Bookish Mary

HAPPY NEW YEAR  Up, up and away, it's the beginning of a new year and a new decade.  What a fabulous time to seek out new opportunities and make new friendships.  So I am starting out this year with a couple of new boxes.   PENCIL BOX  I found this beautifully decorated paper at my favourite paper store in Ottawa.  This box originally started out to be a Japanese hidden compartment box.  I realized it was much too deep for my purpose, so I reinvented it into a pencil and pen box.  I have been keeping the pens and pencils in a cotton bag, however, getting the one I wanted out of the bag, at times, required pulling out more than one instrument.  So, when I completed this box, I stashed my pens, pencils, erasers and pencil sharpeners in it.  It's the perfect size and pretty to look at too.  the box lid  JAPANESE HIDDEN COMPARTMENT BOX  I usually make a couple of these...

Autumn is upon us, the leafs on the trees have changed colours and are covering the ground with their beauty.  The days are shorter and cooler.  The fog comes more frequently, mingling and lingering over the city, the advent of the long winter sleep to come.  Creativity never sleeps, it moves through the seasons, with me and brings new and exciting opportunities.  Here are some of my new creations that have been brewing over the year and have finally come to fruition.   PAINTED BOOK COVERS  This past spring I tried a new technique for book covers. I used cold wax mixed with oil paints on gesso board.  Using a palate knife I created four abstract paintings.  They have been drying since then and finally they were ready for the books.  Here are three of them, one more to be completed.  Sunrise   Coptic bound using a kettle stitch.   There was a very large product stamp across the back of the...