The Monthly Word -- March

It's that time of the month -- the one where Martha from the Mermaid's Closet and I share our pages and journaling on The Monthly Word....Here's a sneakie peakie of my page -- click on over to the TMW Blog and read about how my word helped me this month! 

 

Have a Happy Easter -- thanks for stopping by! 

Happy Easter!

Today is Good Friday -- it's hard for me to believe that Easter is on Sunday. Phew, it's pretty early this year.

So, I've a MILLION things to be doing -- but I'm home working through computer issues and technical delays - hopefully I'll be back next week with some new art to share -- and in the mean time-- I thought I would wish you all a Happy Easter weekend!

THANKS for stopping by!

My love for a Dip Pen

I haven't been using my Dip pen much lately really. I think mostly because I hadn't been making the time to journal daily. I am so happy that today is Day 13 (I think) of my 21 Day Challenge with Rhonna Farrer.

When it comes out looking like this, I am reminded that I should use it more often. 

 

And especially on tough work days. Like yesterday. It is strangely relaxing and satisfying to create a pretty page in the midst of all that angst from yesterday. 

I'm headed in to do more battle with my computer today -- so I'm going to remember to follow my heart and take a break to art journal later when I get frustrated. 

 

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by!

it's not the journey

Sharing the process for another journal page with you. First, I start out with a pencil sketch. And actually, this one was inspired by a picture in Good Housekeeping magazine that I spied on Sunday. 

 

I came home and uploaded it from my phone to my 'puter and proceeded to sketch it. 

 

It was the sketching part that made me think of my journey, how I'm inspired and how I turn that inspiration into reality.

Which then inspired my brain to work with words to come up with this quote. I then get my permanent ink pen out and commit the pencil lines and then start laying in the color. I mentioned yesterday that I am in love with Tim Holtz Distress Paints -- and that is what I used -- exclusively for this page today. 

 

When the color part is done I get my dip pen and calligraphy ink out and ink in the text.

 And then I photograph it to share it here or on Instagram and start on the next page.

Thanks for stopping by, hope you have a GREAT day.

Art Journaling - Keeping it Private

I mentioned last week that I've been following along with Rhonna Farrer's 21 Day Challenge. Yesterday (Sunday) was day 10 and I must say finding making the time to journal every day before I do anything else has been wonderful. I've been busy -- and stressed and making pretty art has been a great way to start my day and a big bright spot that I look forward to when I go to bed every night! The last few nights I've been prepping my pages before I go to bed so I have more time to paint in the morning!

I thought I would share my process of art journaling -- with both art and words -- but words I don't necessarily want public. 

 

First I write -- in pencil and fill my page with just rambling. Sometimes I turn the page this way and that to make it even more random. Then I take a permanent marker and draw on top of the writing. 

When I have filled the page with both words and art I use Gesso to fill in the background and hide most of the words. 

The art kinda starts coming to life at this point and you can't really make out what I'm writing about -- just random words here and there! When the background is all filled in I start adding color. 

 

I've recently discovered Tim Holtz Distress paints are perfect and lovely for art journaling and painting like watercolor paints. I'm pretty much smitten with the paints. 

  

I think I'm going to have to have them all. yes. ALL. Plus, the colors are LOVELY.  

 

When I'm done with all the painting, you can't really make out what I was writing about, just that I painted over a page filled with hand-written words.    

When you are done, your page looks beautiful, you worked out your feelings for the day AND you made some pretty art. 

What more could a gal ask for anyway?

Thanks for stopping by, hope you had a GREAT weekend!  

PS. What's your favorite Distress Paint color?

Crazy Weather

The weather this winter and spring has been crazy, to say the least. We went from this....

to this....

to this.....

to this.....

in 2 weeks..... or maybe it was 1 week -- I don't remember but it's been crazy and I'm ready for spring...even though it is beautiful! But, that's life in Maine - unpredictable!

thanks all for stopping by, enjoy your weekend!

21 Day Challenge

My friend Martha started the latest version of the 21 Day Challenge with Rhonna Farrer -- I was so stressed that I haven't been giving myself any "me art time" that I decided to join in too. I've been so busy over the last few months that journaling for me just kinda went out the window. I love combining art and words.

I found myself stressed.

Blocked.

Uninspired. 

and angry.

super angry. 

Like really I'm quitting everything I do angry.

So -- this challenge came at the right time. 

I want to re-set my priorities. 
So that I come first and my family too. 

And then rather than feel guilty about creating art for me, embrace it and work with it. 

 

I want to enjoy my art, my life, my family. 
I definitely NEED to find time to be healthy. 

I want to experiment with color and design and make time for my family. Wait, I think I mentioned that 3 times already. Yes -- it's that important to me -- they go "do" things so I can stay home and work. hmmm, not fun. missing out.

