Pattern Ladies

I found these cute notebooks at Marshall's. They were $1.99 for all three. I thought they would make great little art journals or gluebooks.

The woman at the counter assumed I was buying them for my kids. I love kids but wasn't lucky enough to have any and it always surprises me when people just assume you have some. Anyway, the kid I was buying them for was me.

I wanted to use these cool pattern ladies so I used my water color paints and painted one of the covers. The paints dried into a waxy coating on the cover which was really weird. I started to go back over it and fill in the white spots and the already dried paint turned into water again and a big mess was made.

 I started with a new book and covered it with a vintage electronics assignment that I found in an old book.
Then I used some scrapbook paper and parts of the pattern to make a collage. The feet were torn on the girl with the robe so I had to get creative to cover them up. Her right foot was completely gone.

I thought it might be fun to do a whole book of fashion type collages so I started another one. I had this pink and white scrapbook paper that had dresses all over it. It was a little too cutesy so I tore it and glued the pieces together going in different directions.

It was still too much so I went over the edges lightly with gesso and went heavy in the center so the girls wouldn't blend into the background.  Unfortunately all the glue and gesso made the paper curl as it dried and the page tore itself right out of the book. So much for my $1.99 journals! Maybe I can punch holes and use binder rings to make a book. I think I'll give that third book to a real kid!