Journal Catch-Up

I have been making more journal pages than I can keep-up with posting. So I am going to try and play a little catch-up tonight.
This first picture I used a hand-cut stencil of myself as a child. I got the idea from reading Judy Wise's blog earlier this summer. She had all these gorgeous stencils in her art and I wanted to try it so desperately--but I lacked the proper photo-shop equipment. Since that has been rectified I am a stencil making fiend.

This next page I used some old sheet music that I distressed using the ranger Distress Inks. They have really become my new obsession....I want them in EVERY color! I am especially fond of the colors that aren't in the brown family. The bright oranges and blues are just lovely! The little girl in this photo is my aunt Marie. I used twinkling H2O's to colorize the photo.

And last but not least another page. I used some sand paper and distress inks on the photo. I like the grungy look I got by wetting and crumpling it. I could hardly believe that it was a pristine photo to begin with!
I feel like I'm breaking through some sort of barrier when it comes to my journal. I don't think I'm there yet--I feel a bit like I'm in a room feeling for the light switch, but I know it's near by. I guess I'll just have to see what happens. That's the beautiful thing about art; it always evolves.

Fa La La La La

I have been hard at work on my ATCs for the Indiana Altered Art swap/party this weekend. Here they are:

All images here are from Retro Cafe Art Gallery.

Wednesday Stamper

The theme for this week's Wednesday Stamper is diamonds. So here is my creation:

I used some chipboard tiles and distressed them using the new Ranger crackle paints. I rubbed a little brown distress ink into th cracks and then stamped them with a variety of stamps.

Home Again

I am back from the wilds of PA and have 2 new journal pages to show for it. I used water color crayons, paper and rub-ons for both of them.


Here is what I learned from my attempt at journaling away from the studio: 1. bring more paper. 2. Water color crayons are the best! light weight and great for layering color on. 3. I should have brought more pre-distressed papers in more colors. (I'd taken some from a latin text book and used the distress inks on them for use in these 2 pages.) 4. Journaling really relieves the stress of traveling and being with family!

Have art, will travel

Or as I like to think of it: how to survive Thanksgiving.
My Hubby and I are packing up the car for the long trek to Pennsylvania and I have my art bag all packed. Here is a picture of what I'm taking:This is my first attempt to work in my journal away from my studio. But facing a long weekend of no internet, no digital cable, no Starbucks and no bookstores to escape to I decided to take the plunge. I'm sort of curious to see what I come up with using my limited supplies.

I will be back sometime Sunday, hopefully with lots of art to show for my time.
I wish all of you a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!

My Muse

The theme for this month's challenge over on the GPP site is muses. So, here is mine:

My muse is the poet e.e. cummings. I read his poetry almost obsessivly. And whenever I am stuck artistically, I find that he almost always gets me unstuck.
Here is one of my favorite poems by him:

"but if a living dance upon dead minds
why,it is love;but at the earliest spear
of sun perfectly should disappear
moon's utmost magic,or stones speak or one
name control more incredible splendor than
our merely universe, love's also there:
and being here imprisoned,tortured here
love everywhere exploding maims and blinds
(but surely does not forget,perish, sleep
cannot be photographed,measured;disdains
the trivial labellings of punctual brains...
-Who wields a poem huger than the grave?
from only Whom shall time no refuge keep
though all the weird worlds must be opened?) Love"

Another Journal Page

I finished reading Journal Revolution this week and found it to be inspiring. It's really helped motivate me to keep working. I especially liked the idea of using masking tape to journal on and I tried it out last night. Here is my most recent page:


I used an old time card and some scrapbooking paper, as well as paint and stamps. The photo, I colorized using distress inks. I'm thinking the next time I do that, I'm going to dig my sand paper out and sand off some edges...

Tags Part 2

Here are the other three tags I made as part of my design team work for Retro Cafe Art Gallery. I used all distress products to make the tags.



Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday!

Tag, you're it!

I've been hard at work on some of my design team work for Retro Cafe Art Gallery. Check out these lovely and cute Christmas images!
I felt like making some tags, I used a bunch of the distress products by Ranger, including the new crackle paint.



I will have more to put up tommrow!

Why Save it?

Artists, I firmly believe, are natural hoarders. You know what I'm talking about. The drawers of ribbons or scraps of ephemera that we can't quite bring ourselves to throw-out. Pretty much every artist I know (except for my friend Bev) has tons of stuff. Stuff we don't use, stuff we're saving for...something. I am no exception. I have this gorgeous white rub-on that I keep pulling out of the drawer and looking at and then putting back. But today, when I pulled it out I found myself wondering--why am I saving it? So I used it on my journal page here:

The face in the picture is mine, it's a stencil I cut and made from photoshop. It's my first, but now that I've done it I want to do more. If you're interested in learning how to photoshop/cut stencils there's a great tutorial here. And if you just want to look at some beautiful stenciled work look here. You have to scroll down and see the goldfish. They are just too cute!

A cool fall day

Fall is truly here and what better way to spend a cool fall day than baking in the kitchen? I made this fresh apple crisp with cranberries, walnuts and apples that my hubby and I got at the apple orchid last weekend.

And what better to go with it than a gingerbread latte. Here is my recipe: 2 shots of espresso, 1/2 oz ginger spice syrup, 1/2 oz vanilla syrup, and steamed milk to taste. I curled up under a quilt and drank my coffee and ate my crisp--and all was right with the world.
And last but not least a picture from my journal. This page took forever to finish. I kept hating it and painting over it. Sometimes that's how it goes.

Fun with Photoshop

I don't have any new work to post today--my Hubby and I were out of town this weekend. But I spent some time playing with photoshop elements today. I am a complete beginner, so there is a lot of grunting and swearing involved. But here is a little something I came up with today just playing around. The background photo is one I took last week while out walking around in broadripple.
I know exactly where this photo is going to go--right into my art journal!

Dreamer

I am trying to get back into the habit of working in my journal again. I stopped for a variety of reasons--time, my injury and my depression--but I'm feeling the urge again. I love doing the prompts over on D'Blogala. This week, it was about using an old family photo. I picked my grandfather, who is pictured with my grandmother in this shot. I love this picture because he looks so classy and happy.
This page uses acrylic, paper, and stamps by Technique Tuesday. Sorry the resolution isn't better, my scanner hates the binding on my journal.

You must go

To the:
Over on 56th and Illinois is a wonderful bastion of cupcake yummy-ness. The flying cupcake--run by those trendy women who own Girly Chic Boutique; an amazing store that is all things in it's name--boasts many different types of freshly baked cupcakes and gelato. I went today for a little pick-me-up and took some pictures.
Here is the vast bounty that I had to choose from: (aren't you feeling hungry just looking at it?)


And here is one of there funky shabby-chic-seating areas:

And here is my cupcake--chocolate with butter cream frosting and a darling ballerina:
So get off your duff and go get a cupcake.
Seriously, why are you still reading this???