Digital journaling

Can you believe that it is the last day of January? It always goes so fast... I didn't have too much time (or energy) for art this month, but that didn't stop me from doing something creative every day. I received a mini iPad last year as a birthday gift, and it instantly became my favorite toy. Not a day passes that I don't use it. If you are interested about what I like the most about it - ask - and I'll write a post about it. 

 For now, I wanted to share how I use it as a daily journal. I love the convenience - if I have minute, I will snap one picture and post it on my digital notebook page, but if I am stuck somewhere waiting for an hour - I can easily spend that time creating something (doodling, writing, even painting). I didn't miss one single day in December and January, and now it's fun to flip back through pages and see snippets of my days. And that is exactly how I call these digital notebooks - Snippets of my days.

I'd like to know if you use modern toys for art play...

Undeserved praises

A big, wholehearted THANK YOU for the compliments on the "something different" painting I posted yesterday. I read them all to the person who deserved them - and that definitely wasn't me.

I asked my daughter yesterday if she wanted to play, and after receiving a positive answer gave her some oil pastels and a pad of paper. She never used them before, so she asked me two questions.

1. What do you do with them?

My well formulated answer was: "You smoosh them and blend them".

2. Do you start from dark to light or from lights to dark?

My answer was a confused look, before I told her that I don't know.

Okay, said she and then did this:

 I, in the mean time played with soft pastels over graphite and made one of my faces... The funniest thing is that I also looked at a picture, but couldn't come even close. So, I finished as fast as I could, and then just sat and looked at her create. I am going to try and steal as many moments like this one and lock them in my memory, before she leaves for college... and then I am going to pull them out from my heart and smile.

Something different

Happy Sunday!

From dark to light

It has become a tradition of mine (and many others) to start the New Year in Misty Mawn's classroom. This year the workshop is called "Face to Face". and is amazing, as always.

Charcoal and pastel on an envelope.

Some days feel like that - dark.... but today I'm choosing to do everything I can to bring in the light.

xo

Wake your clarity

I enjoyed reading all the prompts. Thank you!!!
 Some of them are brewing inside and will probably pop out at a point. What I finally did is what Janet said: "...make one mark on a page and that will get you started. Just grab a pencil, pen, marker or paintbrush and mark something on the page...then see where it takes you." Great advice. Thank you Janet - it worked!

Finished!

I did it! There was some blood (never hold your fingers under an awl - it hurts), mishaps (realized that I'm short 4 inches of thread when I almost finished the stitching), but all in all - it is done and I am happy how it turned out.

I looked through Keith Smith's book (Non-Adhesive Binding Volume II) and wanted to do the binding shown on the right. Unfortunately, I didn't read the description well (the third binding is not even described in the book) and ended up with the middle one.

Not what I wanted, but still interesting enough.

This binding is done with two needles in two steps. You can see on the next photo my first try - how I came almost to the end and didn't have enough thread. 

Here are my two journals - last years, and the new one.

You can see the difference in papers - how filled and colorful is the "old" one and the pristine white pages of the new one.

I am usually not afraid of the white page (or canvas), but for some reason now I feel blocked and have no idea or inspiration what to do... how to start it. 

Do you mind giving me some inspiration?
Maybe suggest a medium, technique or image that you would like to see me try...

I feel like I'm in a deep sleep and need some artful waking up :)

xo

Almost ready...

 

I seem to be late with everything this year... including preparing my journal. I finally have time today to bind it. The covers are ready,  so are the signatures. Now if I can only choose the binding... Keep your fingers crossed, I think I am going to try something that looks complicated... xo

January Free Collage Sheet

Hello! How are you? Is the new year good to you so far? I hope that you are well and smiling today!

I feel like I have been away for a long time. Right now it seems that I'm typing into a empty, silent spot.  I want to reconnect to my online life and friends. 

I can't think of a better way to reconnect and thank you for your support in 2012 than to offer another free collage sheet! I really, really hope that you will enjoy it - it is made from a painting I did for my new 2013 journal. The image and words that I will look at every day, as I write in my journal, are on this collage sheet. 

To access it, simply click on the "PRINTABLES", add it to the cart (there will be no charge) and you will receive a link for an immediate download.

I thought I would be a little bit more ambitious this year, and try to create a collage kit every month. My wish is to fill the pages with images that make me happy and that I will want use in my journals. So, I present to you the first collage kit for 2013: 

There are three pages filled with high resolution images that correspond well with the free collage sheet.  This collage kit can also be found on the "Printables" tab, but please notice that it is not free.

I spent some time cutting up the images and placed them in a box (that housed yummy sweets I received for my birthday). Now they will be ready for me to simply reach in and add to my pages.
Love that!

Happy January!