This past weekend, Shimelle's Write It Down journal challenge ended.  For February, she encouraged her readers and students to tell stories, small descriptive snippets, little imperfections, prompts to get scrapbookers telling better stories to go with their pages.  Good scrapbookers journal.  They write the story that goes with the photo and maybe they explain all the extra decorated details of the page.

Maki-age is a shibori dye technique where you stitch and bind a pattern into cloth before dyeing it. Traditionally the bound fabric was dyed with indigo, now it might be dyed with any color, discharged instead of dyed.  This is an example of an expertly done maki-age square.

Stampington has just issued a new quarterly publication: Artful Blogging.  I picked up my own copy Friday and spent the weekend visiting with old and new friends inside.  It's an interesting idea: create a publication that honors an online process.  I was skeptical of the idea, but I think Stampington actually pulled off this feat.