While I'm not a fabric person, per se, I can and do appreciate those who have a penchant for fabric based arts. These artists knit, quilt, sew or do needlepoint and come up with fabulous ways to make clothing and art. If you're an artist of this category, then you'll love what I'm going to talk about today. This is the one you've been waiting for. Today, I'm going to explore fabric art journals. This creative art form allows you to take all those left over scraps of fiber and fabric and use them for other purposes. I'll tell you what I know about this technique and give you some ideas on how you can go about creating one of your own. I've even got a few ideas for sample projects that you can undertake on your own. At the end of this article there's a small list of resources that you can turn to if you want to tap into this new art form. Please be kind, I'm no expert on this subject, as I don't delve into the fiber arts. But it does fascinate me and I love seeing what my fiber arts friends produce.

Art journaling, or the craft of recording your thoughts and feelings and events using images, is something I constantly talk about here on D*I*Y Planner. Fabric Art Journals is an extension of this concept. These journals are created using fabric pages and sometimes bound by fabric. Artists write in their journals either by with fabric words or painted words. It's a fascinating new way of journaling that lets anyone, who prefers fabric arts to paper, in on the scene. I've seen a lot of really nifty journals out there that combine elements of traditional quilting, felting, and custom needlepoint together to weave a personal and unique book. Some of the journals don't even take the form of a traditional book. I've seen artists who create their "books" by using wall hangings or pillows that tell specific moments, like the birth of their child or marriage. Anything goes when you get around to making a fabric journal.

Fabric Art Workshop: Exploring Techniques & Materials for Fabric Artists and Quilters author: Susan Stein asin: 158923328X

Fabric Art Journals: Making, Sewing, and Embellishing Journals from Cloth and Fibers (Quarry Book) author: Pam Sussman asin: 1592531962

Loss comes in many forms: death of a pet or person; the loss of a friend or position; the loss of youth we experience as we grow older. It's a part of life that we sometimes shuffle past and don't delve into. Today's post touches on this sensitive topic. I don't want to make anyone upset or trigger past emotional issues; but seeing that the topic of loss hit me hard during my hiatus, I felt that writing my thoughts down on this process and sharing them with all of you is important. 

Please, if you have lost someone and are having issues "getting past it all", find someone to talk to and perhaps keep a journal of your thoughts. Grieving is a long process and the more you deal with the whirlwind of emotions you feel, the faster you can start the healing process. Writing down your thoughts is one tool that can help you feel better about what happened and help you move on and rebuild your life.

Editor's note: Hey everyone, yes... I'm back. I took all of last month to get my mind and life back in order. My husband treated me to a wonderful weekend escape to the coast, I am a bit more secure in what my new job asks of me, and I'm growing accustomed to having one less furry beast running around in the house. Thank you all for the warm wishes and support during my "time" away from DIY Planner. While I didn't respond to every comment from my last post, I did read them all.

One of my 2008 goals is to continue to build on my creative and writing life. I want writing and art to seep from every aspect of my being and help me grow as a writer and artist in this world. However, occasionally the daily grind of errands, doctor's appointments, and laundry push back the available time I want to devote to this practice. Then I heard about Write Free, by Rebecca Lawton and Jordan E. Rosenfeld. The title immediately drew me in. Finally, a book proposing to help concretely build, maintain, and attract a fully functioning creative lifestyle.

Happy Valentine's and Single's Awareness Day everyone. I hope everyone's feeling the love in the air and in their hearts. If not for some particular person (hi kender!) then hopefully for your own personal self.

Love and writing go hand in hand. Writing helps to express the deepest feelings we bury deep in our heart. Writing love entries also help us remember the good things and feelings on the days when everything seems dark and wrong. You can write love letters to someone you love, letting them know how much you care and why. You can make lists of all the things you love about a person or being in love. You can answer thoughtful questions about the whole meaning and purpose of love. And don't forget the mass amounts of written love-based poetry out there!

Write about love. List all the moments, objects, songs, colors that you associate with love. Remember what it was like to be in love for the first time. You know, that moment that someone swept you off your feet unexpectedly and did something that made you blush and think twice. Write it down. Write love letters to those actors you have secret crushes on. Spread the love of the written word down on the paper.

