My 2010 Art Journal

I am almost finished with my art journal for 2010. I could say it is done but there are some things I'd like to tweak on some of the pages. Some journaling I still want to add. But for the most part the art is done. I found this book when in Texas in February. The book is called Florence Broadhurst: Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives

She was an interior designer and designed her own wallpaper and fabric. The cover of the book is made of fabric she designed. Almost every other page in the book is an image of her designs. So many of my pages incorporated those designs into them.

I also have been doing a lot of blog hopping and found pages that inspired me. So some of my art is inspired by Teesha Moore, those that created in the traveling journals in my yahoo group Blissfully Art Journaling: Kim Owens, Elizabeth Golden are two I know have influenced my art in this journal. I have also watched a few UTube videos and taken the online course with Willowing & Friends.

I have been trying many new techniques. A lot of them are collage and layering. The title to this post is a link to a slideshow on photobucket of many of the pages. It takes time to scan, so I hope to get them all scanned soon. I will probably post the slideshow to the blog when it is finished.

I am doing a partnership journal this upcoming year with an artist I met online about a year ago. So that is one journal I will be committed to. I want to work in one I purchased last year. I joined the free online art journaling courses offered by http://www.strathmoreartiststudio.com so I will be completing that one. I have some family tree things I would like to put together. My DH is into ancestory.com and has found lots of history on his parents families. I would like to take the info and create a book for him. He has received lots of pictures from both sides of his family. I have been using some in my art. The old vintage pictures are so much fun to use and mean so much more when they are your own family.

I also “aspire” to be a better person to myself and others. I will write more about my word of intent in my next post.

Altered Composition Book

UPDATE!!!
I sent this picture to Brave Girls to see if they would use it on one of their Daily Truth emails and . . . THEY DID yesterday!!  I am sooo excited!
Can you tell?
http://www.bravegirlsclub.com/

I decided to altered the cover on a few of my composition books for Christmas presents. I may add some quotes through out the book too.

This one is going into the lottery at AFTCM yahoo group.

It is snowing so beautifully today. Christmas music is playing in the background. Smells of cooking in the kitchen. Love this time of year, when I can stay home enjoy the snow.

Have a peacful, safe day. Create some art!

2011 Christmas Cards

Finished my Christmas cards for this year. Now I have to get them in the mail asap.
They were a lot of fun. Lot's of sparkle that doesn't really show up in the pictures.
I made another version but blogger won't let me upload it. Don't feel like fighting with the computer tonight, so I'll just leave it as is.
Have a good week everyone!

November Art Journal Page

I have been trying all kinds of new techniques. Lots of pages started this month. Finished this one last week. Will post the rest probably next month. Hiking has become my second passion. But I think it will have to share equally in time with my art. I love it and have to get out everyday, which is hard now that it is deer season in Ohio. So I am off to hit some hills this morning, then have to say bye for a bit to my son who is going home to North Dakota. That is always hard for both of us.

Pictures of my first face painting & words of affirmation

I have joined the free classes online & Willowing & Friends. Tam is a great teacher. I have wanted to try faces for a while now, so I jumped in and did one in my art journal altered book I am doing all this year. The paper was a challenge with all the layers she has us doing. So it's not quite what I wanted but not too bad. We were to write words of affirmation on the other page. Something that we need to say to ourself more often. So that is why I choose these words. I think as women we need to do this more. I am putting myself first now in the need for time to exercise. That is why I do not blog as much, or comment as much in my groups. If I spend that time sitting on the computer then I do not have the time to exercise. So here is my finished product if blogger cooperates and lets me upload them.

Digital Scrapbook of our Canadian Rockies Trip

I finally finished my digital scrapbook. Here's what the pages look like digitally. I am having a high resolution print made of each page too.
You can try Studio J at http://www.debschaefer.myctmh.com/

Picture of the river float in Canada

This was a gentle float down the bow river. The river is very low already, because it has gotten cold really early this year. The glaciers are not melting which is what feeds most of the rivers in this area.

I've been scammed!!

Got home yesterday afternoon, to emails from everyone. Are you OK, I think you have been scammed . . .

Yes I have. My email address book is empty. But I have still have access to it. Changed the PW, so I don't know if I should stop using it or not.

I'm waiting for yahoo to get back to me. This has happened to many of my online friends and friends at work. It's ridiculous!! Is someone actually paying these people . . . they must get something to keep doing it. I can't imagine anyone really thinking this email was from me. It was pretty good as far as including I am in Canada. Except I am home and safe!! But the grammar and really would anyone email people if they needed help.

They used my signature too, so I am changing it too. I'm just really pissed!!!!!!!!!!

I'm going to go work on my travel journal and just enjoy the rest of my day!

