In an earlier post, I described the collage and journaling workshop that my friend Pat and I attended at the Mind Science Foundation. The facilitator was Jennifer Martin, a wonderful artist, photographer, writer and designer. We made plans to visit each others’ studios and share ideas – we did that very thing today! Our houses and studios were so much alike that it was almost eerie, but somehow each of us expected that. Here are some photos from Jennifer’s home and studio. I loved everything about her work – she “gifted” me with a lovely photo card of one of her spiral motif textiles. I learned a lot about foil screening, a technique I’ve not used before but definitely want to try. In the book Art and Fear, artists are encouraged to seek out other like-minded artistic people, and I can see why – visiting with Jennifer affirmed the value of creativity and collaboration.

It’s easy to make your own e-reader or journal cover – here are the basics for construction.
1. Cut three pieces of mat board or corrugated cardboard or any other sturdy fiberboard. The front and back covers match, each measuring 8.5” by 5.75” (these measurements are for the Kindle 1&2 or a 5×8” notebook). Cut another skinny piece for the spine measuring 8.5” x .75”.

2. Arrange them together in a straight line horizontally, leaving a small space between the covers and the center spine piece. Tape them together carefully. I love using transparent duct tape. It’s strong, flexible and non-toxic.

3. Cut a piece of decorative paper at least an inch wider all around than your book base and glue the cardboard to the paper, centering it.

4. Cut the corners at a 45 degree angle to the edges of the board. Cut vertical slits at the spine from the outside to the edge of the board. Fold everything in neatly and glue it.

5. Turn the covered board over and fold the cover in a out a few times to make sure they open and close well. Now comes the fun – lay the cover flat and collect your collage materials. You can use tissue paper, magazines, or your own photos that you have printed out on plain paper on your computer. Think about coordinating colors and themes.

6. When you are satisfied with your cover design, cover the inside with a piece of decorative paper slightly smaller than the outside of the cover. Cover a separate piece of board, 8.25×5.5” with more paper, and tie elastic cord at the top and bottom, wrapping it around and fastening it at the back. Glue this piece which will hold you e-reader or notebook to the right inside cover.

7. There are a lot of ways to fasten your book – simple ribbon works, as do buttons. I use gold and silver elastic cord that attaches to the back and stretches over the clasp at the front cover edge.

8. When you are finished, it’s a good idea to spray your collaged cover with a clear acrylic finish made especially for paper and available at craft stores.

You are welcome to look at my covers on my Etsy Gallery to get ideas. If you make a special one that you’d like to share, email a photo to me and I’ll post it on my blog.

When my friend Pat Semmes attended the Epiphany collage and journaling workshop with me, she had not been involved in many hands-on art activities, but she had an instinctive feel for images and color, as you can see in her collage on the left. The original measures abour 12×21″ and is mounted to stand like a tryptich screen on the desk in her office. She also wrote a poem, below, that impressed and moved the group as much as her images did. You can read more about the workshop in this previous post.

Every Bird has his Day
by Pat Semmes

The lilies form patterns like Monet
On the lake of happiness.

Penguin beak up to the sky
Asking God’s grace
Through the ice and snow of life.

Life’s pattern is a circle –
Figures go round and round
In perpetual motion
As sun rise and sun set.
Sliding, gliding
Under water comfort.

The tree of life
Giving and taking and stretching out
Over ground nestled in ferns near its felled self.
Upside down images flowing
Like incense from the glass vase.

Circle of shapes –
Protect us on life’s journey

A Water Lily Lives …

This is an accidental discovery – I was masking off an area to apply some gold leaf when I realized that the tape was cooler than the area the leaf stuck to. So I made some gold-leafed masking tape – it’s a great collage embellishment. Here’s how – tape strips of masking tape to waxed paper, spray it all lightly with 3M adhesive, apply the gold leaf, then let dry. You can strip it off cut it and trim it, and just stick it on any place. It ends up being a heck of a lot more expensive than regular masking tape, so don’t wrap packages with it!