Mindfulness Art Journal and a Product Review

Hi guys!  I'm going on  virtually no sleep, so forgive any bad grammar and misspellings.  Anyway....recently my artist friend Amber was kind enough to gift me a set of her groovy printables (yay!)   She did it just 'cuz she's a sweetie.  I had the idea to make something with them and then write a blog post about it.  So...I did not get compensated for this review-the product was a gift because we are friends and the creator had no idea I would choose to review it like this.

I decided to make a quick art journal.  I think making the book and decorating all the pages...whole project was maybe 2 hours.  All my art journaling friends will appreciate how super mega FAST that is!  Before I get started on telling you about the book.  Amber's Etsy shop where she sells her original art, etc can be found HERE and her shop at Scrapbookgraphics (this is where you can buy the kit I am using) is HERE.  Specifically I am using the  Namaste Printable Art Collage Sheet Background and Namaste Printable Mini Art Journal Kit.  You can get both kits for a total of under $6.  So, yeah...just go ahead and get 'em.  You can print them out as many times as you like, so it's a great deal!!

I made my book by using her backgrounds for my pages.  I took two of her background pages which I had printed out and put them together with right sides facing out.  Then I stitched around the edges with my sewing machine.   I left some of the threads hanging long because I like the look.  I repeated until I had all pages ready to bind.  To bind my book I simply used my sewing machine to stitch right down the center of my stack of pages.  I folded in half along the stitch line and then got busy decorating my pages.  Oh...and I used two lengths of ribbon to close the book...one stiched to the front cover and one to the back. Now I'll add a little bit of description to each of the pics.

The pic below is the front cover.  All images are Amber's but the scraps of papers under the girl and under the words.

This spread features a photocopy of a girl from one of my other art journals. I added a spot for journaling on the upper right of the right side.  The "life is unpredictable" card is a project life card.  I decorated it with scraps of pretty paper from Amber's kit.

This page features plenty of my own art.  The eye is a stamp that I carved myself, the OM is a stencil I made and the flower is a stencil I made as well.  I stenciled the flower in black and then doodled over it with paint pens.  And...another Project Life card which has a photocopy of some of my art underneath. I tried to leave some room on most of the pages to do further artwork and written journaling.

This page has some of my favorite elements from her kit.  The scalloped painted edge on the left and the scribbly rainbow come with the kit.  I then added some of her words to a Project Life card along with a photocopy of some of my art.  Lots of room to add to this page, which I love.

 
This might be my favorite page(s) in the book.  The girl is a photocopy of a work I recently did.  The triangle on her forehead is from the kit as well as the words.  The left page has  a large Project Life card as a fold out "page".  I added a copy of one of my artworks to it.

 I went very simple with the last spread.  I wanted LOTS of room to do art and writing here.  Just a Project Life card and some words from the kit.

Finally...the most important remind of all...to breathe  I used another stencil I made myself and one of my favorite techniques of doodling over my stenciled image.

I hope you like the project and please do check out Amber's shops if you feel moved to do so.  xo

Time to Catch Up

Hello Friends!  Here's a pic of me and Buggle over the holiday weekend. Buggle is so funny...notice his "sleepy eyes"?  He was napping when I started taking my  daily selfie (well, almost daily).  As soon as he heard me snapping pics he woke up so that he could be included.  I swear-if he sees me taking self portraits he cries until I pick him up and include him.  Seriously!  He'll even get up from a nap to be in the pics!  He is such a character!!

***New "DONATE" button!!!***  I added a donate button for anyone who wants to support my art making.  Donations are totally optional, so please feel no obligation to contribute.  However, if you do wish to support my art...you can donate any amount.  Believe me every little bit helps-even a dollar can buy something-like a bottle of craft paint for example.  So, if you wish to help-know that any amount is appreciated and will be put to good use.  The donate button will allow you to make donations via PayPal.

Here's a pic of me at Mt. Soledad over the weekend.  I hadn't been in years.  It is such a beautiful panoramic view of San Diego.  By the way...I sewed the skirt myself and even dyed the fabric!  Is 40 too old for a giant hair bow?  LOL   I actually don't care about such things.  I remember awhile back someone on Facebook took the time to post about "woman who wear pj bottoms to Starbucks".  It made me sad to read it and all the responses...so judgmental.  Why does it matter what a woman wears to Starbucks?!?  Who gets to decide all these "rules" about what kind of clothing makes a woman "acceptable".  Wouldn't our energy be better spent working on accepting others and focusing on what really matters...kindness, respect, good manners, etc?  Why do some people feel the need to pick apart others like that?  A lot of people say it's what is on the inside that matters, well-if that's true then why are we hearing so much of this judgmental crap?  Why do so few people practice not "judging a book by it's cover"?  I could continue this rant all day, but that's not a good use of my time or energy.  So...back to happy things!