Home from Canadian Rockies trip

We had a great time. Met great people from all over. Bill & Sherrie were a blast to hang out with. I added our album for you to view above. (the title is a link to photobucket) I took over 400 pictures so this is just a sampling.
The views were beautiful. The food delicious. Everyone was so friendly. We were like one big happy family by the end. Our tour guide, Andrew, and coach driver, Graham, were the best.

I have a travel journal started and have to add some mementos and pictures.

Back to Creating and it feels good . . .

It feels good to get back into my art room and create again.

It's been a hard month. Our family lost a dear young man beginning of the month. My youngest son joined the AF with him and both my sons have been life long friends with him. Tragically he was killed while home on leave in a car accident.

So we have begun to move forward, but will miss him a lot.
I had a few projects I needed to get done and sent out. This one is in my partner's journal. It's a tribute to the end of summer.

Enjoy what is left of it . . .

Here are some pictures of a regular vinyl binder I covered with scrapbook papers and mod podge. I painted the inside back cover before adding some mail art type collage material. I use the binder to showcase my ATC collection. I don't make these much anymore. I may join a swap or two this winter on the yahoo group I belong too. I have ATC's from all over the world. It was my introduction into mail art and swapping. I have participated in altered book & art journal round robins, partnership art journals, swapped art tags and much more. I think I get alot of inspiration when I am involved in swapping. Deadlines encourage my muse somehow.

ABC's of the Seashore Art Journal

I got half of the book scanned today and made a photo album of it on photobucket.


So click here and it should take you there: ABC's of the Seashore

I made it out of a black & white composition book. I tore a lot of pages out to make room for the bulkyness (is that a word) of the collages I did for each letter. I left a few pages in between groups of letter pages to add some of my personal pictures and memorabilia. I have been working off and on for about a year on this project. It took off this spring and has kept my attention until I finished it a few days ago.

Thanks for looking!

Pics from my monthly art journal

I am doing an art journal this year with everyday things from life. It is a lot of fun using images you aquire all day, every day. I collage and then journal around the collage or just let the images tell the story of my life at that moment in time.

I just finished this one. It was started in June. This happen a lot, I get the collage glued down then add finishing touches and journaling later. I want to write more on my nuts pictures but have to go get another sharpie black extra fine pen. This was a jelly pen and didn't work too well, so I stopped.

I am adding more pictures to my photobucket album above called MY ART so you can see some of the other pages in this journal.

Thanks for looking  . . .

New art posted

I just finished my pages for my partnership journal with Victoria and added them and a few other art journal pages from my everyday art journal.

I have been staying up late working on my art journals and scrapbooks for upcoming baby & a graduation party for my nephew. So I am keeping busy.

I changed the look of my blog a little

Well work is a little slow tonight . . . so I 've been playing with the new blog templates. I think I like this one, but once I start playing you never know where I might end up.
I also was able to create my signature that I have been struggling with over the past year. That's right I have been blogging for over a year. I had no idea until I looked back to my first post that it had already been one year.

Hope you like the new look . . .

I plan to post some new artwork in the next few days.
til then . . .

if i was . . .

if i was a month i'd be june

if i was a day of the week i'd be saturday

if i was a time of day i'd be ten in the morning

if i was a sea animal i'd be a dolphin

if i was a direction i'd be west

if i was a piece of furniture i'd be a chaise

if i was a liquid i'd be a margarita

if i was a gemstone i'd be an opal

if i was a tree i'd be a willow

if i was a tool i'd be a paint brush

if i was a flower i'd be an english rose

if i was a kind of weather i'd be a warm spring day

if i was a musical instrument i'd be a guitar

if i was a color i'd be aqua

if i was an emotion i'd be joy

if i was a fruit i'd be a pineapple

if i was a food i'd be a tuscan pasta dish

if i was a material i'd be denium

if i was a scent i'd be bergamot citrus

if i was a flavor i'd be chocolate

if i was a sound i'd be a praise song

if i was an element i'd be water

if i was a mammal i'd be a horse

if i was a phase of the moon i would be full

if i was a berry i'd be a bumbleberry

if i was a bird i'd be an eagle

if i was a book i'd be island of the blue dolphins

if i was a place i'd be a beach

I decided to do an art journal page using this self made poem . . . and added the picture today 6.30.10

Private Events or Celebrations Idea

Celebrate lives, friendships and happenings with an Art Journaling & Mixed-Media party, tailored to meet your special occasion.

Here are some ideas we can explore during an event, sometimes more then one depending on the details.

*Get introduced to the wonders of Art Journaling
*Learn how to bind your journal of watercolor paper
*Learn the art of Altered Books
*Learn transfer techniques
*Find out what ATC (Artists Trading Cards) is all about.

