Last Sunday I packed up my two youngest and we hopped the ferry and headed to Discovery Bay.  The three of us had a great time swimming and relaxing.  My wonderful husband stayed home to do a little work and he followed us up on Tuesday.

This was the view I woke up to each morning.

Tuesday night Nelda arrived.  She was one of my fantastic roomies from last year and we were excited to meet again.

Wednesday morning, my family headed home and the Artfest excitement was ready to explode.  The rest of the roomies from last year (Kathy, Ellison, and Deena) and Deena’s mom Tressa showed up with enough time to throw their stuff in the time share and head over to Port Townsend and Artfest.

Artfest was everything I had hoped for.

I have been wanting to take a class from Keith Lo Bue and this was the year.  It was more fantastic than I could have imagined.  It was called Papering it Over and taught us some great techniques to adhere paper.  I can’t wait to apply them to my artwork.

I also loved how he taught.  He would teach us the techniques and then let us go play.  Then teach more techniques and give us more play time.  He would also wonder around to check on us and take time to help us out.

At the end of class he had us all take our projects to the front and it was amazing how everybody.

When I was packing for the class, I decide to bind a book to use for my canvas.  Here is my finished project.

The picture on the front cover is of my 9 year old daughter Maren.  The butterfly charm was from one of the trades I got.  It was perfect since Maren loves butterflies. 

The picture on the back is car obsessed 5 year old Stiles.  He gets a key because of his love of cars.

The hearts on both covers were made by molding wire and covering it with paper.

Here is a spine view of the cover.

The other fabulous thing about Keith Lo Bue was how friendly he is.  I saw him at vendor night and he said hi Becky.  I wasn’t wearing my name tag and it was just nice that he took the time to remember my name and say hi.

My Friday class was with Pam Sussman.  I took two of her classes last year so I really liked her as a teacher.  I also got to sit next to Tressa, one of my roomies, which was great fun.

We made teeny tiny leather journals.  They are so fun.  I plan on hitting the leather store tomorrow.  I am going to teach my daughter how to make them.

I was also thrilled to know that Pam was a vendor at vendor night.  I made a bee line for her table and bought all of her book kits that I haven’t already done.  I then went and got another roomie and took her over where she got a kit to make the little leather ones and spent the night teaching her how to make it.  She did a fabulous job and it turned out great.

I added an image to one of mine using the glueing techniques from Keith Lo Bue’s class.

I wove the green leather one nice and loose so that you could see the orange one peeking out and did the other one really tight so you just saw the light tan.  I am so excited to make more.  I plan on making some smaller ones that I will turn into key chains.

Pam made my day, too.  I walked in the door and she remembered my name from the year before.  My dream trip is to attned her week long book seminar she offers.

You have to love Artfest teachers.

My last class was with Fred Mullet.  It was a great class full of spritzing techniques, embossing techniques, and lots of great information.

The night before I had bought some fabulous metal covers from Pam Sussman.  The metal had holes in it.  During the early morning hours on the day I took Fred Mullet’s class I imagined my artwork from that class peeking from behind those covers, so I got up and bound the book.  My idea worked.

The butterfly stamps was a gift from Deena.

During our free time my roommates and I created and talked.

I made this little journal that I learned last year from Pam.  The ribbons are from my friend Miss Label.  I have used others and the writing would rub off just handling it.  I tried to make the writing come up on these and couldn’t.

The binding isn’t near as even as normal.  That is what happens when you bind way too late, while you are talking and laughing way too hard.

It was such an incredible week.  Thank you Teesha, Tracey and all the volunteers and teachers that make it such a great event.

Last year I invited 4 strangers to stay with me for Artfest, we immediately became friends and decided to stay together again.  It is the same group with the addition of one mom.

They all saw me knitting some socks last year and mentioned that I had a year to get them all socks done.

Well right now I have 3 1/2 pairs and one scarf.  I still have a few days to knit and hope to have 5 done in time.

Wow, it is almost time to leave.  I head over to Discovery Bay on Sunday for a couple of days with my family before my husband takes them home and my friends arrive and we head off to Artfest.

One of the fun things at Artfest  is trading.  People make little pieces of artwork and trade them with other people.  I wasn’t sure I was going to have time for that, but I snuck them in.

I just finished 55 bookmarks, most of them sea themed.

I can’t believe it almost time for Artfest.  It starts on Wednesday and I will be leaving on Sunday.  I have lots left to do, but did finish a couple of things today.

The theme is sea monsters and there is a gallery, that you can enter two pieces.  I just finished my two tonight.

They are both journals one of which has an octopus I knit.  It was my first try and I really like the way he turned out.

Phat Fiber is a fabulous sample box for fiber, knitting, crocheting, and handspun enthusiast.  The box comes filled with lots of little samples from different artisans.

I am lucky enough to participate in March’s box and just got done sending off 45 fiber themed bookmarks and a mini journal.

In the last couple of years, I taught myself to knit.  I love to knit socks.  I decided that I needed a sock journal and who better to make it, but me.  So I made myself one with a picture of a sock I knit.

I am so thrilled to be able to attend Artfest again this year.  I had such a fantastic time the two years that I went, last year and in 2003.

This year the theme is sea monsters, specifically the nice kind like octopus.  I went on a hunt for some cool stamps and found these.  I especially fell in love with the jellyfish.

The stamps have been calling me to play with them and I finally got a minute.

Introducing the Beauty of the Sea

and Ms. Octa

Well, it has been an interesting month to say the least, between lots of little family disasters and work I have been swamped.

I did just finish up a huge coop order which gives me some breathing room and hopefully pays my deposit for Artfest.

These are all custom journals, everybody either gave me a broad these or a list of likes and dislikes and I went from there.

Lots and lots of stationery set.  A few too many dandelion ones.  lol  I don’t do well doing the same thing more than once or twice.

Here are the stationery sets with the checkbook covers, debit card holders, and bookmarks.

This style of book is very special to me.  Years ago, before I learned to bind, I was a part of a few rubberstamp groups.  Chris Peden made this incredible starbook, that I was just in awe of.  I really wanted to be able to make my own and it inspired me to go buy some books and teach myself to bind.

In the meantime life got busy and I realized that it has been years since I made one.  I figured the timeing was right and that I had to use Bluegrass Moon artwork.  I also had to make sure and include the artwork that was created for me.

I finished it today and am in love with how it turned out.

My grandma had a huge owl collection.  I asked her once why she liked owls so much.  She told me that she had a couple she liked and before she knew it everybody had decided she liked owls and she had a large collection.

Well for me it has become dragonflies.  I think it evolved about the same.  lol  I liked them designed my website with them.  Had a few things custom made with them and now they seem to be my thing.

I really enjoyed making this journal and love how it turned out.

I learned the carving technique in a class from Doris Arndt at Artfest in 2003.

I am looking forward to next year’s Artfest.  The class list will be coming out soon.  I just booked my condo.

Here are a couple journals I made using the techniques I learned in a class at this year’s Artfest in a class with Pam Sussman.