Meanwhile back at home....

What have I been up to?
Well, cleaning my studio for one thing....and it is a BIG job! A little daunting but once you start you have to keep at it, right?
I am making progress....
I will show you pictures when I'm finally done...

And, I've been whining a lot. San Francisco has been crazy hot.  And it isn't normal for us at all. My house has been so hot I haven't been able to sleep, or do much of anything.
But I see some fog rolling in now.....thank God.

I took a collage workshop with Molly Meng at SF Center for the Book. Lots of fun. She is a delightful instructor.

I went to a Typewriter Jam at SF Center for the Book too. TOO much fun. People came and brought their own typewriters and what beauties they were.
I think the biggest hot of the evening was the large type typewriter my friend Monica brought. SOOOOOOOOO cool. I sure would like one of those but it seems they are very hard to come by.

I've been making weekly trips to Scrap SF (the main reason my studio is in such dire need of cleaning and organizing). I found these old photo booklets and changed them up a little to make them Ephemera Sleeve Booklets. Pretty nifty way to organize you small bits for collage, don't you think?

OK, another reason for my overloaded studio is my trips to the SF Public Library book sales....I admit it....I don't usually buy bibles but when I opened it and found that hair inside....well, I could NOT resist. Don't you wonder about the story behind this? I sure do.

More from the library sale....I am repurposing books to make altered books and collages....I just love old, old papers.

Altered Book Show
The show closed and my piece sold.....I went up to Marin to see  the show....

Another wonderful collage workshop at Scrap SF taught by the  amazing Sally Wassink. Just look at those tables! We had such a great time and the hours just flew by.

I dragged out my old Big Shot and have been having fun with some creative die cutting....

My collages made at Sally's ScrapSF workshop

Sending out some mail art of course....

More die cutting (easy to do on a HOT day). I love using very old papers like these for the little bags...

OK, now I think I definitely deserve a gin and tonic....it's HOT and I have been SO good.
That's my story and I'n sticking to it.

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Let's Go to Chinatown!

With all the crazy weather we have been having here in SF, it hasn't been easy to get to Chinatown....but I have been determined to try..

You've gotta pick your days...
Things are rarely closed in Chinatown but Chinese New Year is the exception and a lot of places are closed for the holiday.

I went the day after (the first day of) Chinese New Year purposely...because I know what I will find all over the streets....

Lots of fire crackers wrappers and red papers and torn red envelopes. So many things to collage with....I only got a few odd looks while picking up trash...er...treasures off the sidewalk...
and I had to get there before it rained again and everything got soggy.

A lot of the paper displays are outdoors too so a rainy day wouldn't be ideal.

I'm sure you all know it's the Year of the Pig...
oink!!

Red envelopes with pigs on them are all over the place...I must have  red envelopes with all of the twelve animals on them...
I've been at this for a long time.

I love the joss paper shops -- inside the shop it is about 99% paper! Who doesn't love a shop filled with paper?

You need some new clothes?
Probably better to hang on the wall than try to wear though..

This paper outfit is quite fetching, don't you think?

Short on money? Here you go.

All kinds of pretty paper envelopes to choose from.

So, my rule is, if I bring it into my studio I've got to USE it. I have a vintage Chinese notebook and I am filling it with papers and photos from Chinatown...and...

I made a set of Chinese New Year artist trading cards and put them in a take out container a pal sent me...

I had fun using the papers I picked up and the fire cracker wrappers and even some pieces of the firecrackers I found...

So, today is a good day to post since it is pouring rain again...I'm glad I got to go to Chinatown in between storms...and now I have paper to play with on a rainy day.

Have you found anything interesting on the streets lately?
I'm always looking...

Gung Hay Fat Choy
&
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2019 Planner -- and Planners of the Past

I've got to have an old school planner. Yes, I have a smart phone and everything else but you know I like paper. But these ugly ones will never do.......I buy them every year at the Dollar Tree and then I dress them up!

I don't keep journals any more....too busy making collages and books and mail art....but these planners are the next best thing. They are fun to hold on to and look back at what you did -- or didn't do -- year after year. I try to do a lot.

The 2018 Planner is going to bed...

I make two... the smaller is for personal life planning and the larger is for art project planning...

For some reason, I like to wrap them up in a ribbon when the year is done...

I used to make a few of these for various friends but everyone told me that they don't use paper planners....really?
How can that be? We are paper lovers here. So, now I just make them for myself.
Maybe you will want to make one too.

This year I went with a Kraft paper and collage theme -- and I added tabs!

Those plain tabs were just a little...well, too plain... so I added some postage stamps on them. That looks better, doesn't it?

The inside cover of the art planner....

The back cover

These are the two I just finished up. 
A vintage rose on my personal planner..

Inside cover
I just finished them in time because I've got lots of things to write inside already...
(thanks to CJ for the Asian collage)

Like lunch dates!!!!
(This is pork belly ramen at Coco's in SF.)

And I have to write all the Vintage Paper Fair dates...of course! And friends are coming to visit SF and I am going to travel and there are those mail art meetings every month....
Lots of places to go and people to see!
So, what do you think? Are you a paper planner person?
You could do the same thing by covering a notebook and making lists! Did I mention I love lists?
Hummmmm....maybe I need another one for making lists?

So, what's in your plan?
Hope you have some fun things to look forward to and maybe some trips in planning stages.
I'll keep you posted!

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