*22 Page Layout from one CTMH $12.95 paper pack. (not included in the price of event)

2 and 1/2 hours – $25 per person

Please Email me @ debis7860@yahoo.com for more info and to save a date

My RT 40 yard sale find

It's a 1935 2nd Edition Unabridged International Dictionary

It's huge and in pretty good condition. You would not believe the things I found left in it. Of course I have not looked through every page, but I found 3 uncashed checks to "The Noodle Company" for .98 cents each, from 1980. A small envelope with to the tooth fairy with a tooth in it. :(
Then just little notes from words looked up, I think.
I don't know if I should altered it or not. I will have to think on this for awhile. Inside the front cover is described the different versions that were printed and how much they cost. I have the 17.5 lb. version so it either cost $30.00 or $35.00 back in 1935. I think that was quite a bit of money back then. I paid $20.00 for it. I think I got a pretty good deal!

Enjoy Life ~ Deb

From my daily art journal

Here is a picture of my doodling on the borders of a page I did for my 28th wedding anniversary. I am using a book I found at a Half Price bookstore in TX for my daily type of art journaling. I usually keep a written journal of the things I do throughout a year and decided this year to make it an art journal and include collage material from daily life. I try to do a spread weekly. The book has a cool cloth cover of red & white design. The title is "Florence Broadhurst, Her Secret & Extraordinary Lives" by Helen O'Neill. She was a fashion designer, actress in the 20's, 30's & 40's. It has lots of her designs as full picture, quotes from herself and famous people of the time and also pictures of her. The wedding picture is of her. It is a pretty cool find.


Enjoy Life! ~ Deb

Seashore Art Journal

I am doing an art journal with the alphabet of the seashore. I am going to add personal stories throughout and vacation pictures from over the years. This is one of my favorite pages so far.
I'll post a slideshow when it is finished.
Thanks foor looking . . .

Enjoy Life ~
Deb

MY MOTHER'S DAY FLOWERS!!

My son Kevin and his wife Amanda sent me the most beautiful flowers for Mother's Day! They smell sooooo good too!
My son Chris's present was a great one too . . .  he told me is has quit smoking!!
What more could a Mom ask for . . .
2 great sons and one awesome daughter in law!!

This is an awesome video!!

Patience from Glowing Heads on Vimeo.

I know this isn't my art, but I had to show off our find from Friday.
We are eating them today!!

My Pics from Artiscape

My treasures . . .
The bag in the back was a find at the Artist Marketplace on Sunday.
It's made by Kathy Stantz of www.sylviasdaughter.blogspot.com
The book is an altered book clutch.
The flat piece is the beginning of my encaustic creation.
I want to work on it some more.
Here's a close up of the clutch.

Back from ARTiScape

I had a fantastic weekend in Columbus doing new art techniques.
I made an altered book clutch on Friday afternoon. It was an old Leo Tolstoy book, so it has really cool pictures in it. We used some of the text to cover the inside. I will take pictures and hopefully post them tomorrow.
on Saturday morning I made a leather bound journal. It had 5 signatures and I used brown supple leather for the cover. Pictures soon. It is a binding that I can use with fabric or heavy paper too.
On Saturday afternoon I had free time to look at all the neat offering at the marketplace. Spent more money than I probably should have.
We had a 5 course dinner on Sat that left a little to be desired. But met some great ladies and had wonderful conversation that made the meal easy to get through. Of course another martini didn't hurt either.
Sunday morning I was able to sleep in a little after getting my roommate off. She is from Indy. She and I only met this weekend in person, but I feel like she was a long lost friend.
Sunday afternoon, I took an encaustic (beeswax paint) class with Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch. It was an awesome class, where I learned a lot about this medium I have been wanting to try for over a year. So much so that I already have all the supplies, just needed some hands on guidance.

I had a great time and am already looking forward to next year and I know a few of the classes I want to take if they are offered again. Who knows maybe I will be able to teach something I know too. Stay tuned on that front . . .

Have a good week!
Deb
PS I'll do my best to post pictures tomorrow.

Quotable Women Rapid RR

I am in a rapid round robin. We each have to send the book on 1 week after we receive it. It was fun to have to get to work on it and not think too much about it. I knew the book was on it's way, and I knew which women I wanted to do quotes from, so the rest came together pretty easily. I will mail it off to the next artist on Monday. We are auctioning the book at the end for charity. I'll post when I know more about that.

I have to get a few more pieces done this weekend so back to the studio.

Have a great weekend!
Deb

Another Art Journal page

Here's a spread I did at the end of Feb. I bought the paper in TX when we went to visit friends.
I love doing this partnership journal with Vickie from Sacto. She got to go to the beach for spring break. That's probably the thing I miss most about living in CA. We have to drive 10 hours to get to the Virginia coastline. I do love Chincoteague, but not the drive through the mountains in Maryland & Virginia.

