Going Green Earth Day Journal Project

Two weeks from now will be Earth Day, a day set aside to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment.

I like to put my own spin on it, and focus on the beauty and wonder of our earth. More importantly, I like to reflect upon the awesomeness of the God who created our earth, with gratitude.

This Earth Day Journal project is a great activity for kids and adults alike, and is made from 100% recycled paper! The cover of the journal is made from recycled junk mail, using the Going Green Paper Making Kit, and the paper earth is made from scraps of blue and green paper, and believe it or not, tin cans!

I will be making this journal with some of the kids in my life, and I will be encouraging them to fill their journals with expressions of thankfulness for the world around them, as well as ideas about how we can take better care of the earth God gave us.

Here are your instructions for making the Going Green Earth Day Journal Project. Enjoy!

Everything in its place

Two things are on my list for today - to begin listing my new botanical journals in my etsy shop, and to do some massive "decluttering" in my work area.
My work area - I can't call it a studio (but hopefully someday...) has silently become a disaster area. A stray object or two here, a few things I'll put way later there, some un-filed papers here...and suddenly I have a mess. Elisabeth Elliot always used talk about the importance of "a place for everything, and everything in its place." How true!

I love to read tips on organizing, I could read them all day - but diligently putting them into practice is another matter. Thankfully I am becoming increasingly aware of how my lack of diligence in putting things away -as soon as I am done with them- is costly in both time, energy, and even personal joy. The frustration I feel when I struggle with the chaos covering my work area robs me of my enthusiasm in creating.

Off I go, with a quick prayer for perseverance, wisdom, and a sense of humor wouldn't hurt either.

farmer's market on Saturday

I just finished applying protective coating Perfect Paper Adhesive to seventy or so cards in preparation for the Brookfield Farmer's Market on Saturday. Only seventy or so more to go!

The market starts at 7:30 am, and you can find directions here. I'll be selling my cards, pressed flower journals, and possibly some of my botanical luminaries.

I'll also be buying heirloom tomato plants, honey, rhubarb, maple syrup, and resisting the temptation to buy untold numbers of flowering plants. I can only hope I break even.

maiden hair fern journal

My blogging activity has been light lately due to spring break, but the kids are back in school this morning, and I'm feel a little bit guilty, because I'm glad!

We had a great week together, visiting friends, running errands, baking cookies, having aunts and grandparents over, and shoveling snow (well, that part wasn't great), and celebrating a 97th birthday (not mine).

But now the house is quiet and I am eager to get back into some kind of creative routine. I have a few "one-of-a-kind" handmade journals I want to put up on etsy today, and I also need to work on my giant paper cast leaf - I've been putting off working on it for way too long because I painting isn't something I'm very experienced at, but I finally have a plan and I think I'm ready to try.