Veteran's Day

I will be putting up photos of the Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat musical in a few days, but I couldn't let this day go by without saying something about Veteran's Day.

As this day rolls around each year I always think of my Great Uncle Joe Brookhart who served in WWII. At my Great Grandparents house there were multi colored stones embedded in the concrete beside the garage with his name and the year he went to war. I was little so the explanations as to why those stones were there went right over my head. I never heard him speak of his experiences during the war until later in his life. I still marvel at the courage that he had at such a young age...... He was the one to give me my nickname, JJ. I miss him.

I also think of my wonderful husband Benny. He has served for 24 years in the Indiana National Guard and retired 2 years ago.
He spent time in an Artillery Unit, Recruiting, and a Finance Unit. This career has meant so much to him, and is such an integral part of who he is that it's hard to imagine the kind of man he would have been had he not signed up as soon as he was 18. When we first married, I didn't really know much about military life, or the impact it would have on us throughout our marriage. I know now. Words really can't do justice to what I think of this accomplishment of his..... Simply put, I'm proud of him.

I also think of several friends we have that are now deployed in Afghanistan and around the world on missions unlike any we have seen in history. We miss them, and hope they are safe.

My heart and prayers go out to the soldiers at Fort Hood, and their families, and to all the men and women that are serving our country all over the world. Tonight when I lay down my head to sleep, I will remember them, and remember that we are free because of what they do everyday.

It doesn't seem like nearly enough, but from my heart.... Thank You!

A Non Journal Entry

I've got Donny Osmond on the brain this week...... Ok, I know I'll be dating myself here, but let me explain.

When I was young, Donny was my first love. No doubt about it.
I listened and sang along to all these songs for hours on end. Admit it, you did too! Who could resist singing "Puppy Love" or "The Twelfth of Never"? I'll bet my mom got sick of hearing these songs over and over........ I'm sure my brother "no singing at the table" did.

Ooooh, this was my favorite album! When Donny sang "This Is The Moment" from Blue Hawaii, I would ask "who's Elvis??"

Ok, enough of that reminiscing! Now Donny is on Dancing With The Stars, and I have enjoyed watching it so much!
I used up all my votes for him this week! I like it that he is only a few years older than me, and he can still be dreamy as we get older.

But the real reason I have Donny on the brain this week is this:

My son's school, Brownsburg East Middle School will be putting on their production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" this weekend. Now, the kids and I have been watching the movie version of this musical for about 8 years now, ever since Abby was still in a playpen. Sometimes when there's nothing on TV I would say, " Put the Joseph movie in" and we would watch it again.
So needless to say, all of us have this musical memorized from start to finish, all the words, expressions, the drama, the WHOLE thing! When we found out that the kids would be doing this musical this year we were more than excited. Patrick signed up for the chorus, I volunteered to help with costumes, and now the time is here. We are all excited to see the final production this weekend. The kids have all worked so hard, and a lot of parents have helped out to make this thing really happen. If I remember to take my camera to practice today, I'll show you a few shots of our version.

Stay tuned!

By the way, if this all sounds a little loopy, and not at all like my serious manner, it's because I've been up too many nights making costumes, attending rehearsals, and still trying to make a lot of journals! Not enough sleep!

Oh, man!

On this fine fall day, all I have to say is...

I need more of this

And much Much more of this....

Just sayin' .......

Ooooh, this one is Sharp!

I just listed this one in my Etsy Shop, and it is really a sharp one!

You can read more about it here! I've got some more like this coming in different color combinations too. Stay tuned!

How Can It Be Fall Already???

Wow, the summer went by quickly didn't it! It's supposed to get nice and cool here this week, so fall will definitely be in the air! These next few months are my favorite time of the year! This year we will have a lot of new things to look forward to, as well as the traditions we keep up with every year! The boys are participating in a school musical for the first time, and my daughter and I are helping out with the costumes. We'll have Thanksgiving in Ohio again, and then there's the exciting Holidays! I'm sure it will all go by all too fast, just like the summer!

Since we're getting ready for the Holidays, I've been busy adding some new things to my shop! I've got some smaller size pocket leather journals
I had some paper cut a couple months ago, and made a mistake with the size. I didn't think I'd be able to use it, but it turns out it's just perfect for these pocket journals.

