Decorate a FREE BryonySeries Crocheted Pumpkin at The Book Market

Come visit the BryonySeries "Pumpkin Patch" at The Book Market in Crest Hill, with an array of pumpkins ready for decorating!

Here's how it works.

Select one of our Bertrand the Mouse-approved, Cindy-created Ribbit-Ribbit pumpkin.

And then decorate it in the store with sticky back felt shapes and designs, which are divided by shape and design and placed in the plastic Jack-o-lanterns next to the pumpkins.

Leave your pumpkin on the table, so customers can vote "by number." (The pumpkins are numbered).

Write the number of your favorite pumpkin on a sticky note, fold the note in half, and drop it in to the bucket.

Voting ends shortly before 1:30 p.m. October 25 (a the conclusion of the BryonySeries pre-Halloween Book Party), upon which time the notes will be counted and a suprise bookish "prize" will be awarded and all pumpkins may go home.

All pumpkins are free to choose, free to decorate, while supplies last. Decorated pumpkins have an approximate retail value of $25, so this is a free fun way to bring personalized autumn decor into your home.

Questions?

Email us at bryonyseries@gmail.com. Or pop into The Book Market and ask owner Janet Staley.

Happy decorating!

Happy Calkins Day! (Amid Frustrating Technology Woes)

I could spend this post grumbling about the time I lost this past week to a technology issue that just won't resolve itself, no matter how many hours of lost time trying and the large amount of in-house expertise we've thrown at it.

I'm behind in "life" tasks, housework, responding to social media, and my own personal fiction writing goals.

So now that you know why I've appeared to recently "ghost" any of the above, I'm moving onto something happier, cheerier, and with a tone that I hope is close to your heart, too.

Happy Calkins Day!

And what does exactly does this mean?

Despite the multiple posts I've written this week about the BryonySeries holiday that Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, invented for himself before the series existed (here, here, here, and here) the heart of Calkins day is not about attending any event or a ploy to market books.

If Ed Calkins (a real person turned Irish vampire in the BryonySeries turned author for the series) can "steal" my characters for his writings I can "steal" his holiday for the sake of positivity.

Calkins Day, which is celebrated every year on Feb. 13 (by us), is Ed's birthday.

It's the day after Lincoln's Birthday and the day before Valentine's Day.

Ed thinks it should be a three-day holiday. And why not? 

Here are three good reasons:

1) No matter how anyone in 2023 considers Abraham Lincoln, few people would argue the world today needs strong leaders.

2) Calkins Day represents laughter, imagination, and generosity. Few people would argue the world needs all three today, perhaps more than ever.

3) Valentine's Day represents love, all love, not just romantic love, which is capricious by nature. Do you know anyone who doesn't need to give or receive more love? No? Me, neither.

So to those points:

1) Let's resolve to be worthy examples of people who follow us.

2a) Let's laugh a whole lot more and smile more often than that. 

2b) Give yourself permission to imagine and create without expectation that the result isn't "good enough" by some expert's standards. I mean, you can't bake a delicious cake without spilling some flour.

2c) Adopt of spirit of generosity, first with yourself and then with others. If you're generous with the time you need for yourself, you'll be more happily generous with the time you can give others.

3) Finally love a whole lot more. 

Love yourself with all your flaws.

And love others in the same manner.

Happy Calkins Day!

Five Reasons Why You Should Attend Calkins Day 2023 on Feb. 13 at The Book Market in Crest Hill

Now that the world has "National Day of " just about anything you can name, why not have a day to celebrate laughter, imagination, and generosity?

Wait - we do!

It's called Calkins Day.

Calkins Day was invented by Ed Calkins. Ed was a former supervisor of mine in our family's newspaper delivery era.

He created an alter ego for himself (ruthless dictator) and named his birthday (Feb. 13) as Calkins Day. 

Ed said the day should be celebrated with a parade (we had a small one in 2017, where Rebekah and I walked a bowl of candy to The Herald-News on my day off; watch the video here) and a three -day holiday (since it falls between Abraham Lincoln's birthday and Valentine's Day).

Because Ed is both a BryonySeries author and Irish vampire character, the BryonySeries adopted Calkins Day as its very own holiday, which we will celebrate this year on Feb. 13 at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

Here why you should attend:

1) No long lines: Local author events tend to attract the author and a few family and friends, both of which thin out when you've been hosting such events for more than a decade. 

