The Lantern Ahead

 

My journal entry (text in bold represents a truth or factual event):

On this night I walked the Shadowed Path, the part of the forest with which I am most familiar. The path can feel dangerous; its twists and turns are often veiled in darkness, obscuring what lies ahead. I rounded one such bend and found a light waiting on the path before me.

 

I stopped and remained perfectly still, observing what appeared to be a floating ball of light. It was not truly a lantern as one might imagine, for it lacked any fixtures or fittings. The sphere glowed yellow at its core, as though a tiny flame were trapped within. Yet I could not tell what it was made of - or whether it was made of anything at all.

 

I approached to take a closer look, but as I stepped forward, it moved forward too. I paused before taking another step; again, it mirrored me. I tried to quicken my pace, but it matched me, and every attempt to alter my cadence was answered by the lantern. At last, I stopped, somewhat perplexed. As expected -  it stopped too.

 

The light did not seek to lead me, for it halted whenever I did. Yet it never ventured ahead or drifted away. It seemed content to match my pace, as though its purpose was not to direct my journey but simply to share it. I was in no hurry, so I continued along the path. The light remained a little ahead of me, always keeping pace. 

 

When we rounded another corner, a small glade opened in the distance, lit by many more orbs. I was reminded of a minstrel I once met at a fayre, who sang a ballad about the lights in our hearts: how they burn brightly for moments of love, and dim as we experience loss. I thought of my family - many now lost to me, or far away - and the light before me seemed to pulse a little brighter.

 

We walked together, the light and I, until we reached the glade. In the centre stood a crescent-shaped stone balanced upon a roughly hewn base carved with runic symbols. The light found its home there, forming the heart of the crescent: supported by neither stone nor sky, simply hovering, and defying all that I knew of such things.

The Truth In the Text

The minstrel in the tale is Michael Rosenberg, better known as Passenger, an English indie-folk singer, songwriter, and musician. Like many people, I first encountered his music through his widely known song Let Her Go, which seemed to be everywhere for a time on advertisements and throughout mainstream media.

I have seen him perform twice: in November 2018 and again in October 2022. The photograph below was taken at the 2018 concert at The Gov, one of Adelaide’s more intimate venues. Being able to attend small performances like this brings me great joy; there is something special about being close enough to feel that the music is being shared rather than simply performed.

Taken at The Gov, November 20, 2018

His song, All the Little Lights, is the ballad I describe in the journal. It came to mind after I read the prompt because I am currently arranging my aunt’s burial. She died on 27 August 2026, under unclear circumstances, and we are still awaiting the coroner’s report.

Though she was technically my aunt, she was only eighteen months older than me. For a brief period in my childhood, we lived with my grandparents, and the small difference in our ages made her feel more like an older sister. We drifted apart in our teenage years, separated by distance and desire. My stepfather had no love for my grandmother, so we visited infrequently, and eventually not at all. Over time, I think my mother began making the trip alone, to avoid upsetting him.

We reconnected last year, when she moved back to South Australia to escape a man who treated her badly. She smoked heavily and had been diagnosed with COPD - another reason the song came back to me.

Two days ago, I had the sombre task of going through her belongings. The unit smelled awful; a half-eaten meal had begun to turn. I do not know why that surprised me. It was not the police’s job to deal with those things. Still, it felt surreal, as though she had merely stepped out the back for a smoke, leaving her glass of whisky and cola waiting for her return.

I cleared the fridge, folded and bagged her clothes, and opened every envelope and folder, looking for keepsakes for her sons. I found three boxes of photographs as well as a collection of poems and letters she had written for her boys. I hope they become little lights for them to remember her by.

The Make

The journal feature page was inspired by an art class with Ruth Wilshaw, who specialises in gouache painting. This one is called 'The Everflame' because it is the source of light for all lanterns. That seemed fitting.

This was done on A5 100% cotton watercolour paper by Paul Reubens. This particular one has glitter in the paper, although I think that is wasted somewhat with the opacity of gouche, but a few are peeking through the paint to add a very subtle shimmer. I am also trying out some new Fuumuu watercolour brushes, which are performing very well so far.

I have decided not to mount it or attach it to the journal pages, instead I am going to keep it stored in a plastic sleeve. That way, when I am gone, the kids can do what they like with it.

The journaling was done on a Royal 120 manual typewriter on Mont Marte A5 Sketch Paper. Once the text was done I tore one edge and inked with Tim Holtz Distress Ink (Tea Dye) and spritzed with a strong solution of cold tea to age the paper. Each piece of text was then glued to a piece of Monte Mart A5 Recycled Toned Drawing Paper. 

The raccoon holding a lantern was sourced from Creative Fabrica, the image covers a pocket made from an envelope, inside the pocket is a copy of the set list from the 2018 Passenger concert. Sadly, he did not play All The Little Lights that night.

Similarly the image on the final page with the lanterns hanging from trees was also a junk journal printable sourced from Creative Fabrica.

