Howdy peeps! I'm so excited! I've got something new and different for you today. I've started an art journal!!!
Rewind. Actually, a few years ago I started an art journal. As in, bought a cheap photo album that had heavy paper pages. And created one page (ahem, I guess I was not happy with hubby on that day!) As in, I remember this "you OR me" page but it was so long ago I don't even remember that I'd prepped all the pages in the album or exactly
how I'd prepped them. I'm looking at them now and thinking, "how'd I do that? that's cool!"
Fast forward. I recently treated myself to
Alisa B.'s Grateful Journal online course. Haven't actually started it yet (yep, that's me - a million ideas but lacking on the follow through), but had this itching to start getting a bit messy and definitely want to focus on what I'm grateful for.
So I remembered this photo album and dug it out. Was going to ease into things by prepping some pages (have you watched
Maremi break a blank page?), but
lo and behold, they're already prepped! Goodness. That means I have to actually sit down
and create something.
Well, as the creative journey would have it, I stared at a double orange spread, loving the swirly effect I'd created, and wondering how the heck I'd done it. And voila! It sparked an idea. I started my
first second page!
Sharpies
acrylic paints
gel pen
Yep I'd love to remember how I created that orange background. "BUT I DON'T."
Thinking the bold orange was probably a Dylusions ink spray I started thinking Dylusions. Which made me grab a couple stamp sets I own. Had to use Dyan's signature leaves and that befuddled chica. A fun border stamp along the top and bottom too.
You guys... it is SO MUCH FUN to just go with the flow! Have an idea and run with it.
Then I pulled out some acrylic paint and made some circles with plastic bottle caps and corks. Stencilled some stars. Colored in some elements with Sharpies. Added some fun a-la-Dyan journaling. Even added three glitter tatoos left from DD's younger days up top!
As for just going with the flow... Make a mistake? Fix it. Somehow. Or don't ;) For example, I had a real issue with the "BUT I DON'T" in those stamped circles. I wrote the words first with a black Sharpie. To help them show up more I tried adding white dots to the letters. But had troubles with my white pens.´- seems I always do :( So then I doodled petals around them And attached them to strings the chica is holding like balloons. But they still weren't "popping" and geez, they are supposed to be my page title! What to do? So I found a white paint pen and doodled another ring of petals. And retraced the letters with white (now they kinda look blue?!?) And finally took some of the blue acrylic paint and a skinny paintbrush and added blue to the petals. Na. Good enough!
I would love to hear if you journal. How often? What format? Or are you thinking about trying it but haven't taken that first step yet?
I'm going to try hooking up at:
More Mixed Media Challenge -
AG Feb
Simon Says Stamp Monda Challenge -
Add some Red (I colored with a red Sharpie)
STAMPlorations Mixed Media Challenge -
Use a Stencil
We Love 2 Create -
AG Mixed Media
Creative Artiste -
AG Mixed Media
Craft Stamper -
Take it Make it Feb
