Message In A Bottle Paperback

Message In A Bottle is a deeply personal collaboration between mixed media artist Ellen Brook and Collage Soup, inspired by a remarkable collection of World War I-era letters written by Ellen's grandfather to his wife while stationed overseas. Discovered decades later among family belongings, these fragile pages became the beginning of a conversation across time—filled with longing, devotion, resilience, and the enduring power of human connection.

Unlike traditional Collage Soup books, the front of each page features one of Ellen's original mixed media paintings layered with the textures of wartime correspondence, faded postcards, thread, fabric, memory, and history. Approximately 20% of the reverse sides include authentic photographs, letters, and ephemera from the World War I era, while the remaining backsides contain AI-generated imagery created to expand upon the visual world of Ellen's artwork and provide additional collage fodder for your own creative storytelling.

What's Inside

• Original mixed media paintings by Ellen Brook on every front page
• Authentic WWI-era photographs, letters, and ephemera (~20% of reverses)
• Weathered letters, telegrams, maps, medals, sewing elements, and postmarks
• Patriotic fragments and symbolic objects
• AI-generated imagery expanding Ellen's visual world

These pages are meant to be cut, torn, layered, and transformed into something entirely your own—bringing together original artwork, historical artifacts, and emerging technologies through the timeless human desire to reach across distance and be heard.

Perfect for: Collage, junk journals, mixed media, scrapbooking, and paper crafts.