documented life {week 13 & 14}

i was playing a little catch up with the documented life weekly challenges. week 13's challenge was to invite someone else to draw in your moleskin, and i had asked our youngest son to do some drawing. he was really cute and had asked, "well, what do you want me to draw?" i told him- "whatever you want."

he had recently read the book, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut and used inspiration from the book. here is his drawing before i added any color:

after he was done drawing, i added some color by using really watered down acrylic paint. i thought we did a nice job of partnering together on this project. so very fortunate to have a son who enjoys art and drawing almost as much as i do.

once i was done with that challenge, i moved on to the current week 14 challenge to write our name and embellish it. i really enjoyed seeing what Art to the 5th had all done with their names, and wanted to do my name and play along.

 i worked on the background first layering the colors and using some stencils to assist the color patterns. once i was happy with the background, i was considering how to do my name. i thought about using all paper and cutting out letters and then, quickly moved to sewing. i did use some ephemera stickers and a small piece of polka-dot fabric for the K and the dots to add a little pop to the page.

i used yellow thread to carefully sew my name onto the page. i have to remove the page from my book to allow for ease of movement through my sewing machine.

21 secrets {roben-marie} inspiration

listened to 21 secrets spreecast on wednesday- our teacher was Roben-Marie. i was so excited- i knew it would be good! and she did not fail....she showed many products that she has available for mixed media like her own line of "washi" tape and her ArtPops, which is a line of postcards; and shared some of her favorite products she likes to use in her art work.

i have to say i have tried many pencils along this journey, and my top two favorite pencils are:

1. stabilo 
2. sketch n wash pencil

i found some time last night to play for a bit and use this fabulous inspiration to create something in my own art journal. here is a peek at mine....

Roben's theme was a note back to her 21 year old self- what would you have shared with yourself? i am going to add my thoughts to my pages, but, here are my pages prejournaling. 

i did gesso my pages to start with as this journal was not really made for painting so that the paper would hold up a little better. the top red/ pink is a print off of my gelli plate. i did use spray ink to add the blue in the middle and the bottom layer of green and then followed up with acrylic paints, some stamping, my stabilo pencil, and alcohol ink.

love the colors and the happy mess i created to tell 21 year old self some very important messages.....

21 secrets- positive affirmation of hope

i am playing a little catch up on 21 secrets and used both magazine and book papers in my art journal for this week's lesson.

i layered paint, papers, and inks; and then, carefully looked for the perfect words to reflect my feelings and to hopefully fit the theme of 21 secrets of positive affirmations.

i searched through my vintage reading book to pick my words. this book is at this point, many decades old, but, has provided many, many useful words and phrases over the course of the past couple of years. all of my cutting is beginning to take its' toll on my wonderful book-sooner or later i will have to find another book to use for this purpose.

i used some paper scraps that had already been painted on as you see below with that edge cutting through the large circle below.

below is my whole page. i really enjoyed watching the video and looking for my positive words. the art journal i am working in for 21 secrets was not necessarily made for art journaling- writing yes, keeping notes-yes, painting....not so sure. i did gesso the pages before starting, but, i did not want to completely cover the page, instead choosing to skim coat most of the page. if you look more closely at the red/ pink- you will notice that some of the paint went down nicely and sat on top of the gesso, and other portions soaked into the thin paper.

documented life {magazine challenge}

i found some studio time yesterday and wanted to work in my moleskin planner. i wanted to complete the week 12 challenge to cut up a magazine and add.....i had recently gotten some great magazines and knew that they would provide some great inspiration. i decided that that i liked the words and year and worked with those; adding some circles of words after many, many layers of wet paint and spray inks. this planner is never going to shut.....

alcohol inks on tiles

my jet-setting mom has been hanging out in much warmer weather than what we have been seeing here in the midwest. so on saturday i went to play in her studio with her before she leaves again. she had learned a new technique while she was gone and wanted to share with me.

so i loaded up all of my own inks and headed to her studio. she had bought each of us tiles to use for this project. check out my tiles below...

the tiles were great fun to make and we each made a total of 4 tiles that day. the tiles take a bit to fully dry and then, my mom did the finish work and attached the hangar. these shown here were still drying.

keep an eye on my etsy store as they will be making an appearance there!

great big stitched postcard swap

i am participating in this spring's Great Big Stitched Postcard Swap. my partner lives in Nova Scotia and very soon will have her postcard in hand, but, i wanted to share what i made for her with you all first.

i used a white paper bag as my substrate to paint on. i painted first and then, went back and measured and cut a standard postcard size of 4" x 6". i cut a heavy cardstock paper to fill the middle and provide some structure and support to my card; and then, stitched that all together with some yellow thread.

this is the back side where the addresses will go. a little paint and some doodles and will call this good. time to send this off.....cannot wait to see what i get back! i will share when my postcard arrives.

one little word {February & March }: calm and dream

my one little word inspiration for february came from playing with the documented life in my moleskin journal. remember a while back when i spilled the ink onto my moleskin? i used that and incorporated the spill into my OLW project for february which featured the word calm.

