monsbrick

Thank you for visiting my profile. I’m Marie or my nickname is Mons. Born and raised in San Francisco, California and I’m Filipina American.

Do you struggle with keeping your space your home your life clean and clear?! I do! My latest interest is cleaning and clearing and decluttering. I’ve been listening to Dana K. White’s podcasts, audiobooks and her blog. She also has YouTube videos but I’m listening to her first! I’m afraid to look at the mess that is my space my spaces!! What about you? Please share your tips and tricks! I’d love to learn more. And share if you feel like sharing with me.

Tell me something about you. Tell me what you are reading or watching or making! We went to Santa Barbara last month. Beaches and the beach towns were beautiful and actually they were beyond my expectations. My stepdaughter graduated from university but she's jumped right into graduate school. And she's staying on so we will have more chances to visit her at University of California, Santa Barbara.

Have you been camping or hiking or wandering? Tell me about your adventure.

I live in Alameda, California which is a rather large island over 75,000 population. It’s really three islands and I’m on Bay Farm. It used to be old stone fruit orchards which are plums, apricots, peaches and still occasionally you will see some of those old fruit trees.

I'm currently reading two books written by @junemoon who is June Calender. I’m on the Friendship Quilts and love it!

My reading goal for 2023 was to read about 150 books this year. I’ve read 29 books so far this year.

My reading goal is now a 3-5 year goal instead of a one year goal. But that’s ok.

Watching and reading or listening to over at YouTube or Podcasts or Etsy or magazines:

2 Lil Owls Studio

TiffanySimplySharpe

Tim Holtz

Shana at Shanouki

Pam at The Paper Outpost

Mystele

Marta at Maremi Small Arts

Martyna at tealandtattered

Louise Heinzl

Barbara at 49dragonflies

Susanne Rose Art - collage, painting, stamping

CreeationsCeeCee - she does watercolor

Joie de fi

Gayle Agostinelli

LightSpeed Magazine also a podcast

Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History podcast

Michael Lewis’ Against the Rules podcast

Terry Gross' Fresh Air podcast

Magazines I love love love are:

Daphne’s Diary

Bella Grace

Somerset Studio

Art Journaling

Pioneer Woman

For praise music I’m enraptured by the YouTube channel for the Jesus Image. They also have songs out on ITunes. I found them by listening to a version of How Great Thou Art. They do podcasts but mostly now I listen to the songs. For me they are very powerful and they get all kinds of singers and musicians to lead their songs. It’s multiethnic and just beautiful to me.

♻️

Paper: I love paper!! Any kind of paper, stationery, loose pieces of paper, letter sets, postcards, notecards, ephemera.

Arts & crafts I’m into are journals, book pages like old books including illustrated flowers and plants, washi tape, wrapping paper, home made paper, yarn, tissue, packaging, found objects, and more.

Thank you for all the extras and gifts from you all!!!

Likes:

Vintage or new but in a vintage style

Junk journals and fodder for them

Art all kinds and every style of art and crafts

Die cuts

Doodles

ephemera, any

Lace

Ribbons

Rice paper

Sari ribbon

Stationery anything

Stamped images

Stickers

Washi tape

Found objects

Dyed by ink or store bought or hand dyed fabric or yarn

Recipes

In general I like all colors.

** For JJJ Let’s Make a Junk Journal **

Any size journal works for me.

And I like all themes. To give you a few ideas, here are some: sea, nautical, floral, circus, antique or vintage even if it's new but in the vintage style, Asian theme or French style.

Any theme is good as I like eclectic or putting various themes together in more a mix! Ha ha!

I have been collecting things to put into a junk journal but I haven't actually started making the journal itself. I've no doubt it'll happen. I'm having a ton of itself and enjoying the process. I hope you enjoy your process too!