2) Free stuff: Authors can leave with one of five BryonySeries books for free if they bring one they've written (or appeared in) as a gift for Ed, who loves reading, promoting, and buying books by local authors (true story). 

For details, read the flyer below or this blog post from last week.

And refreshments are also free.

3) We are celebrating laughter: Who needs a good laugh? You, maybe? I certainly do. 

You can laugh at our paltry attempts to create a holiday out of nothing. (We do). You can laugh at our attempts to write good books (We do). 

Or maybe just come out and laugh - or, at the very least, muster up a smile or two. Life is hard, especially on a Monday night. 

But you can pop in for just a few minutes (because lines will be short to nonexistent), grab your free stuff, and then (hopefully) leave smiling.

4) We are celebrating imagination: Reality is hard sometimes, isn't it? And yet, imagination is such a great escape! It costs nothing and can provide endless hours of amusement.

And what can be more imaginative than a dyslexic sixty-something man imagining himself as a ruthless dictator (his creation), Irish vampire (my creation), who then becomes an author despite his dyslexia (all true), who turns his dyslexia into a novel featuring my characters and a few of his own (all true and we have the book to prove it, which you can take home for free while supplies last. And what local author doesn't have a decent supply of books he cannot sell?).

5) We are celebrating generosity: Ed is generous. When he supervised a portion of the distribution center where my family worked, he bought and cooked steaks on the Fourth of July for all his carriers, hosted a Queen of Christmas contest where the winner distributed the gifts Ed and his wife Nancy bought for the children (ages twelve and younger) of his carriers, distributed free candy canes to all the carriers every day during December, and organized a pallet jack race for Labor Day.

And this was just for starters.

So the BryonySeries is continuing that theme of generosity with free stuff (explained in point two).  

And you thought Calkins Day was just a ploy to market our books! Sheesh.

Of course, we will have other BryonySeries titles for sale. And The Book Market has thousands of new, used, and rare book titles you may browse and buy at this after-hours event.

So...we hope to see you there!

Because we will be there, chatting among ourselves and watching the front door with hopeful eyes, waiting for someone to show up.

Do You Know What This Is?

Or, more to the point, do you know what this will become?

Well, we're not sharing that until Monday.

But here is a hint.

This...stuff...will become part of a very unique "thank you" gift for select purchases of BryonySeries books at WriteOn Joliet's anthology release party on Dec. 8 at the Joliet Public Library, Black Road branch.

Of course, we will only have a limited amount of these "thank you" gifts. So we will offer them as supplies last.

Naturally, we have plenty supplies to make the very best gifts.

So if you are in the area next Thursday, and have a couple of spare minutes, please stop out.

Keep scrolling for more features of the night.

We will have anthologies and local authors selling their individual works. This picture is from the 2019 release party at The Book Market in Crest Hill.

We will have Santa. This picture was taken last year at the Joliet Public Library right after we packed up for the night.

We will have free, complimentary, upscale snacks prepared by Timothy. Here is Timothy's spread at The Book Market in Crest Hill in 2019.

And we will have Janet Staley, owner of The Book Market, will handle checkout and have special store offers for everyone who makes a purchase at the party.

And we hope to see you, too!

My Fair Lady "Rehearsal" 1/29/60

I Now Own a Gzrlyf

My particular Gzrlyf was an Old Calendar Christmas present from Jasmine.

It's like a hope chest in a bag. I'll explain that in a minute.

Now what's especially fun about this particular Gzrlyf is that it plays nicely with my muse, Warren Peace because it's so "charming."

My Gzrlyf comes with a coffee mug, pens for notes, and scisscors for edits.

It comes with a typewriter for getting the words on the page.

It comes with a warning to anyone who dares interfere with the creative process.

And it comes with the goal of all that effort.

So that's my Gzrlyf. 

However, I don't have any photos of Warren Peace. He's rather shy, but I can often coax him out with plain, dark roast coffee. 