March is my word- dream...to me, pushes me to make more art, and keep dreaming bigger, and believe in my creative self. the first year after i had gotten into an art gallery and sold my art work, my husband bought me a ring that said, "Be true to your Dreams...." to remind me to keep dreaming and making art.

have you seen the American Family Insurance commercial featuring dreams? watch the commercial here and listen to the words. this embodies my whole thought on dreams....always dream....

i painted this project onto a cigar box. i love the runs on the side of the box. i wrote the whole commercial onto the box to keep in my studio and if i am having a bad day and inspiration is lacking- i will look at this box and read the words again to remind myself to dream.

if you play along with all of us at OLW, we have a fabulous list of give-away's! there will be 4 wonderful grab bags for four lucky people who play along with us. you have until april 14 to play along and qualify for the grab bags.

one little word {sneak peek}

a little sneak peek of my one little word for March....stop back tomorrow to see both of my February and March projects and find out about our fabulous give-away's!

bird is the word for documented life.....

the 11th challenge for the Documented Life was to put a bird into your moleskin journal. this was the beginning of my page. i had used Dylusional inks and some wonderful collage papers that were on my desk.

the white off to the left side is a piece of tyvex. i have occasionally painted on tyvex with interesting results. it takes the paint very differently. i had a few scraps of left over tyvex and that was in my stash. i love how tyvex pulls apart and leaves that frayed edge.

i ripped some of the tyvex off to use on her crest and wing and add some dimension. i really like the blue polka dots on the neck and body. i am participating in 21 secrets and this past week was Rae Missigman- she was amazing and had so many great secrets that she shared with us. one of her secrets were paint pens that are available at Walmart. you can buy them individually or in packs. i bought the "bright" pack and the blue was in there....love it!

below is my whole page in my book. she is looking a little bewildered....poor thing!

all about me....for the Documented Life

i found some much needed studio time this weekend and played catch up in my moleskin. i got out my homemade girl stencil and used her. she captures and embraces me.....i just love her. i painted up the pages working many layers onto these pages- some bold, some worn, and some just peaking through....

i had a realization while putting the finishing touches on this- how old i was turning this year.....i was looking for a bingo number; searching for a 43....and then, i realized that it was 2014. well son of a beehive!! i had a moment where i was really crabby. how did i miss a year?! did i really think i was 42 this past year? no- i do remember 43. i am just ill prepared for this number- 44, is all.

oh well- life goes on and it is certainly better than the alternative. i think there was also a moment of panic as i felt like life was going quickly. am i doing as much as i can? am i wasting precious time? and as i contemplated this looking at my painting, i realized if this is about me- i didn't tell anyone anything. i very brief glimpse into my quirky painting habits (which i love and always revert to....). so i added my top ten list.

yes- a little list to round off my now very soon to be 44 years of life. things i love and help define me.

this is me....all 44 years of me. finally able to hold my hands on my hips and face life.....a little more ready, but, definitely ready to conquer. 

Image transfer with Recycled Collage for Documented Life

the challenge for week nine was to "collage something you recycled." and what better to recycle than an old photo?.....if you are wondering about the photo and whether it is my family- i usually only use mine own in photocopy form so as not to destroy my own collection; but,....i normally always look for old photos at rummage sales, flea markets and auctions. if you find old photos at an antique store, those are normally expensive- so i do not buy photos there (because i am cheap.....)- but, be on the look out.

for this challenge, i wanted to see through my photo and be able to see what was underneath. there are quite a few ways to perform image transfer, but, because i was going to use the actual photo itself, i chose to use the packing tape trick- placing it through the middle to capture the three girls.

in doing this method, i spray the back with water, and then, carefully rub off the paper on the backside of the packing tape. you need to be careful because when the paper becomes really thin- it is easy to simply rub away all of the image and rub through.

here is my finished page.....i recycled vintage ephemera and my old photo. i love how the transfer worked and that you can see the words behind the image- and just lightly through her face. i found the word "important" on an vintage envelope and it seemed perfect for this project for many reasons.....the project itself; the use of the actual photo; being able to use the actual receipts.....all important for this documented life moment in my moleskin.

file card completion for Documented Life with a video

i was working in my moleskin planner yesterday and documenting my last week's notes and happenings for the Documented Life.

i was working on the back side of a page in my moleskin and decided to make another pocket and add a rolodex file card. my file card is below. i had used my gelli plate initially to get some color down and add the black, and, then, went back over the card with acrylic paint and added my vintage envelope circle.

i have been contemplating videos and how to make one to post- and decided i just needed to give it a try and this project would work just fine.

thank goodness for kids! i am not sure i could have gotten the editing done without my 15 year old son last night. it was easy enough to read my camera guide and work my camera but, the editing.....(even with youtube.....) not sure i would have worked my way through that.

you can watch my video here to see how i finish this card and page. let me know what you think about the video please!

thanks!

29 faces 2014 challenge: day 26, 27 & 28

finishing up this challenge and ending on a great note. i have to say that i started this challenge to work outside of my comfort zone and to push myself.

what i have learned along this journey is so much more than that. i learned that i can find some time for the studio almost every day. i have taken many classes from some of the best artists and they all have said, the importance of working in your studio EVERY day. i have heard it many times, but, have not done my best to work towards this. heck- i let it run through one ear and out the other......

i can say, that my biggest lesson learned is not making faces, it was showing myself that i can find that some time to work in my studio every day. it may not be the whole day i like to find on the weekends- hibernating myself into the studio, but, it is enough time that i can do something and like what i finish in that amount of time.
                                                                           day 26

                                                                            day 27

                                                                             day 28