At Summer's End....

I can't believe it is Labor Day weekend already. Another summer gone and I know fall won't last long enough (it never does here in Iowa) and I am so not looking forward to winter. Here's what's happening in my little world...

Last Saturday's Market Day was great. Met lots of nice people, sold quite a few journals, and even had a few folks offer to give me some old books to work with (what could be better!). Already looking forward to September's Market Day on Saturday the 25th. Next up for me is the East Village Sunday Bazaar, which begins on Sept.12 and is every Sunday (rain or shine!) through October. I think this is going to be a great event and I hope lots of people will take advantage of it and come out to see how great the East Village is and SHOP LOCAL! There will be art, handmade, antiques & vintage, furniture, and food, wine, and music. What more could you ask for, right? Bazaar hours are noon to 4 p.m.

Some sad news this morning: my cat Lucy is having some health problems...although hopefully not as serious as her brother Ricky's thyroid condition. I'll be spending some time this weekend making sure she is eating and using the litter box. Hopefully it won't end up being anything that can't be treated. It's hell getting old, as many of us know, and Lucy and Ricky are fifteen now. I can't imagine my life without them. Nobody else has put up with me that long (other than my mother and I guess she had no choice!). I will do whatever is best for these furry creatures that have been there for me so many times when no one else has been. (Yes, this is the part where you think, hmmm....crazy cat lady? Yes. I am.)

Okay, back to happier thoughts....today I've been working on a little book recycling project. My darling and sometimes destructive son seems to have a penchant for destroying books: tearing the pages out, bending them, stomping on them, etc. So instead of tossing the poor ruined books into the recycle bin...you guessed it, I had to make something out of the pages that were still in one piece (good thing those board books can take a lot of abuse). I also used it as an opportunity to practice the single-signature binding and I like how it turned out. I just used a few papers that I had in my stash, a few stickers, some photos, and my own handwriting. I kept it simple and finished it in 24 hours (in between laundry, vet visit, playing outside, etc.). Here's what it looks like....

And here's what the cover page and then the last page look like.

...the picture on the last page is one of my very favorites of my little man. It is getting harder to get a good pic of him because he doesn't stand or sit still for very long!

That's all folks! Enjoy the last days of summer, and here's hoping for a long and lovely autumn!