Art Journal Journey

Ok so to quote Tangie (travelling along on the Art Journal Caravan)  " If you were to publish a book about yourself, what would you title it?" Now isn't that a most delightful prompt? Here is my answer (although I could have several!) "The Fish Who Learned to Swim" Everything is from Studio Gypsy's Mercurial Trench I want to play more, but don't know if I'll get to that today. I'm so pleased to have won a coupon for SherrieJD's C2C (Countdown 2 Christmas) journal class. I have so many ideas  already. I'm not sure if it is good to have lots of time to think ahead or whether that gives me too many options?   Whatever...I'm allllll ready to go! :D

Continuing work on the 1984 journal...this will probably make a nice intro page. I started with the idea of making something way more busy and with lots of bits and pieces...but then it seemed like that would spoil the over all impact. I kinda like it plain like this... Found!

During 1984 I kept my diary/journal in a poetry format. This book is looking much the worse for wear, mainly because the pages are going yellow. Everything is just stark black-on-white type written.It has a certain charm all it's own, but I've wanted to pick out a few pages and redo them. I'm aiming for 20-25 in total and will have to see if that will work out. Many of the thoughts need not be 'redone'....lots of young 'boy-do-I-have-a-lot-to-learn' stuff, but some need to be given a face lift for sure. I'm working through the book (we bound it into a proper book back then) and will see how it goes. Who knows I may even abandon the project...or I could end up with a 50 page journal ;-) Ice Cold Fun stuff....or is it? Makes me feel young again, but I tell you I'm glad I'm the only one reading that stuff. Some of it is so embarrassing...no really? Did I say that? Did I think that? No way.....ROFLOL

For the Week # 41 Itinerary : What I want my life to look like today : Son Centered It took me a while to get the words to say what I want them to say, using a few words as possible. I hope it makes sense to you ;-)  I find that whenever He (Jesus) is moved out of the center of my universe - moved by me that is - life just 'isn't' and I just 'am not'

Do you remember this song? I still remember the look of puzzlement on my son's face when I first quoted this to him....whaaaat?....was what his face 'said' I've always felt there is truth in this saying. Besides, without the rain there will be no garden at all. You can find details about what I used for my page HERE Now this word "Pardon" is the prompt for the Art Journey Caravan for Week 33. I decided not to worry about sequence at all and instead to just make pages and select them for inclusion in the book when I've : 1) done them all 2) said what I wanted to say 3) get tired of it all I know the last is most unlikely, but I like lists longer than 2......what more can I say? Happy weekend!

Inspiration is coming faster than I can process it! Some days I feel totally overwhelmed with ideas...it is a good thing I guess. At least there is no lack of mojo, right? Just a lack of time. I thought I would made a peaceful 4"x8" skinny collage for the challenge over at Scrapbook Graphics...something uncluttered, open, free and slightly dreamy. Working with pastel colours is very different for me...I hope you like it! Somewhere My Love was inspired by the haunting melody of the film Dr. Zhivago (nice film, but the book is so very much better!!!) and our anniversary... Happy Autumn to you all!

I'm celebrating the big 50 this year. Ildi Geist has a cool kit - First Half- out with all sorts of vintage elements, specifically for this 'theme' I had a lot of fun putting this double sided ATC together....maybe I should send one to all my fellow half century friends this year....hmmmmm. I found those great ATC backs in Beth Rimmer's store. Perfect for my ATC... ATC are waaaay more fun than what is 'safe' I think, there is something 'addictive' about making these little treasures. Like making 'inchies' for paper scrapping. Once you start it is hard to stop!

There is nothing quite like dancing....something so liberating and refreshing...not that I'm graceful or anything. I probably look like a drunk hippo....but I feel like $1 000 000. A kit by Studio Gypsy(no longer available) worked to well for me to express this and so I made a double sided ATC to go into my journal prompts box. Apparently the prints are ready for me to pick up too : can't wait to add this one to my collection!

Sadly I've not had time to keep up with the Caravan....but I see it as a delicious box of chocolates that I will one day-soon-  pick up and saviour putting the pages together! Oh yum! I'm looking forward to that!! Meantime I've added some ATC's to my collection. These are all double sided, whether they are journal prompts or not. She Lemon Tree and Atlantis Lost? I'm so thrilled every time I hold the printed versions in my hands! Something about the size I think....

