'Come On Baby, Let's Get Away!'

'I wanna take you on aBe ... Dream ... Play ... inspired escapade.' loosely quoted Janet Jackson lyric!

This is a tribute post to Ms. Elizabeth Bunson, to whom I shall very soon propose marriage, if for no other reason than to have her photographs and journal pages in the family! I spent all weekend reading her blog, start to finish, not once, but twice. So I'm modeling this post, this once, after her way of posting (photos, a little chatting, close-ups of pages, then the pages themselves) -- with a huge thank you and confessions of true love. Ian's marigold, Ian's photo, which kick-started this entire day/attitude for me. Here she comes, my partner in gallivanting! Tootsie huddle. Zen shimmer. No way, too hot for yard work! But aren't rakes photogenic? especially these wooden-tined babies! Like a vintage post card.
Been a long time since I rock and rolled THIS stuff. Tempting, I must say -- but I'm today's designated driver. Sassy gloves for suds-diving. Lemons, the current theme of my kitchen. Gleaming copper ... mmmmm (or pot tails?)
Eye candy everywhere! Really got us working up an appetite. Oops! How did THAT get in here? MOTHER?!!!! Waiting for the doors to open. Waiting to order. No waiting HERE! Key lime cheesecake for My Lovely Mother; Kahlua Cocoa Coffee cheesecake for moi. (Julie, please note that ALL the whipped cream ended up on my saucer, and down my hatch. Ahhhhh ... whipped cream - not just for the bedroom or the cafe latte!) A feathered friend, table top. Swirly wine-bottle tops in a rainbow of colors. Golden shimmers in clear vases.

Evidence of Escapades

In this morning's post, you saw one of these backgrounds bare. In the style of Elizabeth Bunson ...
I have 'Be ... Dream ... Play' 'd my way over top of the backgrounds with ephemera and photos from My Lovely Mother's and my escapade today. Wish you all could've been there!

'Ya Don't Tug on Superman's Cape ...'

'ya don't spit into the wind
ya don't pull the mask off the Ole Lone Ranger,
& ya don't mess around with Jim'.
**Jim Croce, of course**

Heard this song coming home from work last night, wrote it in my journal, then dreamed it, so while it has veritably nothing to do with this post, I wanted to share. Do you all have it in your brain now? (Hey, it could be worse, I coulda done like Double BB does to me, waking me up with TV theme songs, especially Green Acres -- then I go about humming the thing all day!!)

Yes, of COURSE I've been journaling since I got back -- started a brand new journal, in fact, upon my return -- talk about grand timing there! What will all the England picture posting (and I'm not done yet), journal backgrounds kinda got pushed to the side. I've missed posting them, though, and since I'm under an entire barrage of new ideas/influences/techniques, I decided to make them my focus this morning. Later this morning, My Lovely Mother and I are going gallivanting - our first escapade since our return -- moseying through such as Pottery Barn and Borders, lunch at The Cheesecake Factory, and much much kvetching about jobs (mine AND hers). We've both 'had a week' and she called a lunch forum. From Anthropologie -- this photo kicked off my call for kitchen pics - just wanted to share. Many many pages done like this in the last few weeks, under the 'England' influence, using my own photos as the basis and accents. Does everyone else already know about this blog? Be ... Dream ... Play ... because I didn't, until I saw it linked on Beth's sidebar and went exploring. Elizabeth Bunsen is her name, EB; she is my new journal page inspiration of all inspirations -- she does exactly what I have been trying trying trying to do -- a delicious, colorful, exuberant melding of visuals with words, and photographs to make my CRY!!! with response ... all I can say is GO LOOK: here. and here. and here. So last night I did a serious attempt at modeling my layout after her pages. Side 2. Long way to go, but I GET it, how a single word or phrase is enough, just like in my travel journal from England. All images from an Anthropologie catalog. Glue down images, sand entire page, then Bombay ink color washes. Love the etched, aged feeling I get doing that. My new obsession: color blocks, with an image peeking through. This is an exercise designed by Juliana Coles, to use 'repetition' in images (sizes, the image itself), to create visual journal pages reflective of somethin' goin' on in me. I used a few images of myself, and several others I already had punched out. Side 2, larger images but still repetitive in size. I did this exercise in my current journal, but I think I'll separate them into another book going forward.

I'm off to peruse EB's blog a WHOLE lot more/longer ... it's a place in which to get lost, true story!

Travel Journal - Peep Show II

Sketches: still life from Ian and Traudel's dining room table; Traudel watching TV. This sketch resembles Traudel MUCH more so than my sketch of Ian (following). But he was a good sport about that! Yorkshire tea label from Traudel (that woman is an ACE at collecting bits -- I swear I'm going to take her on every one of my journeys!); list of birds seen in Ian & Traudel's garden: goldfinch, siskine, blackbird (male & female), sparrow, dove, robin, pigeon (clean and plump, NOT like the detestable Phoenix pigeons), blue tit; sketch of Ian's wooden shed and bird feeder (preferred by the doves). Toni sketches: Ian in his Ian chair; and the gorgeous extension Ian built onto their house, as seen from my garden roost. Where the cat sticker already was, in the book, there actually live tomato plants in front of the brick, under the window. Ian had to go visit his doctor to treat a sinus infection that was causing him enormous dizziness (drainage to his ear) ... I snagged the pharmacy bag (ha!) Ian found a job op for me! And a page of notes. Teabag label from tea at Sawrey House; brochure image I love (winged creatures!), flour bag bit from the recycle bin at our B&B, The Mount. Calling card from Derwent Lodge Hotel, where I had fish and chips!! Ticket found in the parking lot; stickers from the Hilltop Farm gift shop, tissue from our room at The Mount, near Hilltop. Sticky letters from the car park for Hilltop Farm. We had tea, here, on the back terrace of Sawrey House, sitting at black wrought iron tables over to the right, in front of the glass extension ... Wallpaper bit from Sawrey House; paper treasures from brochures. From our walks in Keswick (said Kezzick) ... Klaus found me the whirlygigs (from what, an oak tree?) I hadn't seen those since leaving Maryland -- we used to trap them between our thumbs and whistle through them.

England Travel Journal - Peep Show - Scene 1

Drawings in the airport, en route to Chicago from Phoenix, and to Manchester from Chicago. Fuchsia blossom from Ian and Traudel's garden, and a sheet of etchings from gravestones, including the name EYRE. Ephemera items found on our walk to the 'surprise view', and the calling card from the cafe where I had my first scone with clotted cream! Various items from a day spent in Derbyshire with Ian and Traudel. Woman image from a brochure for an upcoming art event in Manchester. Ian saw this and said the woman's 'smarties' are showing -- can you figure out what that means? Butterflies to remind me of the two red and black winged lovelies that Traudel found, one of which let her catch it, then sashayed up her palm onto my finger, where it posed for a solid 30 seconds before flitting away. The swirly black stamps here are the re-entry stamps for Chatsworth. Calling card and bread stick wrappers from San Rocco, where we enjoyed a sumptuous Italian meal one evening, before going to meet Kurt, Alison and their family. Chatsworth receipts, ticket, sugar packet, calling card from our lunch spot in Derbyshire, receipt from post office where I bought Air Mail stickers and postcard stamps! Top and bottom: images from Chatsworth brochures which evoke the sensations and moods I felt there. Blue and gold foils are from the candies Traudel handed around in the car as we drove!