Rosie- at first I thought you meant she created a figure of a person using the altered hymnal as the body. Minnie- to me, altered books are a form of collage or assemblage art. The hymnal istelf becomes a new work of art by the artist adding paint, decoupage, stamps and other items to the pages. She used the topic of each hymn to inspire her when she added images. I think it is lovely! Although I am surprised at how nicely the pages look. Hymnal paper is so thin it can't take much added wet media unless she put something else behind the page as a backing. I just did a collage for an art journal round robin, and used a page from a hymnal as part of the background with watercolor paper as a base. Karen

I took a beginning class for beaded jewelery once. They emphasized this bit I found online for you-- ""Czech beads are superior in everyway to similar beads from other nations, such as India, Germany, and France, except for those of Japan. Japanese beads are more consistent in size (both in outer diameter, and inner diameter), and usually have more durable finishes. This consistency in size is extremely important, especially if doing intricate, very detailed bead work. The inside holes are not as sharp or jagged as those beads from other countries. Japanese beads are somewhat more expensive (about 1/3 more) than Czech beads. When people are getting started with seed beads, we suggest trying both the Japanese beads and the Czech beads. The Japanese beads are easier to use because they are more uniform and have a larger and more consistently-sized hole. However, because the Japanese beads tend to be so perfect, you sometimes end up with a piece that looks like a paint-by-number Elvis on velvet. With the Czech beads, you get a more organic, artistic look."" My teacher made a big deal about it, showed microscope pics and everything, to convince not to "waste your time" on beading cheap beads because the project would slice itself apart in a year. Made in China beads are the absolute worst--they don't even bother mentioning them above as contenders!

Hmmm..what a great question! I have several favourites..but I think that my all time favourite one, isn't even a creative one to look at. It just has one small picture of my oldest son, as a baby, being held by our elderly next door neighbours. The ENTIRE page is journaling!! I tell my son the story of Jack and Hazel..how they met, and about their life together. I tell him about how they would take him out in their garden on sunny days and he would come home, little lips stained red from all the strawberries and raspberries he had eaten. I tell him how much Jack and Hazel loved him, and the story of Jack's illness and stroke, and how my son would go over and sit on Jack's bed and "talk" with him..I tell him how I think the two of them had a language only their hearts could hear. I tell my son, of when Jack became an Angel, and I try as only a mom can do, to explain about heaven...hmmmmm...never really thought of this as my favourite page, but when the question was asked, it was the first page I thought of!! My ds, is now nine and still loves to read that page. ~Mar~

I certainly did better than usual on the book-front this Christmas. From the DH I had asked for Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir. I gave the DD Selective Memory by the well-known English journalist Kathleen Whitehorn . . to be read by me later! From an American friend Memories of Times Past a collection of stories/articles on the slower pace of US life in years gone by. From a US Aunt In the Shadow of the Blue Ridge by VA writer Carolyn Feagans (Mary, do you know her work?) and finally from the boyfriend of the DD Roy Strong's A Little History of the English Country Church. I must say these books press all the right buttons; I can see those I have from the library going back unread.