Two Days Until Calkins Day: The Epic Limerick in Four Installments (So Far)

If you've haven't registered yet for our free Calkins Day celebration on at 6 p.m. CST Thursday on Zoom, here is the link: https://www.bryonyseries.com/registerforcalkinsday

This week, in advance of Calkins Day, I'm paying a bit of homage to a former supervisor turned character in several BryonySeries novels, turned Irish vampire, turned novelist, by posting some previous posts as a way of introducing you to Ed or giving you an opportunity to revist the enjoyment you received the first time you read them.

Confused? Wait until you meet Ed.

Here are three posts to introduce you to Ed Calkins' brand of writing.

All three are the first four parts of an limerick he was writing in installments as his character until he lost his way.

Because Ed sent them in installments, I mislabeled them along the way.

But here they are in the order he sent them.

And here is our recipe for Irish Soda bread, in case you'd like to make some during the Zoom call.

Enjoy!

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2018/03/ed-calkins-staked-based-epic-poem-no-one.html

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2018/04/ed-calkins-staked-based-epic-poem-part.html

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2018/05/ed-calkins-beat-goes-on.html

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2018/12/ed-calkins-staked-based-epic-poem-part.html

Three Days Until Calkins Day: About Our Made-Up Holiday

If you've haven't registered yet for our free Calkins Day celebration on at 6 p.m. CST Thursday on Zoom, here is the link: https://www.bryonyseries.com/registerforcalkinsday

This week, in advance of Calkins Day, I'm paying a bit of homage to a former supervisor turned character in several BryonySeries novels, turned Irish vampire, turned novelist, by posting some previous posts as a way of introducing you to Ed or giving you an opportunity to revist the enjoyment you received the first time you read them.

Confused? Wait until you meet Ed.

Here are posts to introduce you to Ed Calkins and our Calkins Day holiday. 

And here is our recipe for Irish Soda bread, in case you'd like to make some during the Zoom call.

Enjoy! 

Twenty Questions with Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2020/05/twenty-questions-with-ed-calkins.html

The Case of Calkins Day

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2011/02/case-for-calkins-day.html

Calkins Day on a Budget

https://bryonyseries.blogspot.com/2011/02/calkins-day-on-budget.html

Have you Registered for Calkins Day Yet?

Holidays are an important part of many worlds, and the BryonySeries is no exception to that idea.

And since some of the books have a made up character that's a real person, we have a made-up holiday based on that character/person.

That holiday is Calkins Day, which is typically celebrated on February 13, which is the birtday of Ed Calkis, Steward of Tara, who is a dyslexic Irish vampire in the books and a dyslexic, semi-retired, newspaper delivery manager/carrier turned self-published BryonySeries author in the real world.

Confused? Just wait until you meet Ed.

This year, Calkins Day lands on Super Bowl Sunday, so Ed has decided to pass on an in-person celebration and the imaginary parade in favor of a Zoom celebration from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10.

The event is free, but you need to register for the Zoom link. Register at bryonyseries.com/registerforcalkinsday.

Bascially, it's just an opportunity for creative people, along with anyone who has nothing else to do that night, to gather onscreen and listen/chat about creative works and enjoy some conversation that probably won't make sense at all.

As Ed put it, "Can we just hold a WriteOn Joliet meeting and just talk? And can we open it up to others?"

If you're still reading this post and wondering if this Calkins Day event is right for you, see if you fall into one of these categories:

Someone who wants to talk about and/or promote their writing.

Somone who likes to read.

Someone interested in fictionalizing a real person in their creative works - we've done it!

Someone who has questions about the BryonySeries.

Someone who wants to meet the world's first dyslexic Irish vampire who is also now an author.

Someone who just wants to listen in.

And someone who is anyone at all.

My WriteOn Joliet leader Tom Hernandez won't be joining us as emcee this year because he has a work commitment. So you are stuck with me. And Bertrand the Mouse. 

I hope that doesn't dissuade anyone from tuning it. But we are being transparent about it.

Again, you need to register for the Zoom link. Register at bryonyseries.com/registerforcalkinsday.

When you are done, check out this blog: maureenblevins.blogspot.com.

It has nothing to do with Calkins Day.

But it's the blog of the creative artist who designs my flyers.

Calkins Day 2022: Celebrate Creative Writing on Feb. 10

For the first time ever in the BryonySeries world, our Calkins Day celebration will not be held on Calkins Day, which is February 13.