The First of the Folk - The White Hare

My journal entry (text in bold represents a truth or factual event):

I began on the full moon, drawn towards the Fairy Ring. The night was cold, but the season was beginning to turn towards spring. I am sad at the passing of winter; where others bemoan gloomy skies, the rain brings me comfort.

I had not gone far when, in the middle of the path, sat a white hare wearing what appeared to be an old bridal veil. Once white, it had softened to the beige of aged thread. It was made of cloth once fine enough for a noble bride, but time had taken its toll, and moths had eaten their fill, leaving a remnant that looked like lace.

 

She stared at me with eyes dark enough to mistake for shadow and deep enough that looking into them felt like looking down a well with no bottom.

 

This must be the White Hare, one of the Forest Folk—the keeper of the Ring. I had heard tales in the village of the Forest Folk but had given them little merit. Until now.

 

Rumour has it that she never lies, but the truths she offers are always sideways, leaving the recipient to do the inner work of making sense of them.

 

Ironically, knowing I could ask anything left me without anything to ask.

 

What if I asked the wrong question? I have always been timid, afraid of making the wrong choice, of choosing the wrong path. The longer I stood silent, the more certain I became that the right question had already passed me by.

 

I blurted out the most ridiculous question and immediately regretted it.

 

“Are you real?” I asked.

 

I was reminded of an encounter many years ago in a crowded bookseller’s, where I met a man who claimed to see the Fae. Filled with scepticism, I challenged his gift, an exchange I will always regret.

 

“I am a mirror,” she replied.

The Truth In the Text

In 1998, I travelled to San Francisco for a first date. It sounds mad now, and it did not go well. Luckily, I had friends in Portland, Oregon, who paid for me to fly north and spend the rest of my week with them. That part of the trip was wonderful: they took me to Mount Hood, where I saw snow for the first time, just before Halloween. I still have the plush moose I bought there, Willy, named for the Willamette River.

But this is not really a story about snow, or bad first dates, or even Willy. It is about the man who could see the Fae.

A large Portland bookshop was hosting a signing with Brian Froud. I had loved his work since Labyrinth, and I was thrilled to meet him. He spoke about his art, his vision, and the Fae... not as something seen with the eyes, but through the heart, in the in-between places: between waking and dreaming.

My practical, sceptical mind could not make sense of it. If he could see fairies, why could no one else? Still, as people raised their hands and asked their questions, he answered each one with warmth and grace. When I put up my own hand, I repeated one instruction to myself: Do not ask if they are real. Do not ask if they are real.

Then he pointed to me.

“Do you really see fairies,” I asked, “or is it just a gimmick to sell books?”

I wanted the floor to open beneath me. Who asks Brian Froud whether he is a fraud? Apparently, me.

I have often wished I could return to that moment, not to ask a cleverer question, but a kinder one. A question that made room for wonder rather than demanding proof of it.

The Make

The make was quite simple. I am using a six-ring binder, I have a six-ring hole punch and so I am able to custom make individual pages. The portrait page is an A4 sheet of single sided scrapbooking paper cut down to A5. I roughed up the edges with a distressing tool and used Tea Dye Distress Ink on the back.

The portrait of the White Hare was done on a colour photo copier and sealed with Ultra Matte Modge Podge. The brown frame was cut on my Silhouette in dark brown cardstock and inked with metallic bronze to highlight. There is also a sheet of vellum that has been stamped with a script rubber stamp, this was all layered to the background with paper and silk ribbon scraps.

The journaling was done on my vintage Royal 210 typewriter onto silk paper which was inked and fastened to the page with washi tape.

Solo Role Playing Game Junk Journal Adventure

 

I've been creatively adrift for a few years now, mostly because my focus has been elsewhere. The past decade has included obtaining a university degree and PhD. I now work as a lecturer and researcher which takes a lot of my creative energy. For that reason a lot of my crafting has been small, discreet projects such as Christmas ornaments and whenever possible, trying to finish up some incomplete projects.

Last week I was scrolling on YouTube and came across the concept of Solo RPG Journaling. These have been around in the Table Top Roleplaying Game Community (TTRPG) community for a while and I stumbled across a niche variant... solo RPGs written by junk journalers for junk journalers. 

It is safe to say I have fallen down the Rabbit Hole and don't wish to be rescued. This amazing little genre provides guided journalling, complete with both writing and crafting prompts. 

If you Google 'solo RPG journal free' you will find several resources, however I soon discovered these were mostly intended to be used as creative writing prompts. However, on ETSY, I found a handful of sellers who were offering the hybrid journal/crafting versions. After several hours of browsing I decided to buy the Folklore Forest from https://www.etsy.com/au/shop/ArtfulSafari

The premise is simple, you are the Keeper of a cottage in the middle of the woods that has four regions (based on the suits in a deck of card). Each session/week you draw one card, the number cards give you a direction and a purpose, the suit cards are characters you will meet.

Taken from the instructions: "Each night you draw one playing card. The card tells you where you went and what you found. You write it in your journal, a few lines or a page or whatever it wants to be, and then you make something. Mount the specimen. Tape the edge. Draw the thing badly and label it anyway."

