Collaged Mats

Ok, this was a lot of fun! And I have to make more! Cat asked what would happen if you collage a mat for a photo....well, I wondered....why not!?! So the next time we were at Michaels Craft Store, we picked up a couple of photo mats that fit a 4x6 photo. I cruised through my old photos and found a couple that I thought needed to be matted. Away I collaged. I like to use old books, maps, sheet music and a little fun for the elements. Once again I have to thank Karen O'Brien for the collage lesson. That women rocks!


The first, of course, is Keiko the killer whale. We got a chance to see him when he was up in the aquarium in Newport, Oregon back in 1996. Huge, beautiful animal! It was stormy that weekend, so his water was a little cloudy. If you wanted long enough, he would appear from the murky water straight to the window and look at all of us. Oh, he was a site.

Next was a place called Fountains Abby in North Yorkshire, England. The architecture was amazing. Some people leave their heart in San Fransisco? I left mine at Fountains Abby. Mom and I got the chance to come back at night and listen to a men's choir sing some up to date songs. Seemed odd in such a magnificent place.

Our Family...

Our best friends, Dana and Fran, had a baby back in May. He is just about the cutest thing you will ever see. Sweet face, sweet nature, just a sweet boy. Sigh! I seem to cry every-time I see him. Not sure why, I just feel the emotions and smile....

While visiting them in October we walked into a baby store and I saw a wooden frame that was so-so done with the words "Our Family just grew by two feet". Clever, I thought, but I think I would like to make one for them and make it more personal. So, as Fran was giving Lee his bath, I asked if we could take a couple of pictures of his feet....so sneaky! Christmas was coming and I thought that would be a great time to give them something special. So Cat and I put our heads together and came up with a great wide black frame, the pic of his feet, some velum for the words and the collage technique Karen O'Brien taught, I was off and running....

Hollywood Journal

Well, I finally got the outside of the Hollywood Canvas Journal finished! Whew.... that can take some time looking for just the right closure and buttons and .....stuff! It has been fun adding stickers, letters and finding pictures to add to the inside of the journal for visual fun. The trip begins....


I have written before that mom and I are trying very hard to use things we already have or given to us. So, why not use a book of maps for the inside pages?? I tried to stick with the California maps the best I could....I have never been crazy about my hand writing so I found much easier to type out the trip on the computer.

We found a great little coffee shop very close to the place we were staying....



We visited with Cat's grandma Virginia before she passed about a month later. What a lovely visit we had playing cards and reminiscing with old photos. Miss Virginia, you will be missed.

This was a great experience and I think I will make trip journals in the future...