Meet The Cosmic Anything Book

It seems like I'm doing a lot of Anything Books for donations these day. I'm happy to contribute what I can to help worthwhile causes. I made Cosmic for another great cause.

The Cosmic Anything Book is made from a Dreyer's Fruit Bars box.

My friend, Kim, has a boat-load of medical bills from her son's appendectomy a few months back. She's negotiated down the bills to a nearly managable amount. And the clever gal that she is, she's having a fundraiser to help pay them off.

The view from the top shows the wide range of materials, colors and patterns inside.

I'm a firm believer in helping the people in your life when you can. This is my way to help my friend get from where she is to where she wants to be.

I love the way the previous page and the paint chip pulls out the blue of this patterned paper.

A couple months back, I selected a charity for Laughing Crow Studio. I'm not ready to announce this, but I mention it today to let you know that I'm always looking for a way to give back. The charity I selected would let me help strangers in my Phoenix community. While I'm all for anonymous giving, I love that I'm getting a chance to help someone I know.

The different page sizes allow some pages to overlay others as you turn the pages.

Last week, I found a new resource that I put to use in this Anything Book. I found a book that has hundreds of photos of The Beatles throughout their career. This is the first time I've used these photographs, and it gives me a small thrill to include something I love so much into a book for someone else.

An example of layered pages inside Cosmic.

I also just received a huge package of used international stamps that I've used for the first time in Cosmic. I love the look of stamps and think they are some of the most beautiful things in our lives that we fail to appreciate. I know that the artists who get these commissions are always thrilled to have a stamp in their portfolio.

Paint chips and business cards are some of my favorite materials for my Anything Books.

As I move throughout the Phoenix metro area, I'm always picking up business cards. Many of them make their way into my Anything Books. I love the way they layer over pages and add a pop of color where ever they appear.

This is my favorite page inside the Cosmic Anything Book.

Every time I make an Anything Book, I keep adding to it until it feels finished. As an artist, it's hard to decide that something is done. I can always see new things I can do, small adjustments I can make. But I've found a way to tell when I'm done. I flip through the pages, and at some point, the book feels full. That's how I know. I can't explain that feeling any more than that.

Here's another peek at The Beatles page with a layer over the photograph.

In my spare time, I've drafted a blueprint for how I'm going to construct a light box so I can take better pictures of my Anything Books. I'm really excited about it, and I'm going to start collecting the materials next week. I'm not sure when it will be finished. It seems like everything in my business is a journey of discovery. I'm sure the lightbox will be exactly the same.

Cosmic is dated and signed by me and ready to find a new home.

Thanks for checking out Cosmic with me today. I love this little book, and I am sending it off to meet its owner. I want it to land with someone who will be inspired by it and will use it as a canvas to think about and report his or her life in a new way. Here's to many happy tomorrows for Cosmic's new owner!

Dreyer's Fruit Bars Paradise Anything Book

I'm really excited to share this new Anything Book with you. I made it to donate to a local trade organization's fundraising event.


This is Paradise, the first Anything Book created to celebrate a special location.

 One of my friends is on the board of the Phoenix chapter of NEWH, a trade organization for the hospitality industry. They are having a fundraiser for their scholarship programs called Off The Wall Art. She suggested that my Anything Books would be a great fit. So, I skurried around last night and made Paradise.

A peek inside Paradise shows you the wide variety of materials in use.

For some time, I've been considering making a series of Anything Books for the tourists who find their way to Scottsdale and the Phoenix area. I decided this was the perfect chance to see what kind of materials I already have for a book with this theme. 

Paradise gets its name from the coffee holder from Paradise Bakery, a local restaurant chain that is now part of Panera Bread Company.

I have a small collection of local travel guides and tourist maps that I pulled out to make this Anything Book. Everything from playing cards with Scottsdale on the back to local restaurant menus, to Sonoran desert holiday cards, to a door hanger from a local utility company--they all found their way into Paradise. In fact, the name comes from this coffee holder from Paradise Bakery (they have delicious cookies). 

A scrap of dimensional art paper appears inside the front cover with washi tape and a postage stamp.

 The colors of Paradise are rich and diverse. Deep saturated colors run through this Anything Book from the cover through the interior pages. There are two pages of paint chips and a piece of ikkat fabric just to keep things interesting. A bright red (used) Arizona Lottery card found its way inside, too. 

A map with descriptions of local day trips add local interest to Paradise pages.

 There are 5 different local maps inside Paradise, along with materials from the Arizona Biltmore resort, Phoenix Magazine, the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), two local restaurant chains, a familiar grocery store chain, an ad from the Heard Museum and Out of Africa Wildlife Park, and postcards from the Tempe Center for the Arts and the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market, Plus, there's a page from a baseball book as an homage to the Cactus League Spring Training presence in Phoenix. 

Paradise comes with two red book rings and a polka dot book belt.

The contrast of colors and materials encourages you to keep turning the pages, with each page a new discovery and delight. The pages of Paradise were designed as a beautiful backdrop to hold someone's thoughts and items from their day. They might add baseball tickets, or a shopping list, or a golf scorecard to one page, and a photograph of a desert sunset on the next. Your imagination is the limit with an Anything Book! 

Paper scraps, washi tape, and postage stamps embellish the corner of this Paradise page.

 Each two-page spread is designed to create a canvas for memories. The pages are empty, but they are not blank. I've added embellishments to inspire creativity and overcome that what-do-I-put-on-this-blank-page obstacle. These items will peek out from behind and between the items the owner adds to the pages.

The proceeds from this auction goes to support scholarships for the hospitality industry students.

I'm very excited to offer Paradise for the NEWH auction. I'm also excited about the entire event. I want to see the other art being offered, and maybe I'll even bring home something myself!