Oxalis

Oxalis is considered an invasive plant by the California Invasive Plant Council.

A portion of our garden is covered with the plants. Not planned, just happened.

Oxalis

I cut a few to dry and use in a piece. The flowers are lovely with a sweet, subtle fragrance.

I had a few buds left. Popped them in a small vase of water. Three days later they opened and are still opening during the day and closing at night.

Oxalis

The plants also have interesting foliage.

Oxalis

If the flowers are dried in my microwave flower press they become a golden color. When dried in my flower press between layers of blotter paper and cardboard they retain most of their yellow color.

The leaf is nearly dry; the flower completely dry.

Drying Oxalis

Forest and the Axe Book

This was a test to determine if pages with only one of two punctures for binding will stay in place. Also wanted to test an accordion fold for the binding. I like that the accordion fold could offer a pause in the content. Definitely will use the technique in the future, maybe when binding the Axe book.

What is the Axe book? The quote is–The forest was shrinking but the trees kept voting for the axe. For the axe was clever and convinced the trees that because its handle was wood it was one of them.

Why the title Lost Memories? When you open the book it becomes apparent that all of the pages are without code or text.
Lost Memories 1

The code is layered with Lost horizontally and Memories vertically.
Lost Memories 2

Left approximately 12″ at the start of each section with the idea that I would macrame the lot together.
Lost Memories 3

Possible pause in content.
Lost Memories 4

Pocket on the last page of the book contains the title and a list of materials.
Lost Memories 5

Materials–paper, rust paper, roofing felt, fiber.
Scale-4″ x 6″ x 1.0625″

Book–No Regrets

Cover Code–”No” on the left side, “Regrets” on the right side.

Stitched a small magnet into each corner for the wrap around closure.

Book Closed

Book Open

Code on Interior Pages–Don’t let the past take your future.
The quote is from the Joe Coomer book, Beachcombing for a Shipwrecked God. It is one of my favorite books. He also wrote Pocketful of Names, and One Vacant Chair. All have an interesting female character who also happens to be an artist.

Book Open

A single letter is embroidered on each page.
The code for each letter and punctuation is embroidered in grey on cream packing paper with a rust patina and mounted on brown packing paper.

Code is the Letter F
Code for the letter f

Code is a Period
Code for the period

The spacers are embroidered in cream on brown packing paper with a rust patina and mounted on cream packing paper.

A Spacer

Green painters’ paper separates each word and lines the book.

Book From Above

The pocket near the last page contains a note about the work.

Pocket for Notes

The scale is roughly 3.25″ x 4″ x 3.25″.
Materials–Paper, fiber, tree wrap, metal, CMC, PVA, magnets.

The paper used had metal bits placed on and or pierced through the surface. A sodium solution was applied to encourage rust and salt crystals on the surface. A solution of CMC was applied to each page to protect the surfaces.

A few Details–
Detail 1

Detail 2

Detail 3

Detail 4

Detail 5

Always Test New Materials

Or something unexpected could happening.

I have been rusting paper, mostly newsprint packing paper with nice results.

This is a detail of a piece of rusted paper with embroidered code.

Indelible Mark Detail

The result of a piece of newsprint laid on top of wet rusty nails and weighted with a brick.

Rust

A wallpiece in progress that is in the process of rusting.

Wallpiece in Progress

Brown packing paper, safety pins, embroidery cotton, and a strip of drop cloth.
Solution of peroxide and sodium was used to rust the safety pins.

Newsprint with a solution of peroxide and sodium.

Newsprint Rust

The unexpected result–I was planning to make a couple of pieces similar to the Indelible Mark detail.

I cut and folded paper from a drawing pad that I picked up at Five Below.

Drawing Pad

I was expecting lovely rust and this is what happened–

Purple

White paper wrapped around newsprint–

White Paper Around Newsprint

Immediately thought the sizing in the paper was the reason for the peculiar rust color.

When I applied peroxide and sodium to a scrap of the white paper, this is what happened–

White Paper Test

Lesson Learned–Always, always test new materials.

Acquire Habit Book

Quote used–To acquire the habit of reading is to construct for yourself a refuge from almost all of the miseries of life.
Symbols for Code

Acquire Habit

Closed Book

Acquire Habit

Spine

Acquire Habit

Acquire Habit
Acquire Habit

Detail–Twine Between Layers of Tissue Paper, with CMC

Acquire Habit

The pages were folded and glued together with CMC.

Acquire Habit

The pages were bound with the raw edges to the inside and the fold on the outside.

Habit

Acquire Habit

Miseries

Acquire Habit

Pocket with Notes

Acquire Habit

Acquire Habit

Materials–Paper, paste paper, cotton thread, jute twine, CMC, Double-sided Tape.
Tape was used because wet glue ruins certain surfaces.

Scale 5.25″ x 4″ x 2″

Regret Book Completed

There are two thing that matter. The thing you did that cannot be undone. The thing you did not do, that you should have done.

Regret
Regret Book

There are two things
Regret Book

that matter
Regret Book

. The
Regret Book

thing you
Regret Book

did that
Regret Book

cannot
Regret Book

be undone .
Regret Book

The thing you
Regret Book

did not do,
Regret Book

that you should
Regret Book

have done .
Regret Book
Regret Book
Regret Book

Materials–Paper, bamboo and cotton fiber, rust, CMC, PVA.
Each page is 4.75″ x 3.75″; closed book is 5″ x 4″ x 1.5″