Catch Up and A New Art Journal

I am so behind on everything.
I just got a new computer, and it has consumed most of my free time. Trying to transfer files, playing with all the cool features, etc. The new computer also motivated me to re-arrange my office/guest room (forgot to take pictures). I did it right this time. By right, I mean, I cleaned and organized every space in the room. The only thing I didn't do was repaint the walls. That would have held things up for months! I can't describe what an awesome feeling it is to accomplish such a huge task (patting myself on the back).

Ok, on with some fun stuff.....

Here I am with my daughter at our Homeschool Medievil Fair. It was put on by our 7th & 8th graders. They did a great job. Lots of food and homemade crafts focused around that period.

This is my newest art journal. It is my model for a journal making class I am teaching to a local youth art guild. It has been a challenge to condense this project into a 2 hour class, which means a lot of the steps have to be completed prior to the class. This cover was inspired by a technique in "Pages" magazine, where you stitch fabric onto a paper backing. I will not be teaching this cover technique. I just used it for my own personal journal. I think it turned out pretty cool, and if you look closely (up towards the top), you can see a bear cub peaking through the fabric. I plan on taking this technique a step further on my next cover.

There's Letter Love and Then There's Love

There's been a lot of stuff going on around my house, so it's been a while since I've posted.
So.....let's catch up, shall we?

I just signed up for my second online class. Online classes have become very popular. I know it's not the same as being in class in person, but depending on the type of class it is, I think it's a good idea. The down side is you miss out on the social part; making friends, sharing ideas, seeing other peoples work, etc.

Here is some of the supplies for the Art Journaling class.

The class is called "Letter Love 101" by Joanne Sharpe. Below is the journal that I will be doing my lettering in.

 It was suggested that I decorate my composition book with duck tape, so I did.
Now.....I think I'm addicted to duck tape!
If you haven't used this stuff to decorate something, I suggest you go and buy a roll. It comes in lots of fun colors and patterns.

Speaking of "Love".....

 Here is a necklace that my son and I made for his girlfriend for Valentine's Day. He found this small piece of driftwood while hiking in the Grand Canyon and wanted to turn it into something. He designed it, found some scrap pieces of metal in my stash, and I showed him how to put it together. I think it came out pretty good for his first piece of wearable art.

She loved it, of course.

Another She Art Girl

Here is girl #3 from the She Art Workshop. I like this one the best. Her body shape came out better. I used scrapbooking paper for her dress and the grass area and acrylic paint everywhere else.

I like to add a quote, but I can't seem to find the right one, so.......

In case you're interested in seeing my other girls, here is the first one
 and here is the second one.

She Art Girl and Flea Market Finds

I thought I'd share a few things I did this last weekend.

Here is my second girl from the She Art Workshop. Isn't she cute??

Christy is sharing a lot of fun techniques, and I am having a blast creating my girls. I am choosing not to work on canvas, but in my art journal.

I also went to the local flea market. I like to hunt for interesting things to add to my handmade journals and quilt projects.

I found some cool beads and a few mother of pearl buttons.

I also found this beautiful Metallic Brocade fabric. I'm going to add it to my stash for my future Boho Bag. Patricia Winter is the designer of this bag, and she has a step by step instruction booklet that you can find here, if you're interested.

She Left Her Fears Behind

My head hasn't been on straight lately. I've been preoccupied with my son going off to college, and I've been putting things off....that does slow down time, right? Meanwhile, I've been doing more art journaling as a way to cope with the upcoming change.

This is my first She Art Girl. I'm taking an online class with Christy Tomlinson called She Art Workshop . I had a lot of fun making her, and I'm really enjoying the class. I like the messy part of art journaling......the painting, stamping and gluing.
She turned out a little plump, but I think she came out cute. Actually, that's how I'm feeling these days.....a little plump, especially after the holidays.

I'll try and slim her down a bit the next time around. There are a few more She Art Girls to make, and with each one, new techniques will be taught.

Journal Page and A Cool Colored Poster

Watercolor Journal Page

I love using watercolor in my journals. They are very forgiving. I just realized I left a blank space at the top! Oh boy, I'll have to fix that.

Below is a new piece of art that is getting hung up today. My 12 yr. old daughter colored this 16" x 20" poster using crayons, markers, and colored pencils. It took her a few months to finish it, and I just love it! The poster came from one of her American Girl magazines. They used to put one inside each magazine, but I noticed they stopped. I should send the editor/publisher a picture to let them know that girls are coloring these posters, and to continue adding them in the magazine. This is the second poster she has colored.

She didn't want me to frame this, but I'm not about to let this poster go unseen.

Journal Backgrounds

Here are a few backgrounds I did in my art journal over the weekend. I always like to have a few decorated pages ready to jot down my thoughts.

This one is pretty bold. I realized I did this background while releasing my anger towards our dog for chewing up some wiring outside my studio. That would explain all the red!

Hope you had a great weekend.

Take Flight

During November on Dawn's blog, d'blogala, you will find a daily journal prompt. I decided to join two of the daily prompts on one page. Dawn is trying to get everyone, who is interested, to do a little journaling every day. I think it's a great challenge. I enjoy working in my art journal, but don't always make the time. I find that I can't be in a hurry when I journal because then I feel I'm forcing the creative juices to flow, and then my mind shuts down. These daily prompts should motivate me. Want to join in on the fun?