Paper, Paper and more Paper.

So, I had my blog for yesterday written ahead of time and pre-scheduled. It’s the one about Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. I was making a point about the fact that I tend to be the recycling depot for my friends and their cast off craft supplies. It was a valid point.

Then yesterday I get an e-mail from a friend asking if I wanted any of this paper stuff that she’d cleaned out of her stash during her office renovation.

Of course I said yes, I’ll take it all. Okay, okay, I’m a wuss, I’ll admit it. It wasn’t the word ‘free’ that got me, it was the word ‘paper’.

I love paper. I go crazy in office supply stores, and a craft or art store is absolute heaven for me. I am a mixed media collage artist and that means paper, layers of paper, bits torn from magazines, saved from the mail, gift wrapping and anything else I think will add colour or texture.

I confess, I am addicted to and a hoarder of paper. 

I wasn’t really being greedy, I’ll share. The old style fan out printer paper I’ll give to the grandkids. During the summer there could be rainy days where they’ll find themselves indoors looking for something to do, and like me, they just might want to be creative and pick up a pencil and some markers and draw.

The binder paper and notebooks I’ll keep. I still like to write longhand at times and keep a clipboard of paper handy for notes and ideas.

I’ve been itching to do some art work since I hand painted my brother a pair of minion shoes. It was having that brush in my hand again.

I have this idea that involves paper, some drawing, maybe some painting. It was something for the family, and I wanted each family member represented by their favourite colour. Sounds crazy I know, but I haven’t gotten it worked out in my head yet. I asked my son and his gang what their favourite colours were when they were here on the weekend, and he immediately asked why, of course.

He’s seen me through too many ‘never to be completed’ works of art. For example there’s the piece of wood and jar of nails sitting in the corner that I found in his garage and just had to have. I had an idea.

I don’t always like to talk about projects in the early planning stage, but knowing I have a pile of coloured paper coming my way is making this new idea come together.

If worse comes to worse, I know how to use up all that extra paper. There is something I've always wanted to try...making my own hand made paper. I have many books on the subject...of course. Molding and shaping handmade paper, the various textures, just think of the possibilities.

Oh boy, I think I just wrote myself into a new summer project. Maybe my friend will want to come over and play. 

Whatever happens it's her fault, after all, she started it by cleaning out her office. How dare she?