BMJournal: Inside Out, Upside Down and Backwards

The quote says, "When the thirty-six streams of pleasure are in full flow, they will drag you along. Be aware of their pull. Watch as a creeper grows and drags on you. Make sure you cut it out by the root." - 24, Desires, Verses 339 & 340

BMJournal: Our Animal Companions - What Are They Thinking?

Animal Companions is a day planner altered book. It's the size of a checkbook cover. Contributors were allowed to use one month's pages and were to interpret what we thought our animal companions might think of. As I've been immersed in both doing Egyptian altered books and finding a home for two loveable cats since finding my son is severely allergic, cats it was. I have always loved a feline pal around. However, looking back at this, I think perhaps the cat is thinking something I might should I look at myself upon closer reflection.

BMJournal: Walk Like An Egyptian

My son is enthralled with Egypt, and I was as a child. However, my translation skills were always based on painfully looking up heiroglyphs in books while my son has been able to rattle them off since he was 5. Knew them better than his ABC's. I'm talking that obsessed. I've always liked the imagery of Eyes, and so the Eye of Horus appeals. I have a tattoo of a scarab beetle on the inside of my left wrist. Obsessions run in the family.

BMJournal: Found Treasures of Life

Found Treasures of Life. A while back I was involved in an inchies exchange group. It was a fun way to create quick nuggets of joy. However, I soon found I had oodles of them and nothing to do with them and that they were adding to my collection of found junk items. So, I stopped trading and put them away. However, when I got this journal in the mail I had just found them while hunting through boxes for holiday decor. So, they became found treasures again and I finally had a place to use them. The rest of the entry is some illustration of mine and some ends left over from a book project I had completed.

BMJournal: Cliches of Life

For this Book Mooch Journal, each page had a cliche' listed on it. I chose "Red-Letter Day" to illustrate. Most everyone else thus far has written their interpretation of the cliche', but I chose to paint and illustrate it instead. I'd had this leftover pice of a 25 page book I recently worked on and it seemed to suit it quite well once I embellished it further.

BMJournal: Book of Gargoyles and Gargoyle Lore

The Book of Gargoyles and Gargoyle Loreis a nifty lil' Book Mooch Journal. I learned a lot from the contributions within. As I honestly don't know a lot of gargoyle lore, but do enjoy penning architecture and mythical creatures alike I drew my own fine little fellow with his round blue orb. He graces the inside of the back cover.

BMJournal: Triskadekaphilia

So, this red covered journal is dedicated to art applauding the number 13. I took, as it says, 13 minutes to do some ink and pencil sketches with my favorite prismacolor art tools. I've never had a strong fear of Friday the 13th, nor am I am big fan of the overdone Jason flicks.

BMJournal: The Black Book Of The Wanderer

The Black Book of the Wanderer is a little black leather bound Book Mooch Journal dedicated to Merlin the Magician. My contribution is a pencil sketch of Merlin in his robe and cap out under a moonlit sky.

BMJournal: I Want You To Leave Me Alone

If you aren't familiar with Emily the Strange, you should be. This little altered black spiral bound book has an ongoing story that is being added to. When I received the book, Emily was watching Ernie be bitten and scratched by cats after being subdued by the effects of her tasty banana bread concoction. (To get the recipe, sign up for a free book mooch account and mooch this book.)

Ernie manages to get up and Emily takes chase. I thought it the perfect time for her to break into song with Cat Scratch Fever, Pantera style.

BMJournal: Seasons of Life

For my contribution to this Book Mooch Journal I did a collage, and also shared some of the reasons I like Fall with a quick leaf sketch. There's some bleed through from the prior person's entry but I didn't choose to paint or otherwise cover it because I like the fact that it gives an imperfection to it. Nothing in life is perfect and there is a lot of bleed through in our thoughts, images, and perceptions.

The image above is my favorite from within the Seasons of Life journal. It's by Book Mooch member sarahatlee.She's from Oklahoma and a freelance illustrator. She has some very cool flash images going on at her website! I love funky faces, and she certainly has those down pat!

BM Journal: Mother Moon Sister Sun

The Mother Moon Sister Sun journal was fun to contribute to. I played around with some collage on my first image, and then drew body people that I like to create now and again. They are these generic individuals who usually hae a spiral or a heart on their dancing bodies, and in this case are holding up a sun and a moon.

This third image is my favorite contribution in this particular Book Mooch Journal so far. It's by Book Mooch member 2littlewings. From checking out her profile, I found out that she does some really awesome art on Etsy and her name is Erin. So, be sure to check her creative genius out.

If you would like to participate and add your own personal touch to this BMJournal, you will first need to sign up for a free account at Book Mooch where you can swap books and art journals.

BMJournal: 101 Ways To Simplify Your Life

This is the third altered book project I am releasing into the realm of the Book Mooch Journals Project. Part of a series, I have sent three such books into the world of creative moochers. The other two are:

101 Ways To Be A Great Mom
101 Ways to Relax And Reduce Stress

Hopefully, the artistic moochers who add to this altered journal will email me some jpegs to add to the blog so you all can see their creative genius.

If you would like to participate and add your own personal touch to this BMJournal, you will first need to sign up for a free account at Book Mooch where you can swap books and art journals.

BMJournal: 101 Ways To Be A Great Mom

Here's my second contribution to the Book Mooch Journals pool. I found this "101 Ways" series of three books at Dollar General in Howell and picked them up. Perfect for altering, and this book will make a fun gift for some mom I know depending on how it all turns out!

Again, this this one, I have no idea where the cartoon is from to credit it. It was in a folder of clips from the newspaper that I found amusing at one point. Family is about togetherness, and often that means toughing out the rough spots and ending up "at the edge of a hideous sea of weeds."

The image on the back cover is a cartoon from Rose Is Rose.

If you would like to participate in this altered book project, you will have to be a Book Mooch member. It's easy and free to sign up.

BMJournal: 101 Ways To Relax And Reduce Stress

This is the first Book Mooch Journal I am sending off into the unknown world of Book Mooch Journalers. This book simply begged to be altered and I'm certain the creative moochers out there will share their own unique ways to relax and reduce stress, which no doubt include reading books.

I wish I could give adequate credit to the monkeys jumping on the couch cartoon I placed on the cover, but alas it was in a folder of clippings that didn't include the rest of it. It's from the newspaper and signed MT. Best I can do on that. I do not know anything about the cartoon on the back except that it made my youngest son belly laugh and it came from a newspaper, most liekly syndicated in the Detroit News.

If you would like to participate in this altered book project, you will have to be a Book Mooch member. It's easy and free to sign up.

Book Mooch Journals: What are they?

http://www.bookmoochjournals.com