New WIP pages

I can get easily bored with a journal, so I need to keep them short, single signature books . This one is made out of misc. papers with a hand-painted cover (which is just regular old cardstock) and sew with waxed thread.

These pages are Works In Progress.

Cover painted with watercolors

Fold out was torn of a shipping box. the blue page was torn out of a magazine and has scrapbooking paper and magazine cut outs.

Page to the left is the fold out that was torn off a shipping box and glued to it is a piece of painted graph paper. The page to the right is a security envelope with bits and bobs of paper glue around the edges.

the page on the left has tickets from the Vatican Museum, scrapbooking paper, painted graph paper, deco tape, magazine cut-outs, and a round label. Right hand page has Polaroid of Gypsie (my BFF's dog,) scrapbooling paper and writing on a page torn out of a magazine.

the right hand page is a print out of a photograph I took at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and left is scrapbooking paper with my tickets to the Vatican Museum.

Check out my flickr page for a few more. . .

I like the way this lady thinks

Dawn Sokol over at http://www.dblogala.com/ has blown my mind. A tape bound journal?!? I love everything about this. I can't stop looking at those pictures.

Go Here right now. You won't be sorry.

As promised

Here are the new journal pages. This book was handmade and used from August 2010 until May 2011. I got a little bored with it and just made a new one that I will be posting pictures of soon.

Click here to see more on flickr.

ok so I am a month too late

So about two months ago I got an email from Dawn Sokol asking if I would like to to be interviewed for her Journal Fresh feature on createmixmedia.com. Now to be honest I was a bit hesitant. I am not a person who likes to talk about herself. Ever. Also, I am extremely shy and a bit self-conscious. But that lasted for a minute and then I got very excited! She wanted to talk to me, lil ol' me? Yup. "Can you believe it?" That is what I said for 2 weeks. If you want to see it, go HERE. So thank you, Dawn. You are awesome and the best cheerleader art journaling has! Don't forget that while you are there take a look around. There is loads of good stuff to be had including May's Journal Fresh artist Valentina Tretyak.

*Lily is uber excited. Can't you tell?

**New journaling pics coming soon

My Journaling Bag, Baby!

Confession time. . . . I am blessed to have a dedicated room in my house to creating art. The problem is it is so packed and messy I don’t really go in it to make art.

Instead I have rigged up a kit so I can journal anytime anyplace. It consist of a small bag of supplies (or what I call hardware) and a packet of paper goodies (or software.) I’ve used this kit at home in bed, in public coffee shops and have taken it with me on trips.



Hardware Basics
Glue Sticks
Scissors
Several rolls of tape: masking, deco, clear packing and double sided
bits of lace
embroidery floss and a sewing needle (not recommend if taking on a plane in a carry on)
ink pad and date stamp
small bottle of gesso or white(ish) paint
black & white Sharpie poster paint markers (water based)
White gel pen
black & pen(s)
pencil
mini stapler
letter stencil



Software
Polaroid pictures
printed pictures I’ve taken
magazine pages
labels
old book pages
vintage wallpaper
painted brown paper bags
handmade date lables
paper doilies
painted filler paper (that stuff you used in school)
painted ledger paper
scrapbook paper & flat embellishments
security envelops
anything else that strikes my fancy . . .

A few extras I sometimes throw in for fun.


Colored pencils (I use kids Crayola Twistable)
Markers (the cheap Crayola kind)
a separate bag of pens (I’m kinda a pen nut)
small watercolor set and a travel brush

This kit can be customized to fit your needs and tastes. I try to keep it as simple as possible so I don’t get overwhelmed with supplies & not journal at all. Which I hate to say it happens all too frequently.

Welcome.

I guess I'll start at the beginning . . . Once upon a time a chubby girl with curly hair in her early twenties was walking around downtown Asheville, NC and decided to stop in Malaprops bookstore. While quietly stalking the stacks she came across a beautiful glossy tome that changed everything she ever thought about journaling and art making. Not having much income to spare she unfortunately she had to leave it there, but she never forgot about it. Cut to a year later and her job situation improved so now she could afford a few extra luxuries and off to Malaprop's she went where by some magic that book was still there waiting for her. She brought it home and never looked back. That girl is me (duh!) and that book was "The Decorated Page" by Gwen Diehn. Since that time I have been creating art/visual journals & I truly believe that journaling not only changed my life, but actually saved it. It has carried me through personal and family tragedies, personal evolution, good times & has introduced me to some of the best artist & people on the planet. If I can make art then you can, too. I won't lie to you, it isn't easy all the time. You will make bad art & pages. That's ok I make bad pages & art all the time. Go with it. One day you'll make something that you are really proud of and all that bad art will be worth it!

Here's a little something to hold you over

journal pages from August of 2009