#27 Making Moley Magic Group

[theweavershand]

#27 Making Moley Magic Group - WE ARE FULL!
First Mail Date: January 5, 2021
Subsequent Mail-by dates: 2/5/2021, 3/5/2021, 4/5/2021, 5/5/2021, 6/5/2021, 7/5/2021, 8/5/2021, 9/5/2021, 10/5/2021
Due Back in Hand by: November 5, 2021
Withdraw By: NOT ALLOWED


Materials required: One blank Japanese Moleskine accordion style pocket album. Approximate size is 3.5" x 5.5". Available at Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Moleskine-Cov...ef_=ast_sto_dp

AFA says you Must:
•Be an actively trading AFA member (defined as: positive itrader across 2 swaps in the last 3 months)
•Have 3+ months in good standing (no neutrals or negative iTraders)
•Have an iTrader rating of 25+
•Be willing and able to do your very best work on a strict, inflexible time line, over a long period
•Be willing and able to complete three (3) 3x5 journal pages in the themes chosen by your fellow participants
•Have the cash resources necessary to ship eight (10) journals around the world using First Class mail with mandatory tracking

It is also mandatory that you share your mailing address, a phone number, and a contact person to the host. This is to be sure no journals go MIA - info will only be shared with your fellow Moley members.

You're responsible for:
•Choosing and explaining your theme. Each artist will choose their own theme, color scheme/do and don’ts, and special instructions for their own moley’s. You may choose "No theme" if you want participants to "follow their muse."
•Creating a three (3) page spread in each journal you receive.
• Include at least your name, username, and date completed on the back of your spread.
•Shipping to the next artist participant. Use a well padded bubble envelope, sturdy box or a small Flat Rate Box.
•Paying for First Class mail and MANDATORY tracking/Delivery Confirmation.


Artist Instructions:
1. Decorate the covers, if you choose. This may be completed either before or after the journal travels through the rotation. Some prefer to decorate before, to establish theme, palette, and mood. Some prefer to decorate after, to prevent damage to cover art. You decide!


2. Please include: (1) Your real name and address; (2) your username; (3) your assigned "travel-plan"; (4) a sign-in area for artists; and (5) any special instructions; in the opening pages of your book -- which you should also decorate.

3. In addition to decorating your opening, informational pages, please create one, 3-4 page spread in your own Moleskine journal. Yet another opportunity to establish theme.

4. Be sure to "fix" your art well, to prevent smudging. Allow plenty of time for drying before shipping. Wax paper between pages is a great idea.

5. Please communicate regularly via email, PM, or preferably, in this thread, whenever you have (1) received or (2) shipped a book. Include tracking numbers. We're all investing a huge amount of time, talent, and care in this project, and we want to see everyone's Moleskine journal home safely.

6. In the past there have been issues with journals piling up with one player who is unable to keep up due to unforeseen circumstances. Please communicate to the group if you find yourself falling behind. There are several ways to work around that but we cant help if we dont know what's going on. Communication is essential!

7. Please be sure to mail these journals at the post office personally. There have been incidences in other groups of journals being placed in a player's personal roadside box for mailing and having it stolen.

8. Most important: Be creative, do your very best work, stretch yourself, and have a blast!


Participants & Themes:
1. theweavershand - Theme: "The Image, Inspiration and Art of Frida Kahlo." Frida's iconic image is familiar to most people but behind the image was a real person who lived a full, complicated, inspiring life. I want to encourage all of you, if you haven't already, to check out her art, her quotes about her life and art and her story. For your pages, you can create her art in your own style, depict something from her life or something that features one of her quotes. Basically create anything you are inspired to create about Frida Kahlo.


2. CiCiCreates - THEME: “Trees, Regional and Seasonal” - Flowering trees in Spring, snow-capped pines, colorful Autumn trees, tropical palms, mighty oaks, apple trees at Harvest, etc. Can also include trees with life in them, such as squirrels, birds and nests, climbing children, etc. Images should look relaxing, happy or uplifting. Realistic, but light whimsy is fine.
DO’s: Prefer hd/hp. Hand-colored rubber stamped images are ok if small and in the background (not the focus image). Light collage is ok too. One 3-page spread or three separate panels, whichever works best for you.
DON’Ts: Please, no stickers or dimensional embellishments. Please, no tip-ins unless there are extenuating circumstances.

