Anyway, I'm sharing with you this time my first ever hand-stitched brown paper bag art journal. Wait .... did I say BROWN PAPER BAG!?!?! Yes, you and I got it right. Brown paper shopping bags! I made an art journal out of brown paper bags from National Bookstore, a popular chain of bookshop and school supplies store here in the Philippines. I guess it's not surprising that I have lots of these bags. It's just hard to walk out of that store without any purchase. I mean, admittedly, I really am a heavy stationery/office/school/art supplies consumer. And so are my little girls. NBS is our favorite store and we make it a point to visit a branch every time we go to a mall. So, yes, I do get these brown paper bags every so often. I realize it's not enough that I just use them as mats when I paint; I thought it's time I glorify them with some upcycling movement.
Thanks to Cristina of CreativeMag.ro for the lovely idea. I made my own brown paper bag journal in less than a hour. Seriously. I cut up the brown paper into small sheets without following exact measurements but made sure that they would all end up in approximately similar sizes. I trimmed a few uneven edges before I stitched everything pamphlet-style. Then I secured the binding with wide washi tapes. I've gessoed a few pages in this journal for mixed-media artwork and have done a portrait study. I'll share with you my progress in the next few days ... or weeks!
Blogging resumes in January 2016. Today is going to be a busy day 'cause we're all preparing for New Year's Eve. Happy New Year to all of you! May you always find the Beautiful and the Sacred in the Ordinary.
