I imagined I'd be gone for even longer, but well, today's a good day. I didn't plan to go away, life just got too busy and difficult. There were weeks (and actually months as well) without any kind of creative activity. I'm not sure if things have changed much, but at least I've been making things! I have time off from work until my head stops feeling like it's about to explode, so I'm just taking it easy at the moment.

Last year when I started my job at the library I made a matchbox a day (for 16 days) to keep my creativity in a functioning order. This spring I did something a bit similar. Not a matchbox a day, more like five a day when I felt like it. I wrote letters. In Finnish, to my creative English speaking friends. It was like telling secrets, because even if the dictionary works, my handwriting doesn't. Anyway, the letters became parts of my matchbox sketches, created with materials within arm's reach. I didn't go out and buy anything (didn't go out at all, because just sitting at my desk felt like an accomplishment, lol) or spend time going through my massive stash of stuff looking for just the right color for this or that. It's very relaxing to just throw stuff together instead of measuring and re-measuring before even looking in the direction of my glue pot. I'm sure more of that über-meticulous creative work will be done during the summer months though.

More matchboxes and photos on Flickr. Here.

My book Musta kivi valkoisen päällä returned from its competition tour and it's time to start thinking about this year's book. (I'm all squeee about my book's photo making it to the application form!!) I know the book I'm going to re-bind, but the overall design and technique is a complete mystery. Why is it so difficult to come up with ideas that may actually work?

Uh. Some announcements. My sinuses are fine at last. And I'm not pregnant like some of you thought (you silly things! there's a time for everything, but it's not anytime soon). And unfortunately your comments will be moderated from now on due to stupid spamspam. That means your comments won't show up right away, but they will be there as soon as I have read my email and approved your comment.