That because Calkins Day this year lands on Super Bowl Sunday even as Omicron is still having its way with the world.

Someday, of course, a Calkins Day celebration, complete with parade, will supersede any thoughts of Super Bowl Sunday, and it will be the Super Bowl that will be forced to reschedule. But we are not quite there yet, and Ed and Nancy Calkins agreed.

So at the behest and in honor of Ed Calkins, Steward of Tara, the BryonySeries will hold its first Calkins Day Chat.

The event will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 10 on Zoom. The event is free, but registration is required through the BryonySeries website.

You see, after we released Ed's first novel last year, he joined WriteOn Joliet, where he has enjoyed meeting other writers, as well as reading and commenting on their works.

But he's only had the oppportunity to chat with members of the group just twice outside of meeting times: at our anthology release party and our Christmas party, both in December 2021.

So he asked me, "Can we just hold a WriteOn Joliet meeting and just talk? And can we open it up to others?"

Of course!

Who should attend?

Anyone who wants to talk about and/or promote their writing.

Anyone who likes to read.

Anyone interesting in fictionalizing a real person in their creative works - we've done it!

Anyone who has questions about the BryonySeries.

Anyone who wants to meet the world's first dyslexic Irish vampire who is also now an author.

Anyone who just wants to listen in.

And everyone else.

My WriteOn Joliet leader Tom Hernandez won't be joining us as emcee this year because he has a work commitment. So you are stuck with me.

I hope that doesn't dissuade anyone from tuning it. But we are being transparent about it.

What is Calkins Day, you ask? It is Ed Calkins' birthday. And it's an opportunity to celebrate laughter and creativity. 

Register at bryonyseries.com/registerforcalkinsday.

2021 At-Home Writing Retreat No. 1 Recap

Late yesterday afternoon, I officially ended my first at-home writing retreat of 2021 (I had vacation time to use and no place to go, thank you, COVID).

I will take a second retreat, hopefully next month, as I still have vacation time I must use before the end of the year.

Here was my goal: to turn my outlined, very rough draft of Call of the Siren (the second book in the Limbo trilogy) into a solid working draft that I can shape, revise, and edit.

Here is its back cover summary:

Sue Bass is haunted by dreams of her father, who died in a boating accident before she was born, alluring dreams of water and song. But then a soft-spoken outside man with an inside plan comes to town, and Sue's sleepwalking stops, only to resurface with greater magnetism when he leaves.

Two voices beckon. Which one will she heed?

I divided half of the novel into sections for each day, to keep me on track. I'll do the same with the other half of the novel during the second retreat.

Basically, I wrote at a rate of two chapters per day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Rebekah had surgery on Thursday, so I took Thursday off to focus solely on her.

And then Cindy came down Thursday night and gave Rebekah her personal CNA attention until she had to return to work early on Sunday morning, which meant Rebekah could hang out with someone more fun than her mom.

Well, how did I do?

Very well, actually. And very happy to return to work.

I hit every goal. 

Now some chapters were not quite as detailed as I wanted them to be. And some are actually nearly finished. Furthermore, I accomplished some additional, but related, projects, too, that weren't on my homework list.

I created granular sections of more "homework" in all the chapters, for focused work on the weekends.

I started a checkpoint list for editing, for when I reach that stage.

I worked out some major issues with mood, plot, writing style, and "music" that only the protagnoist hears.

This last one was the most challenging part of the manuscript. Too much detail for the reader and then the music ceases to be an elusive, mystical, magical sound. But I found a way to (hopefully) foster the ability for the reader to "hear" it, but not exactly "hear" it - a sense of it, but always out of grasp.

Make sense? No? Well, then you can imagine how difficult it was for me to portray it.

And if it does make sense, you're in for a treat.

I also put together a pretty detailed plan for the artwork, as well (I already have the cover, courtesy of Nancy Calkins).

I did engage more with the family than I had originally planned, but I think that made the retreat more focused, less frustrating, and one of the most pleasant at-home retreat experiences I've enjoyed.

An amazing calm settled over me on Saturday night, knowing that, creatively, I'd hit all the right notes.

Don't get me wrong. The manuscript is still a mess. But it's less of a mess. It's more of an organized mess, and it's organized in the direction it needs to go.

