It is elementary, my dear...

The problem in bringing my altered book all together is that it is my first book.  So I have kindergarten pages that pass through the middle years and on to the high school credits but leave me standing on stage with a graduation diploma in my shaky hand!  

I do have a tendency to start over but I don't want to be always doing that so I need to honour the beginnings while making a cohesive whole.  And just like life, the sequence of my leaves sometimes show fresh spring green, fall drop and then back to summer foliage with a bare winter branch brushing a first colouring of rust. I have also suffered some leaf blight!  LOL  Now that is a challenge!

Another try with the stencil and sprays inside.  I think I should draw a few lines to get that left fern to overlap the holder for the tip in.  The spring pages ended up showcasing a lot of the later lessons and I'll sum up on Friday's finish by showing my favourites.

Sophisticated black and shimmer as the backing for the reinforced bead edge is opposite an original page in the Snoopy and Friends encyclopedia.  :(  But after taking three different pictures I finally got some kind of happier compromise.  Taking pictures for my blog is the best thing for seeing and improving what needs posting.  Lots of bonuses to blogging!  lol  This one and the next couple are not my favourites by I am showing my learning curve.  :}

The book is cartoonish and I tried to do some of that.    Not successfully I'm thinking.  This was a pocket page which I found to be a favourite technique.

Summer- and I thought to use some scrapbook stuff and that isn't easy to make 'your own'.

This spread was a turning point.  I didn't have to do anything to improve or incorporate it into the book's flow.  yippee!

I also liked using magazine images for collage.  Pure serendipity that the four leaf clover search  is next to the time flying montage.  Luv it!

This summer pocket for gathering posies with leaves is opposite this mornings problem solving session.
I like the berries on the branches but it was only about 3 inches wide.  ahh, I just remembered it was for a half page slice tip in! ;^O  Anyway, I felt I hit pay dirt when I could lay it on another half page of scrap book paper.  I needed to change the left page tip in section but possibly went too dark. I can maybe white wash it a bit.  We'll see if it makes another change come Friday.

This is the end of the summer stuff and I need to find a lovely quote about leaves to write out on the left page.  The right page was the colour wheel lesson and the closest I could come for leaves was a fruit and nut magazine ad. Again an early set of pages in which I was just finding my stride.

The lessons were great motivators but not really knowing what I would be doing made things a bit choppy.  I'm glad I decided on leaves because it helped keep things somewhat cohesive.

The book is weighted down at the moment so everything dries flat and I shall pick up the rest of the season after I tend to some of those elementary household chores during my recess.