Chicken Scratches

Have you ever seen what a few chickens can do to a pile of dirt, a flower bed or a new flagstone path? They are definitely movers and shakers in the world of excavating! When they are done piles are leveled, anything alive or green is 'no more', and landscaped paths are obliterated. Amazing!

Often the tracks they make with their feet are compared to handwritten comments as chicken scratches. I am hoping to reduce piles of ephemera, weed out detris, tread new paths and generally make amazingly pertinent and personalized art journals.

I've been doing an on line tutorial that Altered Book Lover has kindly made available to me. I've posted about it under the label Altered Books 101.

So far I have learned that while any book can be altered there are definitely some that are better than others. Picking the right book.

The pages need prepping.

The cover needs strengthening. AB101 Covering

There are various options for glue preferences.

Coming up is colouring the pages.

I am an incorrigible note taker, jotter downer and general scribbler. I can't say I'm a doodler. I had raised my hand for The Sketchbook Challenge but I think that was a bigger bite than I could chew. I can certainly see the value of sketching something everyday to increase awareness as well as ability. I am also having a fresh look at all my scribblings and I'm switching to a micro pigment ink pen so I can incorporate any new note books and post it notes! ;^) I'll be dipping my toes only at the shoreline and I think I'll wait a bit before I go looking for my surf board. But there is certainly a wealth of encouragement, advice and 'how to' available on the web site.

I'm not a scrapbooker although I've gotten a few supplies because I had wanted to make some kind of book for each of my five kids. The 3 ring binders I selected may morph into an altered book as my expertise increases.

A journal is in essence a journey and what fun to pack colours, pens, inks, paint brushes and bits of the flotsam and the jetsum of our lives. What if we discover much, much more than the 'how to' of altered books?