Category Archives: Reading

The return of linkity!

I’m back! 🙂 My class (printing ephemera on the platen press) was great fun. I printed a LOT of stickers. A LOT.

Bookity

Think, Make, Do, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Foolsgold: Making Something from Nothing and Freeing Your Creative Process by Susan G Wooldridge. This was good (it’s bristling with post-it flags), but not as good as Poemcrazy. It does tackle tough subjects, such loss, grieving, and feeling stuck.
The Sketchbook Project World Tour by Steven Peterman & Shane Zucker. A look at pages from Sketchbook Project sketchbooks from all over the world. It was interesting to see what people had done to their books, but also was such a fast read I’m really glad I got it from the library.
Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley. Very good first-person tale of 14-year old Jake, who lives on one of the world’s few dragon preserve parks, and who manages to accidentally and irrevocably change his life on his first solo trip into the park. (Dragons are originally from Australia, so think about the implications for dragon physiology. I’ll wait.)
The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library #1) by Genevieve Cogman. Very good urban fantasy about about a Librarian who gets assigned a very odd trainee on her next world walking mission. (This was recommended by Charles Stross in a post at tor.com about books vaguely similar to the Laundry Files.)
The Masked City (The Invisible Library #2) by Genevieve Cogman. The abruptness of the very close to being a cliffie but not quite ending annoyed me. Fortunately I had the next book checked out already.
The Burning Page (The Invisible Library #3) by Genevieve Cogman. Very good, very thrilling continuation of the series. Kept me up way too late on a work night.
The Lost Plot (The Invisible Library #4) by Genevieve Cogman. Another thriller! This actually felt as if it could be the end of the series. Or not. I think I’d be ok with it ending here.


*sleepy* -Mayhem

Does she look 12 to you?! She sure doesn’t to me.

Linkity is meeeeltingggggg along with Mayhem

Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Tales of Suspense: Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier by Rosenberg, Foreman, & Rosenberg. Dammit, Tumblr, I don’t even go here! D’oh. Yeah, I saw some snippets of this on Tumblr and was intrigued by the dynamic between Hawkeye and Bucky. Considering 99% of what I know about the Avengers is from Tumblr, it was pretty good. 😀


“I’m meeeeltingggggg…” -Mayhem

(Good thing we have wall air conditioners!)

Linkity from the darkest timeline

Reading Update

Think, Learn, Make, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Journal Spilling: Mixed-Media Techniques for Free Expression by Diana Trout. Reread. I might like this more than I did the first time I read it three years ago! Original review: Very good overview of art journaling techniques, complete with prompts at the end. “Spilling” refers to writing (or creating an art entry) without thinking about it – basically stream-of-consciousness. I liked this book enough that I’ve ordered a used copy for myself.


*being beautiful* -Mayhem

Whole lotta linkity goin’ on

Bookity

Learn, Think, Make, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Wildly into the Dark: Typewriter Poems and the Rattlings of a Curious Mind by Tyler Knott Gregson. Good collection of short poems that I didn’t quite connect with.
The Repurposed Library: 33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life by Lisa Occhipinti. Very good look at how to transform old books into all sorts of things, such as lamps, a chandelier, a fireplace screen, an ebook reader cover, and more.
Collage Art: A Step-by-Step Guide and Showcase by Jennifer L Atkinson. Good collection of interesting collage techniques, including using collagraphy, woven paper, fabric, and assemblage. For a book from 1996, it definitely managed a mostly timeless feel.
the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace. Very good, most likely haunting collection of poetry. Some of the poems resonated all too well.


“You stay right there, May.” -Chaos

“But WHY, big kitty??” -Mayhem

Linkity gave Mayhem the day off to celebrate her 12th birthday on the 31st

Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Art and Craft of Collage by Simon Larbalestier. Not a book that has aged well (copyright 1990) – the author spent an inordinate amount of time discussing how to get various effects using photocopiers…
Dreaming from the Journal Page: Transforming the Sketchbook to Art by Melanie Testa. Reread. This time I found something I want to try – mixing a little liquid soap with watercolor so it can be used for stamping. But still not a favorite – in fact, I’d forgotten I’d already read it…


“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Chaos

Chaos is filling in for May today, although maybe he isn’t aware of that… 😉

Linkity apparently blinked and missed spring – suddenly it’s summer O.O

Bookity

Do, Learn, Make, Think

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Cowboys Are My Weakness by Pam Houston. Rereading is such a funny thing. I haven’t reread this for at least 20 years and remembered loving it – it really resonated with me then. Now? Not so much.
Once Upon a Piece of Paper: A Visual Guide to Collage Making by Andrea D’Aquino. Not much text at all, so it’s a fast read, and I got some great inspiration from it. But I can’t say that it was worth the price of purchase – maybe if I used every scrap of paper in the “paper to collage” pad that came with the book, but my track record on such things isn’t good.
My Monster NotebookMy Monster Notebook by John Harris. Pretty good kids’ book about mythological monsters. (I have this to cut apart for collage and inadvertently read it.)


*staring into opposite distances* -Chaos & Mayhem

Small cat in the big cat bed, big cat in the small cat bed…

In which linkity does not have a title

Bookity

Think, Learn, Make, Do

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Contents May Have Shifted: A Novel by Pam Houston. Very good story about a middle-aged creative writing instructor and outdoorswoman leading her life. The story unfolds in a series of vignettes – I thought that would annoy me, but it actually worked really well. Make sure you have a copy with the reading group guide in the back, so you can read “The Author on Her Work” after reading the book – it satisfyingly answered my questions about the story. 🙂


“TRYING TO SLEEP HERE.” -Chaos

In which linkity lets you recover from last week’s “Wha…?” section

Bookity

Do, Think, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Creative Correspondence by Michael & Judy Jacobs. Good intro to making a variety of fun mail art. Includes directions for making paste paper – without having to cook paste.


“…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…” -Mayhem

You can see her fluffy white tummy tuft/bikini! 🙂

In which linkity is hurtful to Minnesota

Hurtful, but true. STOP IT, MINNESOTA. (Another winter storm watch for this weekend! Total snow accumulation of 13 inches/33 cm possible…)

Bookity

Think, Do, Learn, Make

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
The Art of Expressive Collage: Techniques for Creating with Paper and Glue by Crystal Neubauer. Reread: I appreciated this book more the second time and bumped my rating from three to four stars.


“Still no birds. Woe.” -Mayhem

And linkity saw sunshine and it was good

Bookity

Think, Do, Make, Learn

Cookity

Gluten Free

Artsy Crafty

Cool

Cool or Wha…?

Wha…?

LOL

Teh Cute

Reading Update
Collage Lab: 52 Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects by Bee Shay. Pretty much what it says on the tin! I liked the examples of the various experiments – I’ll definitely refer back to this one when I want to do a photo transfer using gel medium, for example. What I didn’t like was the tacit art knowledge that seemed to be required throughout the book. Reread: OMG, why not put the instructions in the same place for every lab?!


I call this one “Drowsing Chaotic Cat with Ears of Annoyance”.