My Day of Art Did Not Happen

Posted by Jenn Greenleaf Aug 7, 2008

Last weekend, Friday night to be more specific, I came down with this very strange and very horrible eye infection. I’m unsure if it was pink eye, conjunctivitis, or allergies. I do know, though, that Saturday and Sunday I couldn’t see much of anything. My eyes were swollen terribly and I started an allergy medication (over the counter) regiment as directed by my pharmacist. My doctor can’t see me until Monday.

The good news is the swelling went down considerably and, as of today, only the red remains. I was able to drive for the first time last night without worrying everything would “fog” over if I moved my eyes wrong. The bad news is, Saturday was my scheduled day of art. I could barely function, let alone create art.

How did I get around this? Tea staining. There’s not a lot of thought, sight, or intricacy necessary for this project. I got out a 9 inch x 13-inch journal with 180 pages, spiral binding, and a black cover. I chose spiced chai because it creates a wonderful aroma both during and after the staining is complete. All the pages were died between Saturday and yesterday.

I tore random pages out to create envelopes from, as well as secret notes and maps. This journal is going to be a collaborative art project my children and I work on. I love how it came out now that I can clearly see what I’ve done. The pages came out much darker than I would typically create, which is a really nice twist out of my comfort zone – I had no choice!

A tutorial about this project is forthcoming! Stay tuned!