Junk Journaling - My Current Obsession

My Favorite Junk Journalers

What is a Junk Journal and How Do You Make One?

I've made my Junk Journal, now what do I DO with it?

365 Days of Junk Journal Ideas

Themes for Junk Journals

Artsy Pages I Can Actually DO!

Bits & Bobs - Small Ephemera to stick here & there

Card Holder Junk Journal

Using Circle Punches

Clusters are Fun and Easy!

Dangles for Your Junk Journal

Gelli Printing Ideas

Gluebooks

Masterboards and What to Do with Them

No-Sew Accordion-Style Junk Journals

One Page Wonders (using 12 x 12 paper)

Page Ideas

Paper Clips - both hidden and brazenly showing!

Using Paper Napkins in Junk Journals

Using Playing Cards in Junk Journals

Creating Pockets for Junk Journals

Used Postage Stamps as Ephemera

Creating Snippets from Scraps

Tags, Tags, Tags...and Journaling Cards...and Inserts...and Tuck-Ins

Whimsical Houses

Misc. Junk Journal Ideas

Hexie & Crumb Quilted Potholders

I'm having fun making crumb blocks today, and decided to make them into potholders.  I was watching a few YouTube videos of different ways that people attempt  crumb quilting, when I came across these two ideas.  Love, love, love the idea of turning a hexie flower into a potholder!!!  My next project...

  

Thank you Laughing Duck, for both these ideas!

Let's Use Up All Those Scrappy Strips!

Yup, decided to start a scrappy strip quilt.  I've got a huge basket of them.  I'm pulling out little strings and kids' fabrics to save for baskets and a baby strip quilt and chucking anything that is just too teeny tiny.  I've got to stop saving every little scrap!

I've decided on a couple of things:
8/5 inch blocks: I can use my leftover 8.5 x 11 printed-on-one-side scrap paper to make the foundation pies.  Easy peasy.

Center strip of a white (any white) 2-inches wide so that some sort of design will play out when I start putting the quilt together.

Size?  Not too big - must decide who this is being made for!  But it's fun and easy.

I have the iron on a towel to the right of my machine so that I can iron each piece as I add it, with my iPod reading me a book (The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths right now) I can make one or two before getting bored and going on to something else.

Number of squares made yesterday and today:  6

Zentangle Untangled - Kass Hall

Inspirantion and Prompts for Meditative Drawing
North Light Books, 2012
128 pgs.
$24.99 TPPL
Goodreads Rating:  3.62
My rating:  3/Liked it

I found the subtitle a little misleading,   - at least the "prompts" part.  I'm not sure what was meant by that, I don't really consider there are prompts, exactly, here.  However, I did learn from - and enjoy - this book - primarily as a gallery.  It's fun to see finished products that aren't part of instruction.  There are 12 tangles that are showcased, including 8 by the author and her friends.  Half the book is about adding color to your tangles, and her take is interesting.  I wouldn't consider this a beginning book, but one in which you can enjoy the art and the artist's thoughts.

Goodreads Summary:  Unwind, Tangle and Relax!In "Zentangle Untangled," Kass Hall introduces you to the fun and relaxing \doodling\" process of Zentangle(c)--an engaging art form that uses repetitive patterns to create striking works of art that anyone can achieve regardless of age or artistic ability.

Following an explanation of the Zentangle(c) process, inside you will find 12 step-by-step demonstrations showing you how to create enticing tangle patterns, followed by several examples of how to add eye-popping color to your pieces, as well as fun ways to use tangles in your art journals. Captivating pieces from Kass and a slew of other artists will further satisfy your craving for inspiration!

Mexico & Central America - Mary C. Turck

A Fiesta of Cultures, Crafts, and Activities for Ages 8-12
Chicago Review Press
$14.95
148 p.
Published 2004
A must have if teaching Mexico or Central America - you could base your entire unit on this book

40+ Projects
3 Short dramatic plays
Maps and loads of information about past and present, culture, history, politics
Don't be decieved by the format, this looks like a craft and activity book. Yes, it's full of both, but it's also chock full of information and history written in a clear, informative, INTERESTING way!

Chapter titles:
1. Ancient Roots (particularly Maya and Aztec)
2. Country by Country (informative map and information about each):
....Mexico
....Belize
....Costa Rica
....El Salvador
....Guatamela
....Honduras
....Nicaragua
....Panama
3. Life Above the Clouds (Contemporary lifestyle)
4. On the Atlantic Coast (African and Indian influences)
5. Going to school (looks at schools in Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala)
6. Art and Poetry
7. Daily Grind: Corn and Coffee (Food, Agriculture)
8. Celebrating Life (family celebrations)
9. Religious and Patriotic Holidays

SPANISH lessons and vocabulary throughout (at least once per chapter)
Much information about Hurrican Mitch (Oct. 1998)
Quincenareas
Border crossings and immigration
Large resource list

Some activites I plan to do in the first month of school:
Creating an Aztec calendar
Creating a hieroglyphic name for yourself
Map-making
Soap carving
Music makers: Drums/maracas/guiros/claves
Making a mola
Yarn Painting
Murals - and Diego Rivera
Poetry writing
Tree of Life (I've seen some beautiful ones, this gives ideas for making one...)
Papel picado (cutting paper)
Making a pinata
Luminarias !Ojo de Dios (God's eyes)