And I don't want to be angry all the time. and stressed about getting work done when I don't feel appreciated. 

I would say that's a successful 7 day start, art and words really help me. It needs to be a habit. I want it to be a habit, and I've got 7 days under my belt, woohoo for me.

A big thanks to Martha Richardson for inspiring me even though she didn't know she was and to Rhonna for doing the challenge all these years! With that said, it's back to work for me. 

Thanks for stopping by have a great day!  

Humble Beginnings

 It starts the same every time. I put a blob of paint -- or whatever medium I'm working with on the newsprint that covers my work table and add water, mix colors, clean my brush off, layering and layering and layering the colors to make a hot mess.

The beginning is always like this! Then I might try to write down a quote with a pencil to work out the details.

Or to remember something that popped into my head.  I'll sometimes use the same newsprint for days. A craft project here, some art journaling there and before long it starts to look like this.  I might take notice, like I did in the photo above. And I might not.

If I do start noticing something cool happening I go with it and start making deliberate brush strokes to clean my brush or use up the excess paint I squirted out on the newsprint to preserve some of the cool things and make some more. And then, it looks like this!

To save it I chose the two areas I liked the most and cut them out, large enough to fit on two 9x12 pieces of Mixed Media paper from Strathmore.

And then I use a glue stick to mount them to the paper. 

They might get some art journaling in white and they might just stay like they are. I haven't decided yet but I am really loving the art that this mess turned into!



Thanks for stopping by, have a GREAT week!

March Whatevers

It's the time of the month again -- when Nat, Vic and I reveal the latest about what our Whatever Characters are doing! 

Check out what Nat is up to here!

Check out what Vic is up to here! 

And now, let's see what kind of trouble Mother (Cordelia) is getting in to this month!

Cordelia wasn’t a brave woman – but when it came to her family she would move mountains if they were in danger. She was so determined to find her Winston that any danger that might arise from traveling alone to Thebes never crossed her mind. 

 

The mere thought that he could be trapped or held hostage in the Valley of the Kings was her only focus and she would do anything to find including lob the cannonballs from her suitcase sized portable cannon to bring the ruins of Luxor Temple to the ground!

When she arrived on the banks of the River Nile she thought the trail had gone cold – until she saw the footprint embedded in the dried up mud. Her heart stopped -- Oh – it had to belong to him! The track she was looking at was the same one she yelled at him for leaving on her clean kitchen floor before he left for Egypt.

__________________________________________________________

I've had a few people ask me where I get my crazy ideas for this story, LoL. While I do have a creative thought process I usually let my surroundings determine the course of the story.

For example, if you look at the image below, you'll see a teeny tiny map. The paper is dictionary text -- and it just so happens the page was from the T section and this page had the tiny map and definition of Thebes --- PERFECT now I had the location!

 

Next, the footprint, is a little bit harder to see -- but I think I can take you there.  If you look at the top of the picture below you see some weird lines, see 'em?

They were actually on a piece of tissue paper that I collaged onto the background. The tissue paper was the engineering drawing for a pair of Keen's I bought my son and this section just so happened to be the bottom of the shoe -- and voila my story was born. The rest of the stuff was easy. I mean, doesn't Cordelia look like a cowardly, suitcase sized cannonball toter? :-D

See you next month!

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Want to play along?? We have just a few things to let you know about: 

• Vicki, Nat and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you – just right click on it to safe it to download and show us your version of The Whatevers.
• There are no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
• There are no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
• There are no rules on the art form you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an art journal page – WHATEVER
• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.
• You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page 

And here are is the image for March for you: 

 

Re-Cap: Right at Home

Finally getting a minute to share some pictures of my weekend at Right at Home Scrapbooking in North Attleboro last weekend!

The weather for most of the drive wasn't toooooo bad -- but once we got near Walpole, MA the snow started getting bad and we ended up turning around and backtracking on one road because the hill was super slippery and hadn't been plowed all day!

But, a margarita after a long, hard day of driving was just what the Dr. ordered ;-D

And the sun came out the next day, so everything was GREAT!

And some pictures of my happy students enjoying the process!

I'm looking forward to going back next month! Hope to see you there!

Episode 3 of in + out freebies

Popping in today to share this little video I created for Episode 3 of In + Out Freebies. Watch this quick little video to see how you can make this cute little Easter project -- and then hop on over to My Creative Classroom and sign up for my latest class that is starting this Friday -- you don't want to miss it!

In case you were wondering what the project from the class at My Creative Classroom will look like -- here's a picture (below) of one of the sweetest Easter decorations I have made in a LONG time. I'm just so in love with the way this came out and I know you will be to!

 Here's the link for the class!  http://www.mycreativeclassroom.com/course/info.php?id=722 THANKS for stopping by today - enjoy your day!