Getting Back into Things

Wow!! It has been a long time since I've posted!!!! Life threw me multiple curve balls & I have been doing my best to handle them correctly & not let them knock me down for to long.

Anyway, we have snow here today. Just a couple of inches & it looks pretty.

I have been doing some art journaling. My journals are such a safe place for me to get out all of that crap that replays over & over in my head & heart.

I have been doing Milliandes January 2011 prompts http://www.milliande.com/art-journal-january-2011.html They are fun to do!!

Have a safe, warm day! I'm going to go get a homemade Latte.........

Happy Happy / Oww Oww

When I sat down to art journal this is not where my head was that day!! But as so often happens, the page has a mind of its own!! I didn't like it when I was done with it. So I just shut the book and left it alone for a few days. That old saying is true, absence does make the heart grow fonder!

This was last night after I took something for it!

This was before I took something!!!!

I just wanted to create last night but my head just kept thumping & bumping!! So this is what spilled out of me!

I feel better this morning!

Helpful Critiques = Journal Pages

Here is a more finished version of one of my "needs something" pages from yesterdays post. I think I'm happy with it.

I want to thank the ladies who commented on the last post. It was very helpful! By the way the rest of you should go check out their blogs & flickr pages. I was wowed by their work!!



This is another journal that I have. This was a kind of fun, playing around spread. To help me remember things about a book I'm reading Better Boundaries, Owning and Treasuring Your Life by Jan Black & Greg Enns
I haven't finished the book yet. It has a positive spin about it. Do you know what I mean?


At Christmas my sister got one of my grandson's a Memory game. After she punched out all of the cards she was left with these big square grid looking pieces. She knew I'd use them for art stuff. And she was right. That's what the grid is from on the above page. I tried stazon ink first - didn't work. Acrylic paint did though!!



On this page I did gel medium transfers of magazine pics. I wasn't sure how they would work because this is very textured paper. But I like how they turned out! I am liking playing with my dip pens & ink again. I want to get a smaller nib/tip though.

See what happens on a snowed in day. While my husband goes out and plows the snow I stay in and plow thru my art supplies! I make him hot chocolate when he comes in!!! Oh and I'm trying a new recipe. It's beer bread. I hope it's good!!!

Isn't It Odd.......

I think it is odd that with both of these journal spreads I like the one on the right but the one on the left needs something.

LIKE

NEEDS SOMETHING

LIKE

NEEDS SOMETHING

I did these after watching Milliande's January journaling videos. I used a wax candle, crayons (kids kind & watercolor) pencil, watercolors,vinyl stickers, acrylic paint, black cat ink & dip pen, stamped some drawer liner with staz-on, my handmade papers, gesso & sharpie poster paint pens.

I just have been puttering around, not feeling creative. So I am trying to show up & work until I find "it" again.

We are getting the beginning of our BLIZZARD!!! It looks pretty but Oh my it's a lot of snow!!

See I Do Still Art Journal & An Ink Question For You

I have been watching the wonderful Milliande work in her art journal. You can see her here http://www.milliande.com/Art-Journal-January-2010.html .

These 2 pages are done by putting masking tape on the page first. Then some ink & acrylic paint. Remove the masking tape. Which is the fun part, trying to decide which pieces went on last down to first!!! I saved the tape & put it in another journal. Then I sprayed the pages with food coloring (the blue). Then I used some Golden Interference blue (fine) on a stamp. Which shows up really well in these pics!? After all of that dried, I doodled with my black cat ink & dip pen. I still want to add more doodling to this.


This is also in response to Milliande. Her circle prompt. There's some security envelope, junk mail (that's where the heart came from), some painted pages, acrylic & gouache paint. Lastly some ink & my dip pen. This also needs some journaling on it! I like this first heart page better than the snowflake page. I ran out of the blue-grey mix of paint I used on the first page.



This is from an altered book. I love using books this way. The journaling "paper" on the right is a dried up baby wipe (a CLEAN one!!!) that I use to clean my brushes off on.
Does anyone have experience with the acrylic inks or drawing inks in various colors? I see Milliande uses them a lot. If you have used them is there a brand and/or color that you like? I was given a Dick Blick gift card for Christmas! I have a list going. So far I have Pan Pastels & the "knives" for them, sharpie poster paint pens in white (med & fine point) & maybe some Blick studio by Fabiano sheets of paper.

Is Your Ribbon Wrinkled?

I am trying to do the whole reduce, reuse recycle/upcycle. So a lot of the ribbon I acquire looks like the ribbon in this picture.I found out that my flat iron is perfect for bringing this tired, wrinkled ribbon back to life.
Just a few seconds thru the flat iron and ta-da . Refreshed ribbon!!! Just thought I'd pass on this recycling tip.

See my shiny, happy ribbon!!!!! Now to find a project to use them in, hhhmmmm................

Words & Art

I saw this picture and this journal page just over took my brain & I had to get it on paper! It is kind of funny that I reference holding glass crystals up to the light. We had just recently watched the movie Polly Anna http://www.amazon.com/Pollyanna-Eleanor-Hodgman-Porter/dp/1434609723/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251304316&sr=8-7#
The always look on the bright side little girl!
This is currently my favorite, favorite page I have done. This is my go to word. It works under any situation. Good,bad, happy or sad. It is always good to take a step back & BREATHE. If it is a positive situation this helps me to remember & savor the moment. If it is a rough situation it helps me to clear my head & think.

So take a moment & BREATHE today!

A Small Canvas

This is my recent creation. I feel so-so about it. It looks best close up. It doesn't follow that 10 foot "rule" for landscape or still life painting. Oh well. Maybe the next one will. I had fun doing it. I don't have to many stretched canvases to work on right now. I have to find the good sales on them!!! There are a lot of textures in this. I attached the pussy willow branches with metal fasteners.

I am off to do a cover of my first soul journal altered book. It is almost full and Sarah W at
Caspiana and Kathryn at collagediva (see the links at the side, I can't paste the links right now?!)are creating their own place for prompts. So I want to start 2 more books. I have used altered books for the prompts and now I'm trying to decide on which to use. A stop at my local used book shop or at a craft shop? decisions---decisions!!