makes me drool! (You all know I am slightly obsessed with Jamie)
I WANT THAT BOOK! It's a combination journal/cookbook/sketch book and it's beautiful. It makes me break the commandment about coveting. I don't want your ass, but I DO want that book.
Unless I make my own (and I am thinking about it) it's just one of those dreams that I will never fulfill...holding it in my hands and flipping through the pages covered in little sketches and photos and probably oily drips.

*sigh*

I don't even know if it really exists. It may be a digital construction.
That would be terrible.
If you know for a fact that it's not a paper and paste, non-acid-free construction of real molecules, please don't tell me.
I don't want to know.
I prefer to live in my fantasy world. It's pretty here.
The birds are singing.
Thank you.



In the real world, I am on my way to having a phat (in the style of the Pointy Hat Art Posse) journal of my own. Sarah's Soul Journaling continues to inspire me, and with her away soaking up loads of inspiration herself, which I'm sure her generous self will share with all her loyal fans, I've been coming up with my own prompts and creating more pages of heft and hue.



The weight of this journal is starting to be very pleasing in my hand. It doesn't close (that's a good thing) and each page stirs up a maternal, or at least contemplative, feeling as I look through it's pages.

Do you Soul Journal? What are your books looking like? I've been looking at LOTS of examples, and seeing your progress, but mostly of individual pages. If you would leave me a comment with a link to the outside of your book, with it's fat, phat pages, I'd love to have a peek.
It will keep me from wallowing in despair over Jamie's. Thanks!

12 comments:

Anne said...

Hi, Arlene! I just got started doing my own Soul Journal, following Sarah Whitmire's prompts. I am having so much fun! You can see my progess by following the link to my blog, Gaal Creative. If you'd like to trade blog links, please e-mail me! :-)

Anne said...

Hi again, Arlene! Thanks for the yummy comments you left me on my blog! I've linked from my blog to yours (in my new "Art and Soul Journalers" section). Thanks for agreeing to trade links! :-)

Anne said...

Thanks for e-mailing me! (I tried to e-mail you back, but I got an over quota message. Could just be the thunderstorms we're having here ... my internet is wonky!) And thanks for trading blog links. I am having so much fun today, while my journal dries, looking at everyone else's journals! What fun!

Kathryn Costa said...

I'm drooling too! I don't have my cover or the book as a whole photographed, not yet. When I do I will be certain to share it with you.

Thanks for swinging by my blog and leaving lovely comments!

xoxo k

Kim Mailhot said...

Hi Arlene,

Your post made me think about my journal in a whole new light. The journal I chose to use was what I had on hand the day I found Sarah and not really ideal, more of a writing journal with thick pages. Anyway, I was thinking how stupid it looks with the thick gessoed pages that don't close and even some papers hanging out here and there. But after reading your thoughts and seeing how beautiful your jornal looks standing up proudly, I started to love mine more and more... it is like the book is too small to hold all the fun, the ideas, the emotion that have gone into it. Thanks to you, I have embraced it's bulkiness ! And, I think it definitely deserves a great cover ! I will work on that while I am on vacation !!!!
Thanks for your sweet comments ! Your visits make me smile !
Cheers,
Kim

Christy said...

I visited Jamie's page but darn it I didn't see the book. Now of course I can sit and imagine what it must be like that you would covet the book over that boys butt which must look pretty darn good?! LOL
Your book looks fabulous displayed. Mine is apart and your going to have to wait to see it until we are done!
Here's to hoping that book is real!

arlene said...

Hi Kathryn,

I can't wait to see it! Will it be phat?

xo arlene

arlene said...

Helooo Kim,

Phat is where it's at girl! LOL Have a great time making more messy, wonderful fun while you're away! I can't wait to see it!
And I am just using a composition journal from the dollar store. That's what I had on hand too. It's the heart that really shows!
xo arlene

arlene said...

Hi Christy,
The book is amazing...you have to watch the show to see it. It's only on his "Jamie At Home". You'll recognize it right away. But I warn you..you can dream about it...and obsess!
Can't even WAIT to see your book put together!
xo arlene

Mescrap said...

Hi, I'm also one in the Soul Journal Team. Ya, I love to see the fat & bulging with colour and texture Journal. Mine, still long way to go to get such effect :)

Mary S. Hunt said...

i have enjoyed this experience all the way around...i am catching up but
it will definitley be up on the blog as i go and when it gets done standing as your is
i love books like that too!!
PHAT..i like the spelling of this word as well!
:-)

Catharina Maria said...

Hallo I am learning to make a art journal and i love it .
I think and hope that it will be a fat journal likes yours ;o)
Rini