Catching Up With the 'Ole Altered Journal

It's been so long since I've worked in my altered journal, the big old Reader's Digest Anthology that has been my big journal of everything for the past three years. I finally sat down this week to scan some of the pages I did back in January, as well as create a page for the beer fest we went to last weekend since I collected some seriously great paper goodies while we were there.

I also, much to my chagrin, finally finished up a page I sketched out while Joe and I were on our honeymoon (nearly three years ago). I'm now officially 280 pages into the 536 page book. To be fair though, I have ripped probably 20 pages out and glued others together to keep the binding from exploding.

Being as how it's been a good long time since I shared anything from this journal and I'm working in my pagan art journal with only paint and ink rather then collage, I'd share some of the pages I've done in 2011.

(click on any of these to see them larger on Flickr.)

Inspired by time with the lovely and siblings over Christmas; I'm the one grinning like a dork. Includes some wrapping paper, stamps and bits of cards people sent me.


Celebrating my participation in and completion of the 2011 Sketchbook Project and my theme 'Nightmares'. What is the Fear in Your Heart?


This one was done back when I had a relapse of my eye issue back at the end of March, beginning of April. I had just gotten home from the doctor and was emotionally overwhelmed, exhausted and looked to my journal for comfort. I put no real thought into this; just grabbed my charcoal sticks and various acrylic paints and let myself go. No brushes, no sketching. Highly therapeutic, a bit ugly and not sure what the hell I squiggled on there.


My tribute to the fabulous beer festival. No real explanation needed I think. Watercolor, pen and various goodies.

You know I couldn't leave you without showing you what took me nearly three years to go ahead and color right? ;-) Here is the page I sketched out on our honeymoon:

That's right. Just married and riding a gods-damned unicorn! The image on the right is a postcard from a place we visited on our honeymoon. I chopped two pages down to just strip and glued it in between them then reinforced the flimsy tabs with bits of a card.

This book has gone on various travels and adventures with me and holds all sorts of memories, ideas and quirky tidbits I've encountered over the years. Now that I'm past the halfway point in it, I'm actually worried I'll fill it up soon. How weird is that?