“Moments” journals are designed to capture a fleeting thought or experience. These journals are not meant as the keepers of a daily record, like a diary. They are more like old-fashioned “commonplace” books where generations of the past recorded things they wanted to remember in the same way that many people use the digital “notes” apps of today.

In Moments journals, there are blank spaces for writing in many places, both obvious and hidden. There are pockets and tuck spaces and envelopes. Some pieces can be pulled out and others secreted away. They can be used for housing memorabilia of the past or the present. Moments come in many different shapes and styles. I especially like a vintage aesthetic so it looks as though the journal was found in an old trunk in the attic among other treasured things from the past.

Each page in a Moments journal is meant as a little work of art inspired by my larger collages and by a global community of folio, journal, and bookmaking artists creating work in which the “hand of the artist” rather than machine-made perfection is the desire. Many of the beautiful papers I use have been created by artists in other countries who make them available digitally for this purpose. Some papers are handmade in this country, Italy, or Japan. I also use tea and coffee-dyed papers, antique and vintage laces, beautiful fabrics, washi tapes, and a variety of inks and found objects. All materials are designed to last and many are archival.

When I first started making interactive journals, I had no idea the process would be so compelling, but there are so many ways to go about it! Making one is like simultaneously creating a puzzle, an artwork, a memory, and an experience to be reenacted again and again as pages are turned or flipped or pulled, pockets and envelopes are investigated, and tucks and folds explored.

I make Moments for gifts or for myself and occasionally for sale in galleries. However, if you want one, use the contact page and let’s talk about it.