April 2017 - The Monthly Muse



Calendar Journal 2016

Spring is a season for new beginnings! 

So how about an artsy Calendar Journal?

 I have been considering several definitions for MUSE.  These are my favorites:
• To dream
• To ponder
• To reflect on a song, a poem, a story, a life event  
• To wonder, to marvel
So, The Monthly Muse began.


Here's the story: While browsing through craft books, I stumbled upon an idea for creating a monthly planner and making it artsy.  I used too many page as signatures for my 2016 book, resulting in several blanks I plan to go back to sometime.  I used watercolor paper, stitched binding, monthly tabs, and a fabric cover.



Calendar Journal 2017

For 2017, I reduced the page number by half and created my planner with a fabric cover that reminds me of my Mom.  I used fabric I had bleached with a design, beaded, and applied lace reminiscent of my mother’s generation. For the center stage, I used a pair of my mother’s dressy evening earrings. This time I used heavy stock paper not watercolor.  It can only handle a tiny bit of water.
 

Let me show you the interior set-up. The left side includes the title for the month, the theme, items I am grateful for, a word list, a color list, drawing ideas and two columns for notes.  The right side has a small calendar, cut from a full year calendar, glued to one upper corner, two rectangle outlines for drawings surrounded by open area for ideas, notes, and things I want to remember such as special happenings that month.



 My WIP April pages include:
Theme: Spring
Gratitude: Time in seasons, months, weeks and days, my writing group
Word List: Taxes, classes, trust
Color List: pink, green, sky blue
Drawings: leaves, sunflowers & poppies
Notes:  Do No Harm

Have a go and share what you chose to do.  It is perfectly OK to start your Calendar Journal in April!  It is your book. It’s wonderful whenever you start.   ------ some Jan/Feb/March catch up next time -----