Part of the fun of owning a blank journal is the flexibility to use the blank page as a canvas for your ideas. You can choose to write or draw on the pages, sometimes at the same time. Most of the time, however, blank books go marked only with the printed word across the pages. Sometimes, rarely, do we ever think to decorate the pages with quick sketches of images our eyes have seen throughout the day. Even more rarely do we ever just practice the fine art of doodling around the entries with a basic pen.

Enter Doodling for Papercrafters, by Maelynn Cheung. Cheung has written a fun, creative, how-to guide to creating original, hand drawn embellishments to your paper arts. This fast paced and quirky book takes you on a crash course through the joys of doodling on paper. The book teaches you simple and complex ways to add some personalized art to your creative works. Learn simple techniques like making lines and squigglies to advanced flower and paisleys. Doodling for Papercrafters is heavily illustrated which helps to show the diversity of doodles artists have implemented in their own works.

Doodling for Papercrafters (Leisure Arts #4313) asin: 160140560X

The winter holidays are upon us. Last minute shoppers are out hunting for bargains at the stores and you need a few more items to make your holiday gift list complete. Instead of braving the stores this year, why not give them something different. Something handmade. Like a hand-bound journal, crafted lovingly by your own hand? No, I'm not suggesting that you create some large, artistic, leather tome. That would take quite a bit of time.

Let's think smaller and simpler. Something useful and easy to make. Something that combines the love of reading and writing into one. It's called the Bookmark Book and it squishes the idea of a book holder in with a slim and thin journal. The best part of this project is that you can assemble one of them in just under 5 minutes. Did I mention they make great stocking stuffers for readers and writers alike?

Editor's note: Sorry I've been gone for two weeks. Thanksgiving was a fun-filled all day event with my close friends. Lots of food, cheer and laughter. Last week I got really sick and it put me down for five days (still am fighting off some horrid cough). But the show must go on and here I am, hopefully back to fill your Thursday void.

I noticed something during NaNoWriMo this year. Many of my friends were planning, plotting and writing their novels long-hand. Many used Circa systems and index cards while a few used a system similar to Cornell notes. Looking at their notebooks fascinated me, as I'm often fascinated with how writer's come up with their ideas and plots for stories. I spent long bits of time looking through their notebooks and listening to them talk about how they'd use them to write out plot points (some of them in-depth), character sketches or locations, and then jot notes and images and suggestions down next to the various scribbles.

I thought it was a great way to plan a novel and started coming up with ideas on how one could modify Cornell Notes to plan stories or draft novels. This article quickly reviews the Cornell Note-taking system and then discusses ways you can modify and apply it for your creative writing endeavors.

Last week, I went to the local coffee haus for the first of many NaNoWriMo write ins. Imagine a crew of caffeine induced writers sitting around tables with their laptops and brightly colored and mismatched coffee mugs, chatting about their stories and generally having a good time while writing. That is what the typical write in looks like. But my favorite part of write ins are the times when we toss out plot ninjas to one another in a desperate attempt to help push novels forward and pad the word count.

What's that you say? A plot ninja? What the heck. Well, a plot ninja is an idea intentionally vague enough to fit in any genre and setting and provides you a random moment in time that forces you and your characters to wake up and explore the realm of the weird and unusual. Best used when you are stuck, they come to your aid when you need advice from the muse or the writing gods but they have hung the out to lunch sign on you. Plot ninjas come in (sometimes quite literally) and give you a reason to continue writing. And anyone can learn to use and invoke the power of the plot ninjas for any of your writing (or creative needs).

Happy second week into NaNoWriMo everyone! Just like everyone else participating in this seat of the pants writing competition, I've (that should have been written as "I have") been busily working through a steady word count of 2,000 (that is two thousand) words a day.

November leaves me with hardly any time for reading. I do more writing this month then I do in a normal month and sometimes I get a little "writing stir crazy". It gets hard to keep doing something over and over again without being lost to the shiny. Sure, I listen to music while I write to help break up the monotony of hearing my fingers quickly dart across the keyboard; but sometimes, I need more. That's when podcasts become my personal savior. I love podcasts. Especially writing ones. They inspire me to tackle on my word count with vigorous joy and remind me to go crazy and try new things with my story lines and characters. And the best thing about them is they're free and I can listen to them whenever I want.

Here's a small list of the current podcasts that have been inspiring me this November: