Doodling

Had to leave art supplies in storage while we travel this summer. Watercolor crayons in a hot car do not work too well.
The picture is from a window in our new home in Newcastle Maine. We will be back to close on the purchase late August. Until then we are going to travel to see my youngest in ND and friends in TX. So we are putting some miles on this summer.
Can't wait to get back and get my art studio all organized. And next year we will see about a few art retreats! Really more like late fall so everyone can make plans. So stayed tuned and follow my retreat blog. www.inspirewomensretreats.blogspot.com

More art for DLP book

Decided to venture out to my little art studio on the porch last night. The wind was blowing and the loons were singing ( I don't really like to say they are crying). It did get a little chilly by 10 so I finished stamping the zentangle inside.
Pages didn't load in order so here is a description as you see them:
Inspirational Quote ... "Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail." I started with torn pages from a book I had altered in the past, then added some tissue paper and blue scrap pieces, then added some white gesso over it, and added the quote. Used a mask of barbed wires to add some interest to the right side, still didn't look finished, so I added some circle doodles and a few flowers and lastly the bird stamped image.
Next was a page using magazine images. I have a stash of these as I could not bring many magazines with me. I liked the fishes and stack of books with statements about how to handle life. I started with a painted background, then added the images with gel medium. I have started to use a brayer to smooth the images and get them to adhere better. I spritzed some glimmer mist, then I added some charcoal around the images and smeared it. Then added my text and a Tim Holtz stamp.
Next my shoe page. Used watercolor crayons in the pink to purple range and washed over it with water. Added some dots and slashes of gesso. Then my magazine image and my picture of my new hiking boots. Added the details with charcoal both white and black. Also used mask letters to add the word shoes.
My last page started by adhering a piece of scrapbook paper and then drawing circles. Then I was to use a stamp in an unexpected way. So I got my set of small alphabet stamps out and used them to create a type of zentangle pattern in each space.
Before I knew it is was 10pm and getting a little chilly so I cleaned up and headed in. We will be leaving the cabin this Saturday. Hopefully I will have a little space in our next place to set up an art studio.

DLP pages

Getting caught up. I have made myself a little art studio on the covered porch of our little cabin we have until the end of May. It's been a bit cool and rainy. So I paint and then come inside to do finishing touches. First pic is of birdies on a line. I took the photo one morning while in Rockland at the harbor during sunrise.
The second is my name. My husband gave me the words to put on the letters of my name. He's a sweetie. I have been in a mood to do zentangles.
The last is using one color family. Used watercolor crayons and then added some details. My pens didn't like writing on this. Ended up using sharpies and a gel pen.
It's been a fun day doing art.

Week 8 TDL project

I had a lot fun looking at the 5 artist's blogs that created this group. I took a little from each. I started on my flap first. I like to use envelopes so i can tuck my journaling in later. I added a quote from one of the artust blogs and stamped some images. (Side note: I am going to have to decide which stamps to take with me on our adventure. I have limited myself to a plastic tote and one bag. It's not going to much ... but that is part of the challenge. :-)
Then I did the other side with some punched out stamped scraps and credit card gesso smears, some spritz of glimmer mists. Found a pad of K & Co. Tags and used this for my 2nd flap. Used wasbi taper to put them together. Then i moved onto the actual page in my book. Decided to use the idea of pasting one of my catch all papers. Decided to add some patchwork flowers. Added some details and a few stamped images. Taped the flaps in place. Really happy with the way it turned out.

Week 7 TDL Project

The prompt for this week was to use a shape multiple times. I have so much scrap paper so I went with free hand circles. Painted the background with a credit card in pink & red. Glued down shapes and had fun outlining them. Using these colors is different for me. I like the way it turned out.

Week 6 Inspired art ...

I love this artist. HEARTFELT on facebook. Haven't found her on pinterest yet. But I had to do a page inspired by her art. I love the patchwork feeling and the quote says it all. My dreams are coming true ... stay tuned for where I end up ...

The Documented Life Project

I finally have altered book done so I can start working on the prompts. Will finish catching up tomorrow. Love to everyone's pages.

Mixed Media Collage

I made a collage this weekend for my oldest son. We picked some graphics out together online. And I used some photos I have taken. Used my paper artist software on my phone to give them some cool effects. Arranged with a few maps with locations that have meaning for my son. He hasn't seen the finished work. I hope he likes it.

Now let us welcome the New Year ... Full of things that have never been.

This definitely describes my new year. 2014 will be full of things that have never been. It will be letting go of things that have been for so long. It will be exciting and scary all at once.

I have had the feeling of "what the hell am I doing", off & on for weeks now. And I always come to the conclusion, I am going to live a life filled with possibilities. God gave me my favorite verse years ago. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I have also said it as" all things are possible through Jesus Christ my Lord". So I have this in me to live by faith and to try new things. I always have. But that doesn't mean it is easy.

