Raisa's Journal

I decided that the journal spread needed to look old, since Raisa is from the 20's (that's the 1920's). Almost as if it's a letter that got to close to a fire, and one over which many tears have been shed, causing discoloration of the paper. As I stated in my previous post, Raisa is mourning her Johnnie, sitting, staring out the window at the birds.

The first page has music and a bird and starts out "Dearest Johnnie"

"My heart is lost without you. I sit and weep. Music has no meaning for me anymore. I hear the birds outside my window and long for your smile. How long can this go on?".

The journal pages are collaged pieces of paper, vintage sheet music and calendar images with a broken heart partially hidden by the bird. They are colored with fluid acrylics and the writing is done with a China pencil.

Raisa's Heart

Raisa arrived at my house heart broken. Her Johnny dead, her parents keeping her from him in his last days. She decided that she had no reason left to live. As time went on, the sharpness of her grief faded. She was pulled from her deep depression by the birds outside her window. Watching the pair of robins with their eggs, the hatchlings, the care with which the parents nurtured their young, absorbed Raisa. It is too early for hope and joy, but perhaps, life holds something undiscovered for Raisa. She has locked her heart in a box, but maybe there exists someone who can unlock her hopes and dreams again.

Raisa needed a heart, so I made one out of red satin, covered with lace. I stuffed and beaded it and stitched to the inside of her box.

I used the same lace to make a collar for Raisa. I also attached some metallic trim under the lace of her ruffle and attached it with beads.

Here she is, in all of her mournful glory.

Here's the full inside of her box.

Her head on Talitha's quilt with her lace collar.

I also gave her hands, attached to her arms with beads.

I added long geaded trim to the underside of her tutu.

I have her journal to finish up, but couldn't wait to post pictures of her.

Raisa, Raisa, Russian Rose

Raisa, Raisa Russian rose

Has a blanket made of clothes

Too old to wear

Repurposed with care

For a traveling lady's repose

The Keeping Quilt

Raisa may be an it girl, but her family came to America from the old country with little more than the clothes on their backs. When those clothes wore out, the aunties and grandmas turned them into a quilt, passing down the stories of the family members with the fabric scraps. Raisa takes it with her on all her travels, bringing the old into the new.

Raisa's quilt is indeed made partly from old clothes, and though it is tiny, it is full of stories. I created it crazy quilt style and hand embroidered every seem. I also added a touch of feathers to her headband.

Raisa's heartbreak revealed.

...but you have to read her letters to understand.

Raisa received a beaded headband, beads on her skirt and torso, flapper necklaces and stickers explaining her Continental tour that her mother and father devised as a way to tame their smitten flapper.

Inside her box I made a scrapbook of this period of her life with her friends, her music and her enjoyment of swimming.

In the journal you will find an explanation of Flapper culture,

one of her favorite ragtime songs,

and the letters from Johnny and another person that are all she has left of her great romance.

 Plus an extract from a very early (1904) feminist tome, Raisa's mother's favorite, which seems to suggest that we haven't really come that far after all. Raisa's mother wanted her daughter to make better choices than being a young bride - but she didn't really understand Raisa or Johnny.

Raisa becomes an It Girl

With the style that Raisa was "accumulating" on her travels, she looked to me like a girl from the 20's, transformed from dutiful daughter to Flapper Kewpie girl! She may seem innocent enough but she's growing up with the changes in the century---a little bit wild, but still a good girl.

She feels a bit trapped and stifled, but loves her mother and just needs to cut loose once in awhile!







When she stays at home, she puts her pretty and demure collar back on and settles down.
Watch out for Saturday nights though!

Raisa - MA's additions

My additions include a musical collar 

trimmed with beads,
and arms made from
coiled wire and wooden beads.

The music is from 'Rigoletto'
by Verdi.

Here's journal page # 1....

I repeated the first bars of the  

'Rigoletto' music, along
with some of the
words

and a lace flower,
along with repeating some
of the beads I used on
her collar.

Second journal page...

More of the music from 'Rigoletto',

some music charms,
and a marvelous quote
about music

from Maya Angelou.

Raisa was great fun to play with!!
Hope you like her Yvonne.

Legs for Raisa!

Raisa's figure may be a bit "boxy", but she's got some sexy legs! Four sets, to be precise. Each with a different pair of sexy, high-heeled shoes.

I also gave Raisa a fringed tulle miniskirt and a pink garter that she can wear over her hanging legs or tuck inside her box. I was thrilled when I found the tulle trim - it matches Raisa and her journal perfectly!

Her two-sided interchangable cardboard legs are painted and stitched, and hang on a tiny screw hook I attached to the bottom of the box lid. She can be displayed on the edge of a mantle or shelf with her legs hanging below.


My journal page depicts Raisa's shoe addiction and includes a little bound booklet of interchangable legs and shoes.

Raisa's Art Journal

The journal I made for Raisa's journey

is an altered book.

For the front cover

I created a window cut out,

did some stenciling,

added fabric paper in and around the window,

added real flower petals, vintage jewelry,

metal letters, and a pressed leaf.

I made a book mark using black velvet ribbon,

and added a key for weight.

The key says 'memory'.

 When you open the altered book

you see black and white collage

with embellishments added.

If you look closely at the keyhole

you may see someone looking back at you!

The next page is collage

with black stitching around the edge.

The words say...

So many people

were shut up tight

 inside themselves

like boxes.

This photo is an example of what my collaged pages

looked like beforehand.

I have 7 sets of these in the rest of the journal

for the other artists to work on.

I glued many pages together

 to create thicker 'pages'

 throughout the altered book.

They can add pages to these if they wish

to have more than one set of pages.

I expect the journal will be quite full

and artistic when it returns to me in a year.

I know they will use their imaginations.

This shows the back of the journal.

Very simple, with some simple stenciling on it.

Now  my journal and my doll start Raisa

will be mailed tomorrow to Gail in North Carolina.

I am excited to see what Gaill will add to it all.

I am also excited to receive a doll start in the rotation.

WhooHoo....

here we go!

Yvonne

Soaring

Meet Raisa.....

...or the beginnings of her anyway.

This little 2.5 inch by 3.5 inch

petit point box

jumped out at me at a junk shop up in Dallas,

(and for the right price too!)

I thought....

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to use this for a doll body!"

 (This project requires a 'journal start' and a "doll start".)

This photo above shows the box open.

The possibilities for the other 6 artists are enormous!

(This photo shows the origins of Raisa.....)

I had two little angel dolls given to me.

They were in bad shape.

So I ripped the stuffed

(stuffed with what? I have no clue) 

cloth head off of one,

took the ratty hair off,

gessoed it (just one coat) 

and now it is a blank canvas

for the project artists down the road.

Below is a side view....

Now, I just want to say....

just because I used an angel head,

and a petit point box

does not mean this doll will end up "cute".

I hope it doesn't.  (hint,hint)

But, it is out of my control,

because Raisa will be heading off

to Gail in North Carolina soon,

and then on for the rest of her journey

around the U.S. and Canada.

Raisa still needs a journal to take with her.

I am in the process of creating

an altered book journal.

Photos coming soon.

 I am really trying to do something different creatively,

trying something new,

in this 2010 project.

Thanks Gail,

for asking me to be a part of it.

I wanted to share this quote

which I relate to my creativity....

"You can't cling to the old nest

and soar to the flowering branches

 at the same time."

-----Tama Kieves

Savor the Day!

YVONNE

(in Texas)