My first Coptic bound sketchbook

I DID IT!  I made my first Coptic bound sketchbook.  I watched a tutorial by Lindsay, The Frugal Crafter on U-Tube.  This actually took me several days as I had to do a work around because I don’t have the exact products she used.  I don’t have mat board so I used an unwanted book that was “close” to the size of my paper.  I don’t have the fancy crocodile gizmo she had to make holes in the book board so I used my Japanese screw punch, I couldn’t find my bookbinding thread so I used crochet cotton and waxed it myself (of course, I found it afterwards).  I used the mixed media paper from this book that I cannibalised awhile back.  It’s a bit “Lucy goosey” but it does lay flat.  I know I will make more and I’ll improve my skill.  I invite you to check out this tutorial if you have been wanting to give this a go. 

Health Update:  I’m still not sleeping through the night but I’m able to get back to sleep.  The weight on my chest is much reduced and it’s mostly just feels weird.  I can feel where the weight was, it’s like it has been imprinted into my flesh.  It sometimes causes enough discomfort that I still take a Tylenol at night time.  When I touch my chest with my palm it feels weird too; sensitive in places and numb in others. When we were away I had to get my husband to drive me to a store to pick up a sports bra to capture “the girls”.   Apparently they don’t like to be jiggled.  When dudes have by-pass surgery they don’t usually have to think about that so I didn’t get the heads up from my hubby.  I still get the odd jolting pain so I’m not driving yet.  I’m not napping during the day anymore but I do rest when I feel the need.  And of course, some days are better than others but it’s mostly “pretty good, not bad, I can’t complain”! (I think that’s from a John Prine song). 

Awenda Provincial Park and Giants Tomb

We drove half an hour north yesterday to Awenda Provincial Park, also situated on Georgian Bay.  I’ve lived in this county for 45+ years and have never been.  It is a huge thickly treed park with beaches and lots of camp sites.  We ate our packed lunch and I drew this using my cheapo woodless water soluble pencils.  I added more colour back at the cottage.  This time I used 3 different colours of blue in my scribble water.  I left white space for the whitecaps and smooshed over some of it with my watercolour brush.  That is the best explanation I can do for my “kinda sorta” technique for creating water.  I should spend more time on the sky but I’m done with this page. 

I love the indigenous legend regarding the naming of the Giants Tomb Island and the 30,000 islands of Georgian Bay.  I’m paraphrasing here, the Wyandot legend went something like this:  Ketchikewana fell in love with a woman who was already betrothed.   In anger, he grabbed up a large ball of earth and threw it away in the water creating the 30,000 islands of Georgian Bay.  Then in despair he fell down on this island and died. 

Woodland beach

This is the page I did on the first day we arrived here.  Lots of activity going on out on the bay (probably because it was Saturday). 

I used cheap water soluble woodless pencils.

Thrilled that I’m feeling so much better.  My chest gets prickly but Tylenol keeps it at bay.

First Black Toonie

We found our first “black toonie” in our change!  The black nickel band is to pay tribute to a Queen Elizabeth II and her long reign 1926 - 2022.  And yes, we call our $2 coin a Toonie and our $1 coin  a Loonie (because it has a loon on the back). 

I didn’t have my paintbox with me so I used the water soluble crayons that were available.  I bought them a long time ago at a little art shop in North Bay Ontario while I was at a conference. 

Negative Painting

Health Update

Day 9 ICAD Hopeful

Day 9 - One more sleep before I have my operation and get my tumour removed tomorrow.  I have to be at the hospital at 0830 for admission, I checked my on line patient portal and I see that the operation is scheduled for 1030, it is anticipated that the operation will take 4 hours, 1 hour in recovery, some time to be spent in ICU then finally to my room for the next 5 days.  If all goes well, I’ll be home after that.  So I’ll be “off the air” so to speak and won’t be making anything for sometime.  I anticipate that I’ll feel good enough to see everybody’s posts here. 

Here is my “heart of hope” where I used another bleeding tissue background.  I had this piece of wool roving for ages and ages; I should have spent more time needle felting my heart shape.  Oh well, I do like the puffiness around the stitches.  I liked the silk square so much that I added some matching bright pink beads in the heart.  

I’m “hopeful” that the surgeon can remove the whole tumour and I won’t need further treatments (chemotherapy or radiation).  I don’t think my hope will be realized but I believe that I need to maintain a belief that it could be achieved.