I haven't done a great job of recording my feelings and thoughts over the past few years. So my only New Year's resolution is to take time this year to do this. It has been amazing to look back over years worth of journals and remember all that has been a life well lived. I have not always thought of it this way, but when you have a chance to take it all in at one time, it truly is that.

And I will miss not being able to look back in detail at the past few years. But can't go back and this year will be one not to miss all the details.

The title of this post is from German poet Rainer Maria Rilke.

January

And what does January hold?

Clean account books,

Bare diaries,

Three hundred and sixty-five new days,

neatly parceled into weeks, months and seasons.

A chunk of time, of life ...

those first notes like an orchestra tuning up

before the play begins.

~ Phyllis Nicholson

Country Bouquet (1947)

College Text Book turned into a Journal

I made a video and put ideas through it on how I turned this college text book I bought for only 25 cents into a cool journal.
http://youtube/P6ZtxJhYI7c 

Mixed Media Collage "HOME" video

I am having so much fun creating these videos and art while being snowbound at home. 
Here is my latest. Mixed Media Collage "HOME"
I think this would be the prefect project for an Art Gathering at our Bed & Breakfast. Busy planning all kinds of fun.

Another video - My Ireland Paris Travel Journal

Here is my 2nd YouTube video. I am taking you through my travel journal I created before we left and took with me and then finished after coming home. I find it is best to take my journal with me so I can journal in the evenings. I look at the pictures I take during the day and get a feel for what I will include. We collect things all day too. So I create pages. I take decorative tape with me and a tape runner. I usually take some watercolor crayons. I didn't really use them this time. We were exhausted at the end of each day. It only took a few weeks to get pictures printed and then finish the journal when I got home.
Click here to view video.

I have always kept some type of record of vacations. It used to be only a written account. Once I got into scrapbooking I went back 10 years into my travel journals and created awesome scrapbooks. My sons could not believe the details of  my memories ... then I showed them the journal. They were so grateful for the very specific accounts of our family vacations put with pictures.
So I encourage everyone to keep journals. I have journaled my whole life... sometimes it is in the format of a daily calendar, but I also take time every month to write about life.
It has been really eye opening, while packing for our move, I took time to read through parts of my journals. I was writing about how cool it would be to run a bed & breakfast for the past 15 years. Each year there were multiple entries about this dream. And of course having an art studio to invite others to come to has been very consistent for the past 5 years. Just confirmation that I am on the right path ... even when it feels scary.

A little different version of my first YouTube video

http://youtu.be/uAKcWFKb4Cw

So much to learn still about all this. I added captions.

I am trying to get as much done in the next few months. We will be busy looking for a bed and breakfast to purchase. Then I will be able to hold some type of art gatherings.

Life is so good!

My First You Tube Video !!!!

I created a video tonight using pictures I took while creating an altered book into a travel journal.
Here is the link: Travel Journal Video

Playing with paper artist app

This is a cool app i found under my advanced edit on my camera on my galaxy 3 phone. It's pretty fun to play with. This pic is of my DiL and my grandpup, Scarlett.

Packing is not fun!

Now the Clean Up ... spent the day packing art supplies for our move. Now I have to clean off my desk so I can make some art. LOL  ... 1 hour later ... now onto some fun stuff ...

Second picture is getting caught up on my journal I keep during the year ... trying to remember special times and also the ordinary ones. Sometimes I go back through facebook to remember dates. I also have a box I drop receipts, wine labels, movie tickets, etc. into and add these to the pages along with computer printed pics from my phone. I have been doing this for almost 4 years now. I have always kept a diary of sorts since I was 11. I have read through some of them while packing and found that I have wanted to do the Bed & Breakfast thing for over 20 years.

It really is amazing to look back over your life.

Finished Altered Book

Here are pictures of my most recent altered book. I had a lot of fun creating the pages. This one was made it to sell on Etsy or give as a gift this Christmas.  I used a college text book, and then cut pages out and glued pages together. I used some of the pages as part of the book. Then I used scrapbook paper, paint, stamps, envelopes and magazine images. It has room for someone to add their own journaling or pictures and to embellish pages. 

100 Follower Drawing Winner!!!!!

Carol Fosdick, is the winner of my 100 follower drawing!!! I messaged her on facebook as I could not figure out how to send a message through the blog system, go figure ... lol.

I hope it is the right Carol Fosdick. I found her Pinterest page and she looks like she would be a follow of mine :)

Here are the pictures of the altered book I made as a journal to be embellished by the owner of it. I simply used scrapbook paper and some wasbi tape in spots. Included a few stationary envelopes for secrets to be kept. I really love the way it turned out, hope Carol does too!

Where have I been

A little bit of everywhere ...
Kayaking, hiking, Ireland, Paris, North Carolina, and kayaking some more. And we will head to North Dakota sometime soon. Then we get busy and ready to move to Maine. Dreams do come true and I will keep everyone up to date as things unfold. I'll have time and the desire to create art in the midst of it all. And I will post pics. A drawing of my followers will happen today and the winner will get an altered book art journal I am finishing in the next day or so.