Fabulous find!

The Bar Mitzvah Boy (aka The Young Thespian) and I have been listening to one of his presents -- the original cast album of Monty Python's Spamalot.  It occurred to me somewhere between The Fisch Schlapping Dance and The Song That Goes Like This that the holy grail I'm searching for at present is the perfect blank book to turn into my next journal. The one I just filled was a surprisingly good purchase -- a Mead sketchbook with a handy pocket that I got at Wal-Mart. It has sturdy paper (much better than the pricier stuff at Michael's, JoAnn's, etc.) and large spiral binding.

While the Mead sketchbook was a sturdy workhorse, I want more variety and flexibility. As much as I admire people who alter old books, as a professional writer and editor I have problems defacing printed books. So imagine how delighted I was when I discovered the good folks at Bare Books! They specialize in blank books to inspire students but you can order, too. They have a variety of shapes and sizes, including board books and blank "story" books that have lines on half of every third page. How cool is that? And it gets even better -- their prices are fantastic and they have a flat shipping fee!

I'm also going to venture into the chipboard world. I like the idea of making journals out of random materials. I was totally inspired by the brilliant Mary Ann Moss's Dispatch from LA. There are amazingly wonderful things being created at Moss Cottage. I'm going to try some of the offerings from 7Gypsies, too, but if anyone knows of a better resource for making your own journals from scratch, please pass it on.

 I leave you with the latest in the series of still lives I can't seem to stop making.  And now, I really must go see to my shrubbery.