PITA BOX JUNQUE JOURNAL VOLUME TWO, 2025 START, et al

 

Here are the inside cover and the dedication

page of my new Pita Box 2025 

Junque Journal...

The little faux flower holds the first

journaling card 

[with the clock

representing 

New Year's Eve] 

closed...

and...

My Mom as a little girl (top R)

appears on her

bicycle in this bit

of very old torn photograph...

{ 10 years ago this June 

she will have been gone}.

I have unearthed a very old family

album with photos glued in on 

black papers which I plan to use

throughout my Journal this year..

and,,,,

As usual, I am using 

scraps from magazines,

torn papers, dyed papers,

 junk mailings,

flat-backed beads,

stampings, and a bit

of mixed media

to decorate these pages...

Below are the 2nd and 3rd pages

partially begun...

Some pages will have journaling right out in the open

on them, others will be on journaling cards,

and some hidden...

********************************

Also this year I am following Youtuber's 

"Caroline on the Hillside's"

prompts--one per week for

all 52 weeks in my 

re-allocated Seed Catalogue.

I have some pages gessoed or

painted to push back 

the images

therein...

I cut this down to be a tall Traveler's

Journal size...

I have begun prepping this 

double page spread...

and here is a gessoed apread...

and....

as you can see here I am reinforcing the

spine in the pages with washi tapes...

It is really nice to work on other than

stark white pages.....

leaving some of the original page

and covering the rest...

*********************************

This is where I stand at the beginning of the

New Year with my paper crafting...

It really does bring me relaxation

and 

😇J O Y 😇

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(Will-you-be-up-

to-see-the-New-Year-

come-in-?-euse)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, et al

 

Because 2025 is the

Chinese 

"Year of the Snake"

I thought....

hmmmmmm

[or sssss]

😂hahaha😁

I want to try to make ssssssome 

curvey blocksssssss...

😊😂😍

🐍

Ssssssssssooooo, 

Becaussse

 I have been thinking about

what to make to try to get my 

"MOJO" moving again,

I thought

why

        not????

*****************************

I have made Dresden circles and some

circular patterns but not really

any cut 

curvey 

blocksssss 

;))))

The moon over the mountain and

the faint ocean waves 

would make such a 

lovely 

piece.

But I  mean actually cutting curves-

freehand perhaps--

using 

scissors or rotary cutter???

************************************

↡↡↡↡

* added the Dec. 31st after

some research:

Youtuber Beth ⇑⇑⇑

at "My Sewing Room"

has a tutorial that looks like a good

place to start curved freehand 

piecing..

I like the 3 colors

and have way too many solids

in my stash that need to be

used up....

;)))

SSSSSTAY

Tuned...

for further 

develpmentsssss!

***************************

HAPPY NEW YEAR

TO ALL !!!!

May you be healthy 

and stay  

hopeful...

Hugs, 

Julierose

{Thinking-eusssssse) 

HITTING THE WALL, et al

 

A little improve and two sizes of Ojos....

(sorry for the dark pix, overcast today)

Working out of my green and purple scrap bags...

I made these improv sections--

I am thinking they will eventually be

connected into :

"Garden Beds" 

some way

somehow

???????

 ;)))))

****************************

Leftover Christmas fabric bits in reds,

greens, and golds that 

have been

hanging around in the bottom

of my Christmas container..

for yonks and yonks!!!

In no particular order....

and

I may make more as I still

have some scraps --these are a

made on 4" telephone papers

[not yet torn off].

Some blocks are all red or all green

and others are half and half...

**************************

And finally these have been in

the works for a while now..

.

Made again on telephone

papers -- 

this time 8" square:

"Flamingo Fling"

Just a little bit of  sewing to fill in these

days in between Christmas

and New Years...

****************************

I began sewing these because I have

felt like I've 

literally

"hit the wall" 

in  knowing what

 I want to make

or

even if

I want to make 

anything

lately...

Perhaps End of the Year

Blues....???

{a bit on edge and anxious

about the coming New Year--

to say the least!!}

******************************

I hope you have all had a wonderful

Holiday and you will have 

a very healthy and happy

💖NEW YEAR!!!!💖

Hugs,

Julierose

La Blageuse

(pondering-euse)

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE;)))

BEST WISHES TO YOU ALL....

HUGS, 

JULIEROSE

LA BLAGEUSE

{celebrating-euse}

 

"BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!!", et al

This is at NOON !!!!

Earlier it was 12 degrees with a wind chill of 2!!

⛇⛄

☃☃☃☃

We got about 1.5" of snow overnight...;)))

It has stayed on our lawns but the roadways

are clear--just wet...

soooo,

Tom and I thought we'd go to the supermarket

this morning to beat the rush--uh....

Nooooooooo...👺👹👽

NOPE!!!

Not even any parking spaces--

did we see--

so we turned around and came home...

😒😖

I will go out E A R L Y just when

the store opens up tomorrow to

pick up the last minute items...

******************************

As a treat for our disappointing trip

I fried up big, rolled-up 

Flour Tortillas stuffed with

pickled red peppers, onions and

fried onions 

topped with

Mexican cheeses

 and sour cream

 for our brunch!!

Y-----UU----UUUUM!!

;)))))))))))))))))

I have been a cooking fool lately--

I also put together a beef stew for

our dinner tonight

in our Slow Cooker...

 *******************************

Taaa--Daaaa!!

We now have a schedule for 

Christmas family visits:

Candice & Co are coming

after 1 pm [When Cassidy

gets off work] on 

Christmas Eve;

and

Jeff & Co will come

the day AFTER Christmas

to open gifts...