To keep the physical journal true to the RPG and to avoid diarising it too much I will link it to this blog where I will tease out the truth in each tale.

This is my way of passing my story down to my children. Each entry will have a piece of truth woven into it, a piece of me and my life. This is not like writing a biography, this is like writing my own version of Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions by Daniel Wallace. If you haven't seen the movie, do yourself a favour and check it out.

Let Yourself Shine

This is a recycled canvas of a painting I did several years ago that I was never really happy with however I couldn't bring myself to just toss the thing away. To prep the canvas for repainting I gave it a light sand and then used an old credit card to apply texture paste over the entire surface. I then applied antiquing medium and once dry used a credit card to scrape white paint loosely over the top. I painted the girl with acrylic paints and then used texture paste to mould the dress.

Once dry I added vintage glitter glue and a phrase typed on my brand 'new' typewriter.

Never be afraid to let yourself shine.

Santa's Secret Window Frame Ornament

I know that Christmas is over and everyone has packed away their tree, however it is a great time to get junky ornaments at a clearance price and repurpose them into something nicer.

For this project I used the Tim Holtz Window and Window Box die to cut the frame from thick card stock which I painted with acrylics. I printed the Santa image (below) twice and used one for the background image and the other I cut away the background and used foam dots to layer him onto the background to give Santa some 'pop'. The little gem on the front was repurposed from a junky ornament.

If you would like full step-by-step directions on how to create this ornament you can find them on this page.

Entering this into the following challenges:

Crafter's Castle: Anything Goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge: Anything Goes

Flower "Pin Up" Girl

Technique: crochet, general crafting

Materials:
clothespin
wooden bead for head
beading wire
flesh coloured embroider floss
white chenille stick
crochet thread size 10 in pink and white
acrylic paints
curly dolls hair


Tools:
scissors
hot glue
wire cutters
No 7 steel hook

Follow the directions here for how to create a clothespin doll.

For the dress you can download the pdf from here.

Art Society - Plaster Angel

This project was taught by the fabulous Christy Tomlinson via her monthly Art Society Club. This project taught us how to make our own canvas using burlap and plaster of paris to cover a piece of recycled cardboard. You can see that I started with a very thick piece of corrugated cardboard as my base.

 

The dress form is also plaster wrapped around a cardboard base. I used pre-purchased plaster bandages and they are just fabulous. They become silky and buttery very quickly and are a dream to work with.

 

The plaster strips start take about 15 minutes to start to harden, and a good day to dry thoroughly. I coloured mine with distress inks and gesso. The plaster sucked up a lot of the colour, and although it doesn't look like it, the dress has about 5 coats of colour added to it.  Look at all that delicious texture!

The wings are cut from various scrapbook papers, tattered with a distressing tool and inked with distress inks. Each of the feathers are cut individually and glued down in layers to give dimension.
She is finished with a few pieces of hand dyed lace and ribbon with a metal heart taken from a recycled piece of dress jewellery.

Life Book 2015 Creating A Dream Catcher

Rachel Rice was our fabulous instructor this week and she guided us through making a dream catcher using a vintage crochet doily and paper feathers on top of a collaged background.

For my background I used a scan of an old text book my Mother used in the sixties when she was in highschool.  It is old and stained and contains handwritten notes inside the covers.  Throughout the lesson Rachel talked about how using the vintage doily connected her to the women that have come before us, and I felt using my Mother's old text book pages did the same thing.

I wanted to avoid the bulk in my journal so I used ink and pencil on top of the collage to create the dreamcatcher.  I'm not sure it ended up being what I envisioned at the start, but I am happy to call this one done!

Life Book 2015 Balance

Our guest teacher this week was Patti Ballard  who presented a delightful ballerina on a tight rope painted over collage with the quotation "Courage Dear Heart".

I adjusted the theme to suit me and changed the ballerina to be a full figured model rather than the traditional very thin girl.  I am really noticing that there is little in the way of body positive messages and imagery out there and I want to change that!

 

Have a fabulous week!

Art Society - Standard Of Grace

I just love Christy Thomlinson's artistic style, unlike mine it's so free and spontaneous.  This project is inspired by her monthly Art Society Club.

The tag is covered with burlap and plaster of paris.  The dress form is a Tim Holtz die covered in book paper.  The dress is made from strips of lace dipped in PVA glue, then dyed with distress ink and dry brushed with acrylic paint.

Life Book 2015 The Artful Wordsmith

Our tutor this week is the fabulous Joanne Sharpe!  I have always disliked the look of my own handwriting in journals, so I was thrilled to learn some new techniques that turn my own handwriting into letting.

This piece was done in my Dylusions journal using a black Posca pen to outline and distress markers to colour.  I think the next time I do a piece like this I will use a more vibrant medium than the distress markers, but overall I am ok with how this turned out.

The quote "I live and love with my whole heart" is by Brene Brown, who is apparently my muse this year!

You can see the little speckles where the gesso didn't give 100% coverage, but I think I am ok with that!