It took a long time to get this out here. I've known the answer all along, but Randy and Cheryl summed it up so beautifully in this song, that I decided to use the lyrics for my page. ( Quoting Cheryl : "Ah na-na" is a cry of grief and pain. Christ is the Healer of the sins, sicknesses and sorrows of my people (Isaiah 53)") Thank you Randy & Cheryl for the reminder and for putting it so beautifully!....Love you guys! For credits please go HERE

... there is no quick fix is there? I'm planning on adding this to the Art Journal for 2010, unless I run out of space. I'll have to see how many pages I end up with. Everything is by Studio Gypsy credits and links HERE

I also made a page for Itenary #10...that means Week # 10....this year is in high gear! The theme for this week is 'Life is a Circus'. Now to me that isn't always all bad, as I don't have all kinds of negative connotations to circus and clowns. My angle is maybe different from that of many people. The variety of what happens in a circus, together with a sense of fun (covering over the seriousness underneath) and the skill involved in putting on that act, reminds me a lot of life... So here is my take on it...and the credits can be found HERE Have a great week!

This week the Altered Artspiraions challenge is to scrap a quote from Alice. I have several waiting in line, and just finished this one now. Double sided ATC, please see HERE for credits I treated the picture on the right a bit like I would 'treat' one in real life...I added tiny felt flowers to it, stamped grasses on, added glitter glue and clear fluid to lift the cat out of the 'dark'...that sort of thing, but I did it all digitally. Fun that.....

If I had to find another garden...I'd be happy to join Alice in hers! I've been an Alice (of Wonderland fame) fan since I first discovered her..those books must contain the most logical nonsense I've ever heard LOL Double -sided ATC for the Altered Artspirations challenge at Scrapbookgraphics Go HERE for credits... and thanks for dropping by!

I wish it were all as easy as that.... another ATC for the Altered Aspirations Challenge at ScrapBookGraphics. This one is again double sided, and I will round those corners with a punch when it is printed. For full credits, please go HERE . Everything is by Lisa from Studio Gypsy. I am working on Art Journal Caravan stuff... it's just not necassarily stuff I want to post online...and once I've blocked out what I need to, well, the picture makes no sense...kwim? But I hope to have something to show you, shortly!

For this week's Altered Artspirations Challenge. Heavy on symbolism...I'm really pleased with how this turned out! definately a back and front here ;-) For credits pleased see HERE

I enjoyed making this one. It is for the Altered Artspirations challenge at Scrapbook Graphics  It is, at this time a double sided ATC, but I may actually end up making different backs for these and have 2 ATC's. Click HERE for full credits, but I can tell you that most of the elements are from Holliwood's new 'Love and War' kit. The weeks are busy! I hope to be back soon with my Art Journal Caravan pages (I have 2 outstanding...ack!)

I'm busy with painting the bg for the Week 02 page...it is a much harder page for me to get done...so here is the Week 03 one, with the key word "Mend" You can see the gallery image here. Everything I used is by Gypsy Couture : 'Spunky Explosion'; 'Daydreamer'; 'Change of Heart'; Glitter Stamp Alpha; 'Tommy's Garage'; Country Christmas'; 'HoHo Retro'; Krafts Alphas & Grommet Flowers (both coming 21/01)

So I heard this random fact on the radio this morning about '40 new species being discovered every day'. Hmmmmm I was going to comment but  had not had my coffe at that point HA! so I decided to let it be.... They did not however say anything about the new 'species' in the ScrapbookGraphics Altered Artspiration Gallery... I 'discovered' this catepillar and added it to the gallery listings. My week has not quite gone the way I had hoped (busier than I wanted to be) so I have not done the pages to for the journey yet. Those will be done shortly.

Here it is : the word that has been on my heart for this year : FOCUS. I had intended to add more words to my page, but realized that many of the words would need their own page, so I stuck to just adding the final sentence that summed my thoughts up : "Be ruthless in achieving well chosen objectives." I did the bg in Artrage in very much the same way as I would in my studio, then I took it into CS3 and played with a few brushes (Thao Cosgrove) and added the type. I enjoy having the option of working in both programmes, between them they offer amazing versatility.