For all of you that like a refillable journal, I've got these new ones

I get asked a lot if I make refillable journals, and really wanted to come up with something special for this type of journal. I worked for quite awhile to get these just right, and am really happy with the way they are constructed. The paper in the journals is loose paper, not a premade journal. The pages are punched, and tied with a leather cord into a riveted piece of leather on the inside of the journal. The inner leather piece has been glued, and stitched to the outer cover. This really makes the journal look like it is hand bound, plus gives added strength!

Another great thing about these refillable journals is that the papers are standard sizes, so they will be easy to refill. The largest size (yet to be listed) is 8 1/2" x 11", the medium size is half that at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2", and the smallest size is a quarter sheet at 4 1/4" x 5 1/2". I will be offering refills for these, but they will be easy to do it yourself too!

The newest journal added to my shop today is this really cool Belt Buckle Journal! New territory for me, but I'm excited about how it turned out!

Even though the belt buckle is functional, if this were my journal, I would use the easy to open snap closure on the back! I will be making a few more of this type using different buckles!

That's about all the news for now! I'll be updating you as the season progresses. I hope you have a Happy Autumn, and enjoy all it's pleasures!

The Basic Leather Journal Anniversary

One year ago today I listed in my Etsy shop a Basic Burgundy Leather Journal. It sold the same day. . . . talk about Exciting! For most of the summer last year I had been trying to come up with something that was my own version of a Moleskine Journal. If you've never heard of them, the Moleskine journals are wildly popular, and have a huge following. I just wanted to create something of my own that was "simple, beautiful, and basic. This is the very first one I listed

This basic journal has gone through several upgrades-changes during the year, and here's the final version I've settled on
This has become my most popular style of journal, and I think it's just about my favorite one to make! It is my Go-To journal for many different occasions. I've used one myself, given them for gifts, made them in more colors than I can count, and sometimes have made them in different sizes and leathers.

So fast forward to January of this year. I made so many of these during the holidays last year, I thought I would challenge myself to make something new, and tried my hand at making hardcover journals. They turned out really well, but I really wanted to make some out of leather. I had quite a challenge finding leather that was thin enough, and gave me the look I was looking for. I found that I missed the exposed stitches on the binding. So I began figuring out how to make a leather hardcover journal, with the same binding I use on my basic journals. During this summer, I really put my nose to the grindstone and came up with what I thought would really work well. I tried several leathers and treatments, made several practice journals, and have finally come up with this
Meet the new Basic Hardcover leather journal! It isn't meant to replace the one year old Basic journal, it's just a "more" alternative. I've been using a prototype of this book for about a month now, and Oh My Goodness this is a NICE journal! I wish you could all just hold it in your hands and feel how special it is! You can find this in my Etsy shop, and I have more coming. This color is a Mahogany stain, and I have Brown, and Black stained ones coming this weekend! This one has unlined paper, but it will also be available with LINED paper! Did I mention that almost all my journals are available with LINED PAPER now! It is my hope that this journal will fulfill that same wish to be "simple, beautiful, and basic" just like its predecessor! I think it does, what do you think?

Rampin' It Up!

It's that time of year. August brings the beginning of the end of summer, school stuff, and ramping up journal production for the upcoming holiday season! The kids and I are finishing up old projects, cleaning the house, setting up study areas for each of them (in hopes that they will use them), and I've been very busy preparing journals.
There are about this many more on the other side of the table too. It's exciting isn't it! After the first of the year I got tired of being isolated in my studio all the time so I moved most of my work out to the kitchen table, then that got to be too much also. Now I have a large table set up in our living room off to one side so I can be a part of everything that goes on. It's really worked well for us (except if I have to watch one more episode of Hannah Montana, or iCarley, I think I might lose it!)

I have some really exciting things in the planning stages for fall and the holidays! A hardcover, leather exposed binding journal, refillable pocket calendars, and refillable planners are just a few things in the works here! I'm trying to stay on top of the game here because I also have more exciting news!
I have recently re-joined the CCA Gallery! This is an exciting development, and I couldn't be happier to be back there. This time instead of joining the gallery with my paintings, I'll be offering journals. I've been looking to grow into the "real world" with my journals instead of only online sales and this will make a great fit! The CCA Gallery is moving to the Brick Street Mall on Main Street in Zionsville which will be a great thing for the gallery and for Zionsville! We're having a grand opening on Friday Aug 7 during the First Friday Gallery Walk. If you're in the area, stop by and see this new space, it is going to be fantastic!

So with getting ready for school, fall, the holidays, and filling up my space for the CCA Gallery I've been working night and day to get enough done. I have great hopes for the next few months and I'll try to take you along for the ride! I'll post some photos of the new gallery later this week!

Back to work!