Category Archives: Reviewettes

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Linkity returns!

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Reading Update
Art Journals and Creative Healing: Restoring the Spirit Through Self-Expression by Sharon Soneff. Ok book with example art journal pages from different women who used art journaling to help themselves through physical, mental, and spiritual challenges. I’ve never really understood the whole spiritual/religious thing; YMMV.
Art at the Speed of Life: Motivation and Inspiration for Making Mixed-Media Art Every Day by Pam Carriker. The best thing about this book is all the detailed information about making layered backgrounds for mixed media. Unfortunately, it also made me realize that I am probably not patient enough to make those sorts of backgrounds. Oh well. I started to skim about halfway through when I found myself nodding off.

“Hmm. You are definitely NOT MOM. But maybe you are ok anyway.” -Mayhem to the catsitter, apparently

Reading, Reviewettes

Back from Cleveland! Did you miss me? :)

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Congrats to DebraG, who won Duck! (2nd ed) by to Kim Dare!

I was in Cleveland for work from Tuesday midday until late evening yesterday. (The kitties were well cared for while I was gone, but they’re happy I’m home. That may still change to them being mad that I was gone, however.)

I saw the world’s largest outdoor chandelier and took a terrible picture of it:

The Comfort Inn we stayed at was only a block or two away from the chandelier and my coworkers and I decided it probably started life as something other than a Comfort Inn. This was our clue:

My coworkers were all on the third floor and all had these very unusual bathrooms. I stayed on the second floor and had a very normal bathroom (not pictured).

Reading Update
Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art by Quinn McDonald. I really liked this one – creative ideas to use in one’s journal, without a lot of focus on expensive materials and fancy techniques. As the author notes, “…a journal is the place to be free and imperfect…the place where being ‘you’ is enough.”

“…………zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…………………” -Chaos, for now content that I’m home

Art Journaling, Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity’s giving you plenty of warning that there won’t be linkity next week

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Don’t forget to enter the contest for Duck! (2nd ed) by Kim Dare! Contest closes 7 pm CDT, September 18.

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Reading Update
Sidney Crosby (3rd Edition) by J Alexander Poulton. While the writing in this book verged on painful at time, there were definitely tidbits in it that I hadn’t read anywhere else.

“No, I won’t look at you. If I look at you, you’re going to take my pictu… MOM!!! Stop that!” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity now comes in new bite-sized serving

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  • Because of said summer cold, linkity’s going to be a bit brief today – my brain is mush.

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Reading Update
Colored Pencil Collage: Nature Drawing and Painting for Mixed Media by Kelly Hoernig. The title choice is interesting – the author does use colored pencils in her collage work, but not really more than any other element she used. Anyway. I think this is a good book for getting the feel of how to work collages in layers and (at a high level) how collage artists might use gesso, matte medium, ephemera, etc. However, this isn’t a book I’ll buy to have on hand for reference or inspiration, either. YMMV.
Art Journal Courage: Fearless Mixed Media Techniques for Journaling Bravely by Dina Wakley. Lot of skimming through this one – I did make notes on some of the supplies and techniques she used, but her style involves a lot of faces (not what I’m interested in including in my journal) and, apparently, using orange and fuchsia over and over and over.
Visual Chronicles: The No-Fear Guide to Creating Art Journals, Creative Manifestos and Altered Books by Karen Dinino & Linda Woods. Although the writing style is Very! Exuberant!, I did get a few good ideas from this one. There were also things I didn’t connect with at all, like the whole Personal Palette concept. Please note that the authors have a fairly minimalist style in terms of art journaling.
Journal Revolution: Rise Up and Create Art Journals, Personal Manifestos and Other Artistic Insurrections by Karen Dinino & Linda Woods. The writing style got to me a lot more in this one, especially with the strained “revolution” theme the authors were trying to use. All of that made it nearly impossible to sort out the few actually useful and interesting tidbits.

“Clean foot, clean foot, I’m going to have such a clean, clean foot!” -Mayhem

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Linkity largesse

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Reading Update
Living Out Loud: Activities to Fuel a Creative Life by Keri Smith. Ok short activity book about how to bring more creativity into your life, which apparently involves a lot of stickers and vaguely New Agey sentiments. I did like the directions (page 61) for how to make a wee book from a single sheet of paper.
Collage, Paint, Draw: Explore Mixed Media Techniques and Materials by Sue Pelletier. Ok collage how-to book that’s not particularly relevant to collage for art journaling, as it focuses on creating works that are not flat. (I don’t see myself using plaster-of-paris or 18-gauge wire in my art journal.) Plus I found the artist’s style repetitive – mostly dresses, Mary Janes, and birds.

*continuing to be enthralled* -Chaos

(Spoiler: It’s a branch. Not a bird. Not a squirrel. A branch.)

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Leonardo da Linkity

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Congrats to Karen M, who won The Rainbow League series by Kate McMurray – including the third book, The Long Slide Home, which is being released today by Dreamspinner Press.

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Reading Update
The Annihilation Score (Laundry Files #6) by Charles Stross. A very good addition to the series, this book was from Mo’s perspective (instead of Bob’s) as her life changes direction abruptly – possibly more than once even. Life is unpredictable when you wield a possessed violin made from human bone… I can’t help but notice that many of the lower ratings on Goodreads are from men and have to wonder a bit about that, what with this book having a strong female protagonist. :/

“Why are all of you upside down again?! You’re just so silly!” -Mayhem

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In which there IS actually linkity this week!

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Congrats to Jamie, who won Redemption (Diversion #5) by Eden Winters! Redemption will be released by Rocky Ridge Books on August 8.

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Reading Update
Artists’ Journals and Sketchbooks: Exploring and Creating Personal Pages by Lynne Perrella. Very good idea book/peek into the art journals of a number of artists. What’s particularly interesting about this book is it was published in 2004 – apparently the term “art journal” was just gaining traction.
Drawing from Life: The Journal as Art by Jennifer New. Very good look into the journals of 31 people whose journals fuel their creativity and work. Many of the contributors aren’t artists per se – an engineer, a volcanologist, a gardener, travelers – but all the journal excerpts are highly individual and artistic. Also, the book’s graph-paper themed pages give the impression that the book itself is a journal.

“I like these books. They are my books now. You can’t return them to the library, Mom.” -Mayhem

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The cats ate linkity!

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Congrats to Curlyq, who won Immutable by Becky Black!

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Reading Update
Journal Spilling: Mixed-Media Techniques for Free Expression by Diana Trout. Very good overview of art journaling techniques, complete with prompts at the end. “Spilling” refers to writing (or creating an art entry) without thinking about it – basically stream-of-consciousness. I liked this book enough that I’ve ordered a used copy for myself.
Painted Pages: Fueling Creativity with Sketchbooks and Mixed Media by Sarah Ahearn Bellemare. This was ok – it focused on creating mixed media works, with a sketchbook being one of the tools to get there. After reading perhaps the first third without any of it resonating with me, I skimmed the rest. I do love how her work looks – it turns out that some pretty journals I just bought had covers with her art on them. 🙂

“Can’t we have the windows open and the air conditioning on, Mom?! I’m just too warm and sleepy to enjoy the open windows otherwise.” -Mayhem

Pretty sure she’s had that actual thought. 🙂

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Name your own linkity!

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Congrats to Idamus, who won Dancing Days by Clare London!

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Reading Update
The Beautiful Mystery (Three Pines #8) by Louise Penny. Good continuation of the series, with much less angst than I was expecting based on the previous book… at least initially. Let’s just say I’m eying the next book anxiously and suspiciously… This was the first book that had only the briefest reference to Three Pines – it mostly takes place at a remote Quebec monastery.
Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects by Bee Shay. Pretty much what it says on the tin! I liked the examples of the various experiments – I’ll definitely refer back to this one when I want to do a photo transfer using gel medium, for example. What I didn’t like was the tacit art knowledge that seemed to be required throughout the book.

“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Linkity linkity link, Reading, Reviewettes

Linkity’ll larn you

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Congrats to Angela, who won Flashbulb (Flight HA1710 #3) by Clare London!

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Reading Update
Art Journal Art Journey: Collage and Storytelling for Honoring Your Creative Process by Nichole Rae. Ok book probably best suited for someone getting started with art journaling who prefers a minimalist text and photograph style without much additional color. (So, not me.)
Bury Your Dead (Three Pines #6) by Louise Penny. The series continues with this slow-building story about fallibility, the power the past holds, and healing.
The Hangman (Three Pines #6.5) by Louise Penny. This novella was written for a series of books for Canadian adults with reading difficulties. So the fact that it isn’t written in Penny’s usual style and that it could be set at almost any time during the series makes a lot more sense now. Feel free to skip this novella entirely.
A Trick of the Light (Three Pines #7) by Louise Penny. This installment suggests there’s a lot of personal and emotional trauma coming in Book 8 for many of the main characters. I’m already feeling anxious about it! 🙁

“Can’t I be melted in peace, Mom?” -Mayhem