Happy Easter everyone ~

Deb

Artiscape Fatbook Swap

I am taking part in a Fatbook Swap for Artiscape.

Here's my contribution:

Right Brain, Left Brain Test

Here's a cool thing to look at about yourself. I found it very insightful and reassuring.

http://www.wherecreativitygoestoschool.com/vancouver/left_right/rb_test.htm

My score: 60% Right 40% Left.
60% Fantasy-oriented (My most dominant characteristic)
Fantasy-oriented Processing
Fantasy-oriented processing is used by the right hemisphere as a method for processing information with creativity. It focuses much less on rules and regulations than the processing method of a left-brained person. Due to the fantasy-oriented processing mechanism of a right-brained person, they do not adjust well to change. Instead of adapting to the change in the environment, a right-brained person attempts to change it back to the way they liked it. But fantasy-oriented processing also provides the advantage of creativity to right-brained individuals, and since emotion is integral of the right side of the brain, anything a fantasy-oriented person becomes involved in emotionally will aid their ability to learn.
My Fantasy-oriented Analysis
You are highly able to process information you receive with creativity. Your focus does not get caught up in rules and regulations. However, you usually do not adjust well to change. Instead of adapting to it, you often try to keep things as they were. Creativity is your big advantage as well as your tendency to become emotionally involved in your work.

Have fun with it . . . Deb

Chunky ATC swap

I made my first chunky ATC's last weekend for a swap with a yahoo group.

They are fun to make. Can't wait to see what others have done.

Today I am working on some art to swap at Artiscape in a few weeks. I am really looking forward to going to this art retreat in Columbus, Ohio. My dream would be to teach a class at an event like this. I working on getting published in one of the mixed media publications, that will get my name out there. I am hoping to take a class with Ingrid Dijkers in August up in Northern Ohio. The timing may not work for my work schedule.

A bunch of us meeting in Marne today. We try to get together once a month to share and have a good time.

Time to get back to work on creating some swap items . . .

Artiscape - Columbus OH

I have decided to go . . .

I have wanted to do this for a few years. I have a roommate from IN and I am sooo looking forward to this.

I plan on taking workshops that will help me in my teaching endeavors; so I can provide new & different workshops this summer.

If anyone is interested in learning more about this art conference right here in Ohio, please check out this link: http://europeanpapers.com/Merchant5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=EP&Category_Code=ART

The picture included with this post is from the cover of my Partnership Journal I am doing with Victoria in California. She's an awesome partner and I am thrilled to be doing this throughout the year with her.

Inclement Weather Day = Day Off Work!!!

I was excited to be able to stay home today, until I woke up with a very sore throat. It appears I have a sinus cold and that usually involves my throat. I'm on Zicam to hopefully whip this thing before it whips me.

I was able to connect with a few more high school classmates through Facebook. I think it's so funny to see a name then to try and remember where you know them from. I haven't done a high school search until today, so that made me connect names that I have seen in the past.

I finished loading 2009 Art Journal pictures and created a new slideshow.

I also added some new pictures below in my generic art slideshow.

It will Thursday tomorrow so the weekend is close, yah! I plan on doing some fun creating then.

Posted New Pics of my finished Art Journal for 2009

I took time today to scan the last pages of my Healthy Journal. It ended with other types of pages added as I was doing different things. I like that I have finished my first art journal. I am starting a new partnership journal with Victoria in Sacto CA. I have also started another monthly art journal, where my goal is finish a few pages each month. I have scrapbooks to complete too. So it will be another busy year. But I love staying busy this way.

We plan to travel too and I still work full-time, so I will be busy. But I am going to make time to work out and get myself back into good physical shape. I feel so much better. I want to loose weight but ultimately I want to feel good. I know exercise does this and I have to make time and commit to it.

Hope everyone is getting on with their goals and enjoying life in 2010.

2010 Word of Intent - JOURNEY

My word for 2010 is JOURNEY.

JOURNEY - a gradual passing from one state to another regarded as more advanced.

This is my plan for my physical, spiritual and artful self.

I want to take my body to place it will not fail me. Because I want to travel and explore this world and I do not want to be limited by my abilities to move up a mountain or down a path.

I want to feel at peace with the world and I can only do this through a stronger relationship with my God & Savior, Jesus Christ.

I want to figure out how to use my abilities as an artist and teacher to support myself. I do not want to continue working for someone else. It is time to be my own boss and to live up to my potential.

So there it is for the world to see. I spent a year art journaling about living healthy and my dreams, now it is time to ACT.