Make a Personal Garden Journal

This year I will be giving a series of garden journal workshops, and the first one is coming soon!

Madame Beespeaker's Garden Journal Workshop: 2 and 1/2 hours

Using collage techniques, participants will create a garden journal out of envelopes which will hold their garden plans, secrets, dreams, recipes, and memories. Each person will receive local flower seeds saved by Madame Beespeaker as well as herbal tea recipes and tips on gardening for bees, butterflies, and song birds. Create a garden journal as a lovely gift for yourself or your favourite gardener. To personalize your journal you may bring copies of family garden photos on regular weight matt paper (5 inches by 5 inches or smaller would work best).

Extra journal kits will be available for purchase from Ruby Dog's.

Cost: $35 per person

Note: I've been asked to postpone the date of the workshop, so it is TBA.

RubyDog's Art House
(Near Fraser and Kingsway)
623 Kingsway
Vancouver, B.C. V5T 3K5

Phone:
604-873-2825

eMail:
rubydogart(at)shaw(dot)ca

Lori Weidenhammer is a Vancouver performance-based artist originally from Saskatchewan. For four years she has been appearing as the persona Madame Beespeaker on a regular basis. Her Artist Run Bee Garden at the MOP (2009) has inspired other Vancouver gardeners to create their own bee gardens and hold bee-related community celebrations. As a food security volunteer and activist Weidenhammer works with colleagues and students of all ages on identifying native plants, eating locally, gardening for pollinators, and guerilla gardening. She is passionate about art that that transforms the relationship between the artist and the viewer and creates community bonds.

This journal was made using photographs of my family altered in Photoshop. Your journal will be unique. It will be a place to tuck little pieces of ephemera related to your garden.

I have a couple of notes that my grandmother wrote in her handwriting that I treasure. It would be a good idea to keep some hand-written notes in your journal to pass down as an heirloom. You could tuck in a couple of messages to the bees to pass on the tradition of telling the bees.

You could also tuck in a wee piece of cloth with a hint of your favorite scent. My grandma's was Yardley Lavender and 4711.

Making the book is a meditative act. I enjoy anchoring images on the page and I am going to give the participants a series of bee-related quotes that they may use if they wish. This quote by William Blake reads: "The busy bee has no time for sorrow."