And, yes. I drank lots of coffee (and Timothy kept me well stocked in Dunkin Americanos).

 And I burned lots of incense. Still have to clean that up.

So if the week was so wonderful, why am I ready to return to work? 

Well, because, as delightful as it sounds to live in an imaginary world, being creative on that level is hard, hard work, although a different type of hard work than my role as features editor/writer for The Herald-News.

Also, my fiction wanders in dark and murky areas. One week steeped in that environment is long enough, at least for me. 

I'm glad, grateful even, that writing fiction is a weekend project on the hobby side of life and not part of my daily life, where I write for the community and try to serve my family and friends well.

Now you're probably wondering: what did Uncle Barty and Bertrand the Mouse do all this time?

That's a whole other post.

For tomorrow.

Leftovers

"Leftovers" is a word that often has negative connotations of not being as good as the original or not being good enough to make the first cut, as if only new and shiny have value.

"What are we having for dinner tonight?"

"Leftovers."

"Oh."

But leftovers can have great value, too. Spaghetti sauce, for instance, often tastes better the next day. So does lasagna and macaroni and cheese with bacon.

Doubling portions when cooking on Monday means having "leftovers" for Tuesday and extra time for other projects.

Cutting elements from a story and then putting those "leftovers" into a separate file means you have a fresh persepctive later. You can decided if they should go back in - or if they are better served in another story - or they are simply evidence you know where to cut (pat yourself on the back).

Stories that were "leftover" from my schedule last week means I don't have to go hunting for ideas this week.

Leftover materials from one craft project can be stored for another. I used to run a Sunday School at a church, and I saved everything and accepted donations from the church members of everything. I had a wonderful supply closet - and those leftovers were just the thing when I purchased large, trifold cardboard for every student to recreate the "John of the Ladder" icon. They could use every and any form of media stored in the closet. The kids loved it.

Memories of great experiences are another type of welcome leftovers, ones that stay fresh in our hearts long after the experience itself fades.

I have three boxes in my closet of "leftovers" from my attic office in Channahon - tangible memories of the "Ron" years, spent in the home his parents built, years that dementia robbed from him.

Circling back to food, Rebekah and I did not cook this weekend for the Sue's Diner page on the BryonySeries website.

This means that if you didn't try her chocolate chip cookie recipe from last week, you can still try it this week.

I love chocolate chip cookies fresh and warm from the oven.

But they also taste great the next day.

Pot Lid Photo Shoot

Tonight I'm helping a friend out with a school project.

Virtually, of course.

And I was told to wear a pot lid.

Soooo...

Like any woman with a collection of hats, which pot lid to choose?

So I modeled a few.

And Rebekah took a few photos.

Decisions, decisions...

The Boring Side of Creativity

I'm not certain why, but we tend to romanticize the making of art.

But making art is not the same as enjoying the finished project.

Making art takes time, more time than even accomplished and experienced artists sometimes estimate for a project, and that time is often laborious and tedious.

Now there's definitely an indescribable delight in the finished product, no doubt.

But that's brief and fleeting. For even the person who climbs a mountaintop must climb back down. The way up and the way down is challenging and the outcome isn't certain.

To return to a mountaintop high, one must start a new project, a new climb, a new goal with no reassurance of reaching the top.

To create art means risking failure, over and over and over again - while taking those repetitive steps that may come with some boredom. That's not easy to do on a daily basis.

Fortunately, I save most artistic projects for the weekend. Journalism, for all its twenty-first uncertainties, comes with one certainty.

I must meet those deadlines if I want to stick around in the industry.

Here's a good article on the boring life of an artist.

https://www.dumbofeather.com/articles/the-gently-boring-life-of-an-artist/

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

What Artists Have Always Known

This morning I read this article in The Atlantic: "The Perks of Being a Weirdo  How not fitting in can lead to creative thinking."

I think two types of people will benefit from reading it.

Those who will sagely nod and think, "Yep. That's me!"

Or those who will now have insight in that friend or relative that just won't conform.

This is not about non-conformity for non-conformity's sake.

And unpaved roads are not comfortable.

But fresh perspectives and new ideas often come from lifting the flaps of the box and seeing what's beyond it.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/04/the-perks-of-being-a-weirdo/606778/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: Newspaper Jokes for Timothy's 17th Birthday

Newspaper Jokes for Timothy's 17th Birthday

Along with the discarded novella version of Bryony, the jokes below were part of the birthday package.