Next on our list of things to catch up on...the sculpture!!   I started this sculpture a few months ago.  I recently finished the sculpting part of the project and am very pleased with the result!!  The sculpture is made of paper mache with a couple of layers of a handmade "clay" over the top.  I started with a clay recipe I found online, but ended up coming up with my own recipe to suit my needs. This was my first time trying this process.  It was far more time consuming than I anticipated, but the result was well  worth it.  The sculpture is "life size", almost 3 feet tall and very solid.  It weighs at least 25 lbs.  I managed to get a nice smooth surface (which is what I wanted) but it took a lot of doing.  I will definitely continue working with this medium and have lots more ideas to bring to life.   Here are a few pics of the finished sculpture before I started the painting part of the project. 

 And here are the early stages of the painting part of the sculpture.  I am painting with acrylics and working in layers.  This is the first few layers of paint.  In the end the sculpture will be covered in flowers and leaves-a wild colorful garden.  I am soooooo excited to get going on the next layer!! Twice a year the San Diego Watercolor Society has an "experimental" show.  Normally there are strict rules as to which surfaces are allowed, etc.  During experimental shows the rules are less strict.  So...I'm hoping to finish by the end of August so that I can enter the sculpture in the September gallery show.  So far as I know, no one has ever entered anything like this.  It will be a lot of fun to bring something so different to the gallery!!  I have a few other projects going with deadlines, so it's going to be a VERY busy couple of months.  Wish me luck on staying on track!!

 And finally...a recent art journal page.  With the start of the MBSR course-mindfulness has been on my mind.  I painted a Buddha as a reminder to be mindful.  Unfortunately I did terribly with keeping up with the course for the first week...in fact, so bad that I decided to start over with the course this week.  Last week was a holiday week and very very busy, so I think the timing was bad.  I could carry on with week two, but I think I'll get more out of it if I get a more solid footing to begin with.  And with my "30 Days of Getting Shit Done"-same thing, didn't accomplish anywhere near what I'd hoped.  So...getting back on course with that today as well.  It's "okay" to "fail", but important not to give up simply because something is difficult.

Gelli Printing Fun and Freebies

Hi guys!  I recently made some gelli prints (woohoo!)  and posted them on Facebook in one of my art groups.  Someone suggested I scan them before using them in an art project-that way I could print out copies in the future for more art projects. Brilliant!  I figured that while I'm scanning for myself I might as well make a PDF for you guys.  So, here ya go! I would love, love, love to see what you guys do with these!! (For personal use only please!)  xo

Get your printable PDF HERE

And get the second PDF HERE

Thanks for visiting my blog! Please do leave a comment if you enjoyed today's post and would like to see more of my gelli prints and if you'd like me to make more gelli printables for you.  xo

p.s.  all of the designs on these pages were made with stamps I designed and made myself  :)

More Free Art Journaling Cards-WooHoo!!

Hello Friends! Thanks for all the lovely comments on Facebook about the journaling cards I posted yesterday.  I have another set of printable art journaling cards for you today-Yay! If you missed yesterday's post, be sure to check it out and grab the other set too.  Yesterday's cards are found HERE  .

 For today's set I used some of my hand carved stamps and embellished with pens and markers.  I hope you enjoy them!  These are totally free (personal use only please), but if you feel moved to give something back...I would really enjoy seeing how you use them!!  Sharing your work is of course, totally optional-but if you feel moved to share photos of my cards in your own journal I would really really enjoy it!  Feel free to post links to your blog (or wherever else you have pics of your work) in the comments below.  Or if you are feeling shy about it you can share with me privately.

A shout out to my friend Angella who inspired me with her own journaling cards which can be found HERE  Do check out her blog, it's full of wonderful things!

Printable PDF for these cards is HERE   I recommend printing on card stock using the highest print quality for best results.

Personally, I think I prefer yesterday's cards over today's.  Which do you prefer?  I would love to hear which you prefer (and why if you feel like sharing)...it will help me to choose what other things I might make available to you in the future.  Also  (at the time this post is being written) there is a little survey in the sidebar on the right...if you have a moment, I would appreciate your input.  Please do take a moment to answer the survey question. Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, it really gives me a great boost and warms my heart!!  xo

Art Journaling Freebie

I have some art journaling cards for you today.  I was inspired by my dear friend Angella and some beautiful art journaling cards she has on her blog.  You can see her work here.  Please do check it out, I'm sure you'll be inspired!  Anyway, I made some journaling cards to use in my own journal and am sharing them here with you.

Link to printable PDF is HERE.   Just print and cut out the individual cards and use however you like (personal use only please).  I recommend printing them on card stock and with the highest print quality for best results.