3. Bluesky - theme: abstract butterflies
I'm really open to interpretation of abstract butterfly....be colorful...be happy...positive words/phrases/ poems are definitely be can be included...hp/hd ..light mixed media(be careful of media going over folds in book)..
let your imagination fly free!

4. Nicky - theme: Disney classics (list to chose from included in moley - no doubles please). HD/HP

5. Marie - theme: hopeful, uplifting thoughts / found poetry. HD/HP only. collage is also fine, especially in the text.
DON'TS: NO bulky elements.

6. art_junkie - theme: field journal of found objects.
This is a tongue in cheek field journal of little things found underfoot. You will draw your found objects, but in a scientific nomenclature. Example lego block, location legt bare foot. I am thinking stuff found in couch cushions the bottom of your purse, your junk drawer or on the floor. Humorous descriptions welcome, real items preferred.

7. trini70 - THEME: desert/cactus/cacti/succulents.

HD/HP w/ a little collage is okay

8. redplantlady - theme: "Cabinets of curiosities, also known as ‘wonder rooms’, were small collections of extraordinary objects" def British Library. So representations of strange objects, like fossils, stones, precious stones, skeletons, taxidermy of fantasy and actual reptiles, insects, animals, drawings of botanical representations, potion bottles, etc etc.
I do like hd/hp but some light collage, mixed media is fine.

9. TF Balding - Theme: Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas In the Style of Your Favorite Artist

Do's: Hd/Hp preferred, light mixed media welcome.
Depict ANY of the characters from NBC in the artistic style of your favorite artist, whether that be to replace subjects of well known pieces of art with NBC characters or to create your own original piece in your chosen artist's style, just be creative & have fun with it! Choose 1 artist or 3, the choice is your's.

Don't:No unsealed craft herpes (aka glitter). No stickers or thick embellishments please.
And last but not least, NO Stress! Have fun with it!

10. aaeshelman - Theme: The "Eyes" Have It.

Hand-drawn/hand-painted eyes of any kind. they could be human, animal, fantasy, alien, your choice. Each player has three pages to create three different eyes.

WE ARE FULL!

Travel Plans:
Please note that the order of mailing will differ for each journal. Yes, this is absolutely more confusing than mailing to the same artist after each round of creating. The reasons behind jostling the order of mailing are (1) To keep the swap lively and challenging, by changing the person you're "working toward" in each round; and (2) To balance shipping costs across all participants.

BLUE = HOME
RED = ACTIVE (Actively working on pages.)
PURPLE = TRAVELING (Journal en route to next player.)
GREEN = COMPLETED

1- theweavershand -aaeshelman-CiCiCreates-TF Balding-Bluesky-redplantlady-Nicky-trini70-Marie-art_junkie-theweavershand

2- CiCiCreates-theweavershand-Bluesky-aaeshelman-Nicky-TF Balding-Marie-redplantlady-art_junkie-trini70-CiCiCreates

3- Bluesky-CiCiCreates-Nicky-theweavershand-Marie-aaeshelman-art_junkie-TF Balding-trini70-redplantlady-Bluesky

4- Nicky-Bluesky-Marie-CiCiCreates-art_junkie-theweavershand-trini70-aaeshelman-redplantlady-TF Balding-Nicky

5-Marie-Nicky-art_junkie-Bluesky-trini70-CiCiCreates-redplantlady-theweavershand-TF Balding-aaeshelman-Marie

6- art_junkie-Marie-trini70-Nicky-redplantlady-Bluesky-TF Balding-CiCiCreates-aaeshelman-theweavershand-art_junkie

7- trini70 -art_junkie-redplantlady-Marie-TF Balding-Nicky-aaeshelman-Bluesky-theweavershand-CiCiCreates-trini70

8- redplantlady -trini70-TF Balding-art_junkie-aaeshelman-Marie-theweavershand-Nicky-CiCiCreates-Bluesky-redplantlady

9- TF Balding-redplantlady-aaeshelman-trini70-theweavershand-art_junkie-CiCiCreates-Marie-Bluesky-Nicky-TF Balding

10- aaeshelman-TF Balding-theweavershand-redplantlady-CiCiCreates-trini70-Bluesky-art_junkie-Nicky-Marie-aaeshelman

[Nicky]

And here we are - alive and kicking off - our own home away from home... Time to started thinking about the opening pages for my Disney-theme adventure...

