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.
