Allow me to recap: Wednesday night, I found out that the box of art journals that were sent to Red Velvet Art arrived empty.  Thursday morning, I visited the USPS and then spent quite some time on the phone with their customer service only to find out that since the box was insured, I had waived my right for the USPS to attempt to recover the journals.

It was a really tough morning.  I felt so lost.

I didn’t want to feel that way all weekend.  I knew that feeling sorry for myself wouldn’t make me feel any better in the long run.  So, after we filed the insurance claim, and I made a blog post, there was only one thing to do.

I started cutting more paper.

And sorting more paper.

And putting together new signatures.

My awesome husband kept Jonah busy and entertained and fed all weekend so that I could focus on nothing but journals. We all watched movies together while I stitch-bound the soft-cover journals.  While Jonah napped, Tod took over the wire-binder and with his help, I was able to crank through thirty-six new art journals. 

It’s funny, because we found ourselves listening to a Radiolab podcast about people pushing themselves to the limits, and then watched an episode of This American Life about similar themes.  I think I probably could have pushed myself even further, but I didn’t want to rush through, and risk quality.  I’m still sad about the journals that were lost, but I am just as proud of the second batch as I was the first.  I feel really good about that.

On a more personal note, I feel even better that I made it through the whole debacle without ever giving up, and without getting caught up in anxiety or a panic attack.  That’s pretty huge for me.  If I had been forced to deal with this situation even a year ago I would have almost certainly fallen victim to the pressure.

Here are some of the cool new covers.  Some came from thrift finds, some came from my stash.

I try to “rescue” books that look unwanted.  Old, discarded library and school books and out-dated encyclopedias are my favorites to use.  This story book was missing most of its pages by time I found it. 

It was a powerful and rewarding weekend for me.  Certainly exhausting, and while I’m looking forward to making journals in the future, I’m definitely looking forward to doing it at a slightly more relaxed pace. :)

The end of the weekend brought a quick summer storm, and was punctuated with a stunning rainbow above our street.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words of both sympathy and support throughout the weekend.  It really meant a lot to me.