Wreck it Wednesdsay: Wreck this Journal

After a long week of staring at one screen or another, it was so lovely to spend last Friday with Christine. After hugs and news were exchanged, there was also an exchange of birthday goods.

Christine knows me so well. She could just tell that it was time for some crafts therapy.

My present was Keri Smith's Wreck This Journal - the expanded 2012 edition.

Wreck This Journal: To Create is to Destroy

Per Amazon.com

Already showing my imprint

For anyone who's ever had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes this expanded edition of Wreck This Journal, an illustrated book that features a subversive collection of prompts, asking readers to muster up their best mistake and mess-making abilities and to fill the pages of the book (or destroy them). Through a series of creatively and quirkily illustrated prompts, acclaimed artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in "destructive" acts--poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting pages with coffee*, coloring outside the lines, and more--in order to experience the true creative process. With Smith's unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art and journal making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process.

From the Preface:

Warning: During the process of this book you will get dirty. You may find yourself covered in paint, or any other number of foreign substances. You will get wet. You may be asked to do things you question. You may grieve for the perfect state that you found the book in. You may begin to see creative destruction everywhere. You may begin to live more recklessly. 

All color added by me

I spent part of the weekend playing in this ... here are some horrible iTouch photos, which just don't do it justice!

I was writing on top of my own writing

Certain pens bleed through - which I'll have to remember. Also, I can't draw.

Traced my hand with pencil, made annotations, and then illustrated with 3 nail polishes. Added note about which hand.

I love this duct tape. There is a pattern, but you can't see it for the paisley.

Page numbers bleed through. I've been adding dates of which pages I do.

* Coffee/tea substitutions will have to be made, or done with guest journalers.

Thanks for the inspiration Christine. What have you wrought?

Given that some of these pages instruct you to remove them from the book, I may split the spine and remove them all for preservation purposes. How I will do that with the 3-D stuff, I don't know yet!

Stay tuned.