And so...

.I will be cooking 

TWO TIMES

2x, twice

S I G H ...

Well, Christmas Day 

Tom is making his spaghetti for the two

of us, so I have a day off...

Don't get me wrong, I L💖VE

having them all here, but I do

get tired a lot more easily

these days in my 80's!!!!

SO......

This will be my mantra:

↧↧↧↧

I saw this on kathysquilts

and thought, YES,

this is the way to go...

Hugs, Julierose,

La blageuse

(prepping-euse)

 

EARLY MORNING SKIES, et al

 

Gazing out our easterly tv room windows this morning

we were treated to these sights.....↕↕↕↕

Tomorrow the 

Winter Solstice heralds 

the bringing back of the light....

So Welcome after these darker days...

************************

Inside and cozy-ed up...

My grandson, Connor,

and

my granddaughter,

 Cassidy,

enjoying my daughter's 

new fireplace

in her new home...

and......

👀can you see? can you see?👀

;)))))))))))))))

Libby is  as close to the fire as

she can get on the hearth...

{click}

*****************************

I am wrapping presents this morning--

one of my favorite holiday activities --

I like using wrapping paper instead

of bags--

This year I went with foil papers--love

the shiny sparkle...;)))

This brings back memories of my childhood...

Christmas is such a nostalgic time...

wrapping with love is so much fun...

warms the 💗

& & & & &  &

My old amaryllis is struggling to

send out some green shoots,

But I am hopeful and trying to

be patient.

My new pink amaryllis I 

got this year is growing a treat!!

I can't wait to see it bloom....

I love all its stages of growth...

Every day just a little bit bigger...

plants and gardens give you

so much hope.....

Which we all are in need of right now...

💝💝💝💝

I hope your hearts are light this year;

and for those of you friends who

have lost someone near and dear

this past year-- or even longer ago--

I wish you peace and a heart-

warming holiday--

whatever tradition you celebrate.

💖💖💖💖💖

hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(FA-LA-LA-LA-LAHHH-euse)

SCRAPPINESS=HAPPINESS SATURDAY

 

Using up my scrappy bag of purples,

blues and dusty pinks...

Just some fun sewing...

this week...

then....

Greens, purples and blues emerged....

And

Leftovers from leftovers '))))

👀↕↕↕👀

From these Ojos that I've just put up

willy-nilly so far and still have on their

telephone paper backs that 

I sew these on:

Blues, purples, pinks and a bit

of turquoise

And...Flamingo orts;))))

  

My bag still has some cut-offs in it--

mostly blues and pinks...

they will be

sewn with another 

color scrap bag.  

I would really like to finish all my

scrappy bags off--HAH!! 

["If wishes were horses..." and

all that jazz, right???]

**********************

Lately,

I had found myself in a H U G E 

blue funk and didn't want to

even look at fabric or even

think of sewing any projects---

l

And

Then

"Mr. Cold" hit me...

I was laid even lower....

any of my "get up and go" 

had now

definitely 

"Got up and went"

Far far away......

So;;;;;

How was I to find my way back?????

I decided that I was just so sick of looking

at these scrap baggies that I would grab

one and just sew;

no pattern, no rules, no 1/4" seams even==

No Nothing!! Just sewing without any

plan at all...

Sew now--so now hahaha--😆😂😄

I still don't really feel like doing a pattern

or anything planned out, 

but I am enjoying just sewing along 

like this. 

Has this ever happened to you????

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(just-sewing-euse) 

2025 JUNQUE JOURNAL, et al

 

Above is my 2023-2024 

Pita cracker box 

Junque Journal glue book

which I have shown before. 

A few of you asked to see 

more of my process and the book..

I have added tabs to all the pages,

some fabric and some paper...

As you can see here:↓↓↓

It has gotten really CHUNKY!!!

↶↶↶↶

I only have about 5 pages left to

the end of the year...

But  by using my journaling cards I

will be able to work until

January.

Here is where I am today--

you can see the pockets with the

journaling cards in them:

It is so chunky that I had to hold it

open with my Father's 

old glass paperweight...

*******************

And......

So, I have put together

what will become  

Volume 2 of my Pita Box

Junque Journals.

[I like using these boxes as it gives me an

excuse to get these from Trader Joe's and

eat up all the yummy crackers--haha]

It has four "signatures"* --

in this one instead of the 5 in my first

to keep it from getting so "fluffy"!!

:)))))

[*FYI: groups of pages 

sewn into the spine...]

👀↧↧👀

You can see them here sewn

into the spine....

I've distressed all the pages--

which are scraps, and coffee dyed

computer papers, and a 

bit of everything really;)))

[hence "junque" journal title]

I am getting ready to work on the pages here....

The front cover inside Title Page

ready to be decorated

and 

here is the first page that I

have begun to work on:

You can see that this is just a scrap

of paper that I partially coffee dyed and

stencilled with dots....

The lady has become my "signature" stamp 

that I will feature throughout...

Here is my "messy" work table with some things

in progress...

Above my work table are shelves holding

a lot of the supplies that I use most...

And 

that old lunch pail on the top right

was modge-podged by my Mom--

and I truly cherish it...

holding all my glues...

So you see

the acorn doesn't fall 

far from the

tree, 

does it:)))

I am working on learning a bit of

Mixed Media in this old book...

working with stamps, sprays,

 stencils,  and 

some watercolors...

I will remove these pages and most likely 

use them in my Junque Journal 

next year...

Hugs, Julierose,

La Blageuse

(junque[journaling-euse)