[CiCiCreates]

Yay, very exciting! Love our name too!

[trini70]

Okay everyone, where did you get your moleskine from? I just checked out amazon and all I could find in 3.5x5.5 was three choices, all of which said lined/ruled. I would need plain/blank pages. I also checked the link on the first post but didn't have any luck there either. Any suggestions on hardcover or softcover?

[CiCiCreates]

If you go back to the thread we started on, List: Waiting list for moleskine groups, go to page 5, post #87. Theweavershand posted a link to the one on Amazon. That is the one we need.

[theweavershand]

Okay everyone, where did you get your moleskine from? I just checked out amazon and all I could find in 3.5x5.5 was three choices, all of which said lined/ruled. I would need plain/blank pages. I also checked the link on the first post but didn't have any luck there either. Any suggestions on hardcover or softcover?

I added the proper link to the description.

[Bluesky]

Yippee!

[Ancient Planter]

As we packed our car to evacuate from the local fires, I actually grabbed my moley (bought off Amazon) and packed it with some paints. We didn't have to run, which is good since I've heard from friends who were told they were in the evacuation zone but to stay home because the roads were so crowded that cars weren't moving, not even on the freeway. After the freeway opened back up 2 days later we did preemptively evacuate to friends in Sacramento for a week, and my moley made the trip. We're safely home now and I had to hunt for the moley - found it! But my theme is simply National Historic Sites and Parks. Sleep Talkin' Man seemed to confuse folks too much so I'll let him continue to sleep for now.

[CiCiCreates]

Thanks for filling us in AP. I’m glad the worst seems to be over, and I do like the theme you have chosen.

[Marie]

We’re in our own thread! #27... I love it! We should get T-shirts!

[trini70]

I added the proper link to the description.

Thanks! I'm going to order one.

I actually have a moley style book. It's a tiny little book that was in a box of stuff I got at an estate sale. It was someone's souvenir from Japan dated 1976 or 5. The pages have passport like stamps from tourist sites. It's really kind of neat. I imagined some soldier on leave or something traveling around the country. Originally I thought what a strange book. I'd never seen or heard of a book that is just folded paper from front to back before.

[theweavershand]

so cool! i love stuff like that!

so, does that mean you are officially in? if so, we are FULL!! woohoo!

[Nicky]

Full... that would be wonderful Amy. Does this mean that you heard from Oneeyedwonder?
She is pretty new here and last time I looked, she did not meet the qualifications yet but with the speed she is doing swap etc she will be 'safe' in January I guess....

[trini70]

Okay, I'm in! I haven't even thought about what my theme will be and I'm a little nervous about the hd/hp only books but I'm going for it. I'm up to the challenge.

[CiCiCreates]

Yay, Trini! So exciting! Don’t stress too much, just have fun.

[theweavershand]

if im counting correctly, trini70 would make 10. yes?

[theweavershand]

Welcome, Trini!

We have plenty of time to finalize themes. I havent a clue what mine will be yet. im trying to get into hostess mode after all of this isolation. Everyone, please feel free to post to the thread any time and if you have any questions, I'm happy to help any way I can. I know others here will be able to help, as well.

[Nicky]

So excited to be doing a moley swap (and without being host). Thanks for taking that job Amy and happy crafting all. This is going to be so much fun.

[Marie]

I think I’m going to retract the HD/HP portion of my theme because I want people to enjoy working on it! Everyone will want to do what they’re BEST at... and not everyone is best at HD/HP. I’m terrible at collage, but some are great at it. And there are other methods too. I don’t want to be so limited.

[CiCiCreates]

I am also saying “light” collage is OK. When can we post all our theme specifics, do’s & don’ts, etc.? I know it’s still very early.