Yes, I know number four is missing, deleted on purpose, a bit insulting (aka Ed Calkins), not fit for print. 

Anyway, these are just another example of my re-entry into creativity after many decades, before I went completely to the dark side. ;)

1)      Q: On Sunday, why did Timothy stuff more papers than anyone else?

             A: He was on a roll.

2)      Knock. Knock.

Who’s there?

Sun Times.

Sun Times who?

Sun Times I just don’t want to deliver papers.

3)      Q: Why did the daily bags not mind papers being stuffed into them?

A: They were hooked.

5)      Q: Why did Ron get old fast by delivering papers?

       A: Because he worked for man-agers.

6)      Q: What kind of bags are good to eat?

A: Sundae bags.

7)      Q: What kind of a raft will not keep one from downing?

A: A paper buoy.

8)      Q: When business got bad for the newspaper company, what did it do?

A: It folded.

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: "Please Confiscate the Vampire Skin" by Allie Rios

Friday, August 16, 2013

"Please Confiscate the Vampire Skin" by Allie Rios and Story Round Up

Please Confiscate the Vampire Skin by Allie Rios

 

Please confiscate the vampire skin

That sparkles in the sun;

Give the predators evil powers

Like Bram Stoker would have done!

Slap on them some leather

and give them all a dark disguise;

Bring Blade with blackened sunglasses

To banish Edward’s unconvincing eyes.

Replace Bella with a woman

Who maintains a semblance of a clue;

Perhaps the angst-ridden Juliet

and Romeo’s fateful dagger would make do.

Release the shirtless werewolf

Whose abs would have more appeal

If his howling, sullen whininess

Could ever close the deal.

Please find me stronger villains

Than the Volturi seem to be;

Cruella De Ville’s available

And would tame those giant dogs for free.

Replace the clueless father

With one equally unaware;

Clark Griswold is a primo choice

For at least he combs his hair.

Once you’ve overcome the book

and brave the cinematic scene,

Remember as you publish your own

There’s writers worse than me!

 

Collaborative Art

Earlier this year, WriteOn Joliet hosted a display of collaborative pieces at the downtown branch of the Joliet Public Library.

I wound up collaborating with two different photographers as well as BryonySeries artist Sue Midlock.

Sue is currently working on a novel based on a real-life seventeenth century Scottish witch, so I suggested we create something with a witch them.

So Sue came up with the title "The Witch's Spell." She did the art, asked me to write the text, and then she added the words and embellishing touches.

It had three panels. This is the result.

Gone

Back in the "good old days? people sometimes stayed glued to their house for hours at a time if they were expecting a phone call they could not miss.

The ease of virtual communication has erased that. Now we panic if you lose our phones. 

This is not a rant against social media, etc. I love smartphones, and I love social media. I love the ease of convenient communication. 

This morning, I've already answered emails, confident of return replies when the other people are available.

"When they are available." That's the key.

Ease of communication should never translate into 24/7 availability. We should always have off-radar time, the degree of which depends on our nature and how much we need.

Despite negative reports, social media is a tool that can foster connection. But as the ease of communication increases, we should become fierce in protecting the times we don't wish to be "on."

For me, micro bursts of it during the day keep me focused and productive. Larger bursts during the weekend and "days off" rests and rejuvenates me.

Unconvinced? Here's someone else who tried it - and liked it.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/why-you-need-an-untouchable-day-every-week

Scroll Journals: A Project in Progress

This weekend, Rebekah, BryonySeries artist and local author Sue Midlock, and me gathered at Sue's house to start making scroll journals, art pieces that reflect our books.

Basically you attach a long piece of paper and affix it to a wooden spool. But first, you decorate it and write on it.

Here are some of the supplies Sue gathered for us to use. Her husband Bruce made the spools for us.

Next, we painted long strips of paper with watercolors. Sue chose autumn colors to reflect the witch story she is writing. We chose pale yellows and tans to create an aged parchment look.

Then we began embellishing and writing on the scrolls. Ours have "bryony" vines and tiny pink flowers, of course.

We spent about three hours on the project and hope to return to it this weekend.