This is a pretty quick project and you might want to make your own.  I simply painted some square-ish and rectangular-ish shapes in watercolor on watercolor paper. When the paint dried I used pens and markers to add borders and other little elements.  It's okay if your shapes and lines are wonky-it just adds to the charm.  Enjoy!  xo

My Journaling Practice, Working with Resistance, & a Big Thank You to Suzi Blu

This past year I started doing written journaling again.  Suzi Blu started a journaling "course" (it's more than that...hard to pin it down with a single word/phrase) this past year called "Paint & Chronicle".  Here's a link for anyone who wants to check it out: Suzi Blu's Paint & Chronicle: My Sacred Narrative   She has weeks 1-19 available, and you can start at any time (you don't have to wait for January  or any other special time to dive in). I highly recommend checking it out. Unfortunately (but understandably) due to personal circumstances she is unable to continue offering this wonderful course. I have been so inspired by the course (and her and her art) that I don't want to lose that momentum.  So, I've decided to create my own journaling practice.  I've no intention to create the next "Paint & Chronicle" or  take Suzi's place in the journaling world  or anything like that (as if I could even if I wanted to!).  What I *do* want to do is take some of the tools I learned from P&C and incorporate them into a "new-tailor-made-for-me" journaling practice.

Some of the qualities of P&C that I want to carry over into my "new" journaling practice are:

1.  Having a focus and using writing prompts

2.  Using journaling as a tool for taking real action in life

3.  Combining written journaling, art journaling, & scrapbooking all in one journal

Here are my pages for the week.  As you can see my scanning job was less than perfect-oh well!

I liked that Suzi had broken up P&C into weeks.  Each month had a theme and each week had it's own prompts and/or actions.  In my new journaling practice I won't have a monthly theme, but will go week by week.  Each week I will pick a theme.  For me, going week by week will allow me to work with an issue/topic for as long or short amount of time as I need.  When I've done all the work  I need to do with a topic then I'll pick a new one for the next week.  For example this week I am choosing to work with the topic of "resistance".  I will work with it for as many weeks as I need to and then choose a new topic.  (By the way, don't ask why I chose a circus theme...I don't actually like the circus due to the animal cruelty...funny Bunny!)

I've been noticing a lot of resistance in my life lately.  Resistance to meditation, to yoga, to having a regular bedtime, etc.  Soooooooo many things I'm resisting lately!  Good, healthy things that I WANT in my life! So, this is a great place for me to start in my "new" journaling practice.  Suzi picked a quote each week to go with her theme.  I realized I really like adding inspiring quotes to my pages and will continue to do that.  I also liked that she used writing prompts to go with the themes-to give some direction.  Prior to P&C my journaling was all stream of consciousness type writing.  I found the prompts really helpful and will come up with my own each week.

My prompts are written underneath a flip out card I taped into my journal spread:

This week my writing prompts are:

1. Where in my life am I experiencing resistance?

2.  What are my reasons for resistance in each area of my life?

3.  Where am I most stuck?

4.  What can I do to break through the resistance and become unstuck?

5.  What are some ways I can reward myself for reaching my goals along the way to "unstuckness"?

This is how I've been working in my journal, and will continue to work.  I am working in a 8.5 x 11 (I think) size Moleskine sketchbook.  I tape in graph paper (something I learned from Suzi) to do my writing on.  I have been taping two or three pages on top of each other onto the sketchbook page.  I then do some sort of artwork on the underneath Moleskine paper.  I sometimes tape in decorative papers or lists or random other things too.  Today I taped in a pic of a bird from a magazine which I plan to use as a drawing reference. In the pics below you can see how I set up my page(s) for the day. (Sorry for the crappy pics...it's very overcast today and I just couldn't get a good pic to save my life.  And you saw how the scanning went! ha!

By the way...my self care list and self esteem list (which I've taped into my journal) are printable and available to you HERE on my blog (for free)  if you want a copy(s).

So, there you go! I hope you enjoyed hearing about my journaling practice.  I would love to hear about how you journal! Feel free to write about your own journaling practice in the comments (or write about anything at all that you feel moved to write about). And a big giant THANK YOU to Suzi Blu for 6 months of Paint & Chronicle!!  I credit Suzi and P&C for getting me back into written journaling and for sooooooo much inspiration!  I learned a lot, accomplished a lot, did a lot of growing, and so much more over these past 6 months. And I've made some wonderful friends through P&C, including Suzi herself.  Thank you so very much dear Suzi!!  Much love!  

Please do check out these links to Suzi's work.  She is an incredible artist who sells all sorts of cool stuff...rubber stamps, original art, and you can even take an online class with her!

 Visit Suzi's blog

Buy Suzi's book

Definitely check out Suzi's Etsy shop!!