Shabby Princess: An Alter(ed) Ego

And now for something totally new: another journal! I like to work in different journals because they are not all about the same thing. I have my goddess journal for my sketches from Suzi's classes, I have a technique journal for trying out new products and now I have this one.

I love fashion and fashion magazines; I always have. No, I don't dress like it. I'd rather spend my money on art supplies! But I love to LOOK at fashion magazines. I've been working on little fashion sketchy pieces but I'm not crazy about them. They weren't exactly what I wanted to do. Maybe it's the fact that Project Runway starts tonight, but I've been obsessed with these magazines for a little while (much to hubby's chagrin). ;)

Also, poetry writing and all of that internal searching has me thinking about my childhood and my adulthood...all of this sort of came together the other night. I have had this big blank book that I bought a while back thinking it would be a perfect art journal. But after I bought it I didn't want to "mess it up" because the pages are all cotton and very nice. So it sat in my closet glaring at me.

Then it hit me. I would like to use some of these models (altered) and put them in my book. Some of the photo shoots are a work of art in themselves. I wanted a place where I could put my favorite ones in a world that I create. So I picked some models that spoke to me (or, more precisely, different parts of me). These are my little alter-egos; different sides of my personality that, for good or bad, are still there.

This first one drew me in immediately. I think it was that dress...in another life I own this dress (and fit into it, too!). Anyway, the pout was what did it. I have a lot of memories of pouting and sulking as a child because I couldn't have exactly what I wanted. (Maybe it was because I'm the oldest...who knows, but that's another story). So I call her the little Shabby Princess, pouting because things just aren't quite right. Here's the other side of the page and the story to go with it. If you can't read the story, click on the closeup under this photo and it will be easier:


She's all alone in her shabby little world. She realizes things haven't quite turned out like she thought they would. And, although at first everything looks glamorous, upon closer inspection the flowers are a little dirty, the fabrics a little rusted. She's not quite sure why things are tarnished and shabby, she just knows she's not happy with it.

Here's a closeup of the journal. It doesn't look like it but it's over 15 1/2" long. So a good space to work in.

So from time to time I'll add to this book as well. I haven't decorated the cover yet but as a working title I put a little one together in Photoshop:

These are just little glimpses of the parts of myself I'm working on. The Shabby Princess likes to come out a little too often. She needs to learn to be satisfied with all that she has and to quit comparing herself to other people. She'll find that the sparkle will return to her life if she would learn to be grateful for what is already in it!