Altered Books

Recently, I have been spending most of my creative time working on an altered book.  Part journal and part art, the medium suits me.  I realize that blogging is not really my medium.  I have not been able to enter into a relationship with the computer that is as immediate and passionate as the one I have with real materials:  cloth, paper, paint, scissors, glue, paper, buttons.   It is difficult to continue with this blog when my creative longings take me elsewhere.  It can, however, be a record of this other work that I do. So, here are some photos of my most recent project.  Let me know what you think.  I guess the important aspect of blogging is the relationship you create and nurture with others.

Credit card charm bracelets

                                                              
It seems like the nature of a blog is to go in and out of it.  I'm trying to get back to my original vision, "Creativity Everyday."  This post is one that I hand-wrote in my blog journal in August which I never published but feel like it is a good start back into this process....


August 13, 2010
So what can I do today that's creative?  My outfit isn't particularly striking. I'm sitting in an ugly room at the Courthouse serving my civic duty as a juror-in-waiting and I haven't made anything in the last few days.  I have, however, made a lot of things in the past.  At times like this (when my creative spirit is taking a nap) I can pull from some of those older ideas.  Maybe that will even help me wake up and get inspired again!

Making jewelry, especially out of unusual materials, has been one of my passions for years.  For instance, does a charm bracelet have to have specific kinds of charms?

I'm sure you have all had occasion to cut up a credit card because it has expired, or you are determined to get out of debt, or you never wanted it in the first place.  But how many of you save the pieces and put them in your drawer full of other random junk that might be useful someday?  I sometimes get credit cards or membership cards in the mail that I don't want or need.  Yes, I am a member of the Humane Society, but do I need to carry a plastic card in my wallet to prove it?  Out of my paranoid habit to avoid identity theft, I started to cut the card up and noticed all the interesting little pieces that appeared.  (My favorite one is from a list of tips for taking care of your pet in an emergency, "Always remain calm," a good reminder for everyday life as well.)  I continued to cut the card up, choosing pieces and shapes that pleased me.  I have no idea how the image of a charm bracelet first occurred to me but it soon became a reality.  I poked holes in the pieces of the card with a small awl and attached them to a piece of chain with jump rings and finished off the bracelet with a clamp to open and close it.  Maybe I could offer to make charm bracelets out of your old credit cards as a way to encourage people to stop using them.  Let me know if you